You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
With the Acer Iconia W3 you’ve got Acer’s first 8.1-inch Windows 8 effort on the market – and the first Windows 8 tablet on the market with an 8.1-inch display in any case. Acer’s previous efforts with Android tablets have been decent – we’ve seen the group go all the way back to 2011 with the Acer Iconia Tab A500 and A501 for some of the first Honeycomb efforts on the market – and the Iconia W3 is no move to scoff at. Will this humble-looking handheld be the slate you’ll want to rock for the dawn of Windows next-wave touch software?
Acer is no stranger to firsts, that’s for certain. Even the Acer Iconia Tab A100 took a unique chip at the Android tablet block, making way with the first 7-incher to tote Android 3.2 Honeycomb (back when that iteration of Android was first made for smaller-sized tablets).
With the Iconia W3 you’re rolling out with an Intel Atom 1.5GHz Z2760 processor and 2GB of memory, enough to keep Windows 8 rolling relatively hard at this size a display. You’ve also got a collection of wireless connectivity options including WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0+EDR and you’ll be able to push video mirroring out with this tablet’s built-in micro HDMI port.
The 8.1-inch panel up front works with 1200 x 800 pixel resolution that’s well-to-do at first, but isn’t exactly perfect when it comes to wide viewing angles. That said, you’re probably not going to be aiming this machine at the faces of multiple partners anyway, so you get what you pay for – a single-user viewing experience.
You’ve got a microUSB port as well as a power port on this machine, this being one of the bigger (or smaller, however you want to look at it) differentiators between the Android and Windows tablet universes. While it’s nice to be able to charge the machine up at what seems to be a slightly swifter time than any microUSB connection allows, it’d be nice to only have to rely on a single cord.
Battery life does indeed, believe it or not, live up to the hype – we’ve kicked out 7+ hours of regular use (without turning the machine off) with ease, while standby time hasn’t yet reached its end after several days without being switched off. It would appear that Intel’s processor here makes good on efforts to keep low-powered tasks in the low-powered class.
Up front and on back of this machine you’ve got 2 megapixel cameras able to take relatively decent one-time shots worthy of basic shares. There’s a microSD memory card slight able to carry up to 32GB cards, and you’ve got 32GB of storage inside as well. And believe it or not, you get a WHOPPING 31GB of that space to use on your own – he largest app size in the whole machine is Microsoft’s own “Travel” app at 375MB.
This machine’s biggest competitor may be Samsung’s recently revealed ATIV Tab 3, bringing on a “Galaxy” sort of theme in its hardware made ready for Windows 8.
It too brings on a near-8-inch display size (8.2-inches in that case), with an Intel Atom Z2760 processor and 2GB of RAM to kick out the jams. We’ll see soon how it measures up in real life to the Acer machine here – for now we’re feeling like the two are rather similar (save their obvious brand-specific aesthetic choices). Oh, and the S-Pen included with the Samsung machine – there’s that, too. We’ll see how big a difference that makes in swaying our decision soon.
There are two different versions of the Acer Iconia W3 coming to the market, that being the standard 32GB version at $379.99 USD, then the $429.99 version with 64GB of storage space. Either way you’ve got a value proposition that can’t be matched on a Windows machine as such – specifically because of the size, at first (there is no other machine like this, so to speak), but then because Acer’s created a solid, reliable machine where no real competition has stepped up to the plate in this sort of package thus far. As Acer paves the way at this compact size (with Windows 8), we’ll soon see this battle rage.
We’ve had the opportunity to have a look at this device’s standard Acer-made Bluetooth Keyboard as well as its standard Protective Case, both of them ready to work with this machine specifically – and no other. The Protective Case is just about as standard as they come, connecting to the tablet with a plastic snap and keeping the unit safe with faux-leather in white.
The Bluetooth Keyboard, on the other hand, is unique. Here you’ve got a tablet, on one hand, that’s sold on its own and can stand on its own as a separate product. But then there’s the keyboard which, on its bottom, has a set of three clips that hold the tablet in place.
You might not notice it at first, but the tablet has a set of intends on its left and right (landscape-wise) that work with the keyboard to keep it in place when you’re not using the tablet or the keyboard. Combined, these machines can be stored with the display protected and the keyboard revealed.
In use you’ll be connecting with Bluetooth only, wirelessly only, with the machine held up with the keyboard’s rubberized grip that’ll allow both landscape and portrait views. Connectivity is simple, and the keyboard is powered by several AA batteries under the hood.
It’s difficult to judge this tablet as a competitor with any other similar solution since it basically stands alone in the field right this minute. While Acer has brought forth a relatively decent effort in the 10.1-inch space for tablets with the transforming Acer Iconia W510, it’s here that the company goes all-in with a stand-alone mini-tablet effort for Windows 8 at last.
While we’ve yet to see any company bring the full-powered mini-tablet with high-definition display to Windows 8 that we desire – or at least desire to see – Acer currently leads the pack with this machine.
Acer Iconia W3 Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Think small tablets and Apple’s iPad mini and Google’s Nexus 7 probably come to mind, but Acer is also hoping its Iconia W3 Windows 8 slate will make the grade. Running a full version of Windows 8 – and, soon enough, Windows 8.1 – on an 8.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, the compact tablet is designed to
Acer is going release the 8.1 inch mini tablet “Iconia W3-810″ on July 11. “Microsoft Office Home and Business 2013″ is pre-installed so that you will be able to utilize the advantage in a business setting.
Price: About ¥60,000
Size: H11.4 × W219 × D134.9mm
Weight: 500g
Battery life: 8 hours
Color: Silver
OS: Windows 8 32bit
Office: Office Home and Business 2013
Processor: Intel Atom Processor Z2760 (1.80GHz)
System memory: 2GB
Display: 8.1 inch (HD, 1280×800) / Touch panel/ 5 points multi-touch / 16:10 screen/LED backlight/brightness 350nit/Lustre Panel/1.67 million colors
Graphics: Intel GMA
Storage: 64GB eMMC
Memory card slot: microSD
Wireless: IEEE802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0＋HS
Micro USB2.0 port ×1, built-in microphone x1, 3.5mm audio jack ×1, Micro HDMI port ×1
It’s time to rethink the way our children learn. It’s all a bit overwhelming, attempting to restructure the age-old classroom model, particularly in a system as bogged down in bureaucratic red tape as education. This month, however, we packed up our things and toured the country to find out how educational institutions are adopting new models to help reinvent the learning process — rather than sitting idly by, waiting for the system to change around them. Naturally, technology is playing a huge role in that shift, moving from models of teaching to models of learning, where students can explore, express themselves and learn at their own speed.
We kick things off in Chicago, where Jackie Moore, a former systems programmer, is teaching inner city students how to build robots in a shopping mall basement at LevelUP. Next up, we head Miami and California, to see how technologies like the iPad, Google Chromebook and One Laptop Per Child’s XO laptop are being implemented in three schools, including interviews with educators, students, OLPC CEO Rodrigo Halaby and Google director of product management, Rajen Sheth. We’ll also talk to component retailers SparkFun and Adafruit about the initiatives those companies have implemented to help kids learn electronics at an early age, and then we sit down with American Museum of Natural History president, Ellen Futter, to discuss the ways the New York City institution is redefining itself for the 21st century.
We’ve also got an interview with Ali Partovi, a serial entrepreneur, who is working to make computer science an essential part of the elementary-level STEM program, through Code.org. Richard Culatta, the acting director of the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology discusses how devices can help target the learning process for individual students and LeapFrog CEO John Barbour tells us how his company is rethinking the educational toy. All that plus prognostications from John Roderick and some really sweet moose dioramas can be yours to enjoy after the break.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Laptops, Robots, Tablets, Science, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile, Alt, Google, Acer
If you’ve wanted full-blown Windows 8 in bite-size form, you now have your chance: the Acer Iconia W3 is on sale in the US. The 8.1-inch slate is in stock at both Office Depot and Staples, starting at $350 for a 32GB model at both outlets. Don’t count on the 64GB version being available — it’s still listed as an online-only pre-order at Office Depot. There’s also no word on inventory at Amazon or other competing retailers. Should you not be picky about capacities or store choices, however, you can take the W3 home today.
Source: Office Depot, Staples
Back when Windows 8 first launched, the Acer Iconia W700 quickly became one of our favorite laptop / tablet hybrids. There were two reasons for that, really: the price was right, and the battery lasted longer than pretty much any other Win 8 device we’d tested. The thing is, it was more of a business device than something we’d recommend to the average consumer. After all, it came with a heavy, desk-bound docking station, with the carrying case and included keyboard as standalone pieces. That’s quite a lot to carry if you ever feel like taking it on the road.
That’s where the Acer Aspire P3 comes in. Don’t worry, the W700 is still alive and kicking, but for people who’ve been looking for something more portable, this could be the one you want. Like the W700, the P3 starts at a reasonable price ($800) and has the guts of an Ivy Bridge laptop, including a Core i5 processor, Intel HD 4000 graphics, 4GB of RAM and a 120GB SSD. The difference is that rather than a clunky cradle, it comes with a carrying case that doubles as a keyboard; just prop the tablet up into a ready-made slot when you feel like watching movies or answering email. Yep, kind of like the Surface Pro, except there’s no built-in kickstand and the keyboard is actually included. So is it a good deal at that price? Let’s find out.
Gallery: Acer Aspire P3 review
Did you back out of an iPhone 5 because it didn’t have a dual-LED flash? If this leaked image from MacRumors turns out to be real, that may not be a problem for much longer. Inside and out, these blurrycam snaps purport to show an iPhone 5S which is nearly identical to its predecessor — the only obvious differences being a slightly larger 5.92 Whr battery and the aforementioned dual-LED flash. Given that the internal layout is consistent with the iPhone 5 (pictured, after the break) and we were expecting an incremental revision this year, we’re marking this one down as “plausible.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Acer
Source: MacRumors
If Acer’s Aspire S5 were an episode of Friends, it’d be forever known as “The One with the Motorized Port Cover.” Unfortunately, while it was cool to have a complex, Thunderbirds-esque mechanical loading sequence on the laptop, it did make using its USB ports a bit of a chore. Furthermore, lackluster build quality, a weak battery and some serious usability flaws means that it probably can’t justify that sky-high price. That said, we figure plenty of you still went out and bought one, so tell us — did your experience meet up to our review, and what, if Acer had asked, would you change?
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