Hasta La Gadget!

Acer’s Iconia Tab A500 is one of the latest Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablets to hit the market. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Ever since Google’s tablet-optimized version of its Android OS debuted on the Xoom in February, manufacturers have been scrambling to bring their tablets to market. Next up on the list is Acer’s offering, the Iconia Tab A500.

If you haven’t used Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) before — and unless you own a Xoom, odds are you probably haven’t — it takes a bit of getting used to. Eliminating the four buttons that anchored so many Android phone faces means retraining yourself to handle a new interface. Instead of physical buttons, the system bar that lines the bottom of the screen holds three “soft” navigation buttons.

The Iconia Tab’s form takes advantage of the new user interface, as the large amount of screen real estate allows for lots of room to customize the five different home-screen menus.

Like a number of its Android brethren, the Iconia Tab runs on Nvidia’s dual-core, 1-GHz Tegra 2 processor. Playing one of the HD games that came loaded on the tablet showed solid performance, and the integrated GeForce GPU handled the graphics well.

The tablet also supports Adobe Flash (unlike the iPad 2), though as of now the Flash player release for Honeycomb tablets is only a beta version. And believe me, it shows. YouTube test videos were unreliable, running smoothly at some points, and choppily at others. Some Flash games (Bejeweled) ran well enough, while others were nearly unplayable.

In a recent interview, Adobe told us the delay in producing a final version for Honeycomb-based tablets had to do with “fundamental changes in the browser implementation,” which held up the plug-in’s release even for the launch of the Xoom.

At 1.69 pounds, the Iconia Tab is only slightly heftier than the comparable Xoom (1.6 pounds), though its metal exterior would fool you into thinking otherwise. The 10.1-inch display runs 720p HD video quite well, but don’t expect to be watching any 1080p until a software update coming later this summer.

It has two cameras: a 5-megapixel back-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing one for video chat. Nothing really new here, except for the interface on which you take your photos. Shooting pictures on a Honeycomb tablet for the first time is, frankly, a little weird. Holding the tablet in both hands and pointing feels like trying to deflect debris with a cafeteria lunch tray.

Acer’s tablet has a 5-megapixel back-facing camera for photos. Be forewarned: Taking pictures with a tablet takes getting used to. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Much like the Xoom, Acer’s tablet is seriously lacking in the sound department. The speakers are located on the back side of the device, projecting audio away from the user. Even if you were to flip the tablet around while listening, speaker quality just isn’t there. Tinny, distorted highs and crunchy lows makes for an awful aural experience.

Acer has decided to price the Iconia Tab at $450, cheaper than most of the premium tablets we’re going to see released over the next few months. Because the tablet seems a bit like plain vanilla to us, the relatively low price is probably Acer’s best bet to steal customers away from choosing Apple, Motorola or RIM’s recent BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

The Iconia Tab A500 is currently up for pre-order on Bestbuy.com, and will be available exclusively at Best Buy retail stores and online April 24.

See Also:

• Acer's New Wi-Fi Android Tablet Unveiled
• Report: Motorola Xoom Tablet to Cost a Hefty $800
• Motorola Xoom Launches Without Flash
• Motorola Xoom, Atrix Too Pricey for the Public
• Video: Android 'Honeycomb' Tablet OS Revealed
• Google Unveils Graphics, Other Enhancements to Honeycomb
• What We Know About Honeycomb, the Android for Tablets

The changes just keep on coming at Acer these days — following a shakeup at the top and a new, friendlier logo, the company has now announced that longtime company exec Jim Wong will be stepping up to the role of Corporate President. What’s more, he’ll also be heading up Acer’s brand new Touch Business Group, which combines the company’s former tablet PC and smartphone teams, and promises to help Acer “make significant inroads” in the mobile device business — or so it hopes, at least. Elsewhere in the company, Acer’s traditional PC Global Operations business will be led by the former VP of its handheld business unit, Campbell Kan, while a number of other Acer execs have also been appointed to some new positions, including Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Technology Officer. Head on past the break for the official word from Acer itself.

Continue reading Acer’s Jim Wong named Corporate President, will head new Touch Business Group

Acer’s Jim Wong named Corporate President, will head new Touch Business Group originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In case you’re looking for some more options in the 3D monitor market, Acer’s just announced a couple of new models for the US that might do the job. First up is the HN274H pictured above, which claims to be the first 27-inch LED-backlit monitor supporting both HDMI 3D and NVIDIA 3D Vision — Blu-ray or TV set-top box for the former, PC gaming for the latter (via the usual DVI-DL). Though limited at 1920 x 1080 resolution, this display boasts a 100,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio with 300cd/m2 brightness and 2ms response time, along with a built-in IR emitter for the included NVIDIA 3D glasses, as well as a handful of ports: VGA, DVI, and three HDMI. All this for $689.

If you prefer something smaller and more budget friendly, then there’s the 23.6-inch HS244HQ as well. For $449 you get the same HD resolution, brightness, and response time, though contrast ratio is lowered to 12,000,000:1. Most importantly, there’s no support for NVIDIA 3D Vision here (though you still get a pair of Acer 3D glasses), meaning gamers will have to consider other options. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Acer brings HN274H and HS244HQ 3D monitors to the US, motorbikes not included

Acer brings HN274H and HS244HQ 3D monitors to the US, motorbikes not included originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You didn’t think that Acer wouldn’t be sharing some of its new tablets with its still-kicking Packard Bell subsidiary, did you? The latter has now debuted the Liberty Tab, its own spin on Acer’s Iconia Tab A500. As you might expect, however, there aren’t many differences beyond the name, with this one packing the same styling, 10-inch screen, Tegra 2 processor, dual cameras, and Honeycomb OS as its more widely-available counterpart. Launch details are still a bit iffy, but you can apparently expect this one to hit Europe sometime in June, with pricing to vary by country. Head on past the break for a hands-on video courtesy of Notebook Italia.

[Thanks, Marco]

Continue reading Packard Bell debuts Liberty Tab Honeycomb tablet, clearly adores freedom

Packard Bell debuts Liberty Tab Honeycomb tablet, clearly adores freedom originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Apr 2011 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer’s Honeycomb-powered Iconia A500 is the latest Android tablet to hit the market. Photo: Acer

With the debut of the Iconia Tab A500, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Acer is the latest to throw its hat into the tablet ring.

As of Friday morning, the 10.1-inch, Android 3.0-powered A500 is up for pre-order on Best Buy’s website for $450. It will be ready for purchase in Best Buy retail stores beginning April 24.

The price is less than the cheapest iPad 2, which costs $500 for a Wi-Fi only, 16-GB model. The Iconia A500 also has 16 GB of storage.

Most comparable tablets have had difficulty matching the iPad’s price. For instance, Motorola’s Xoom (the only other Honeycomb tablet currently available) costs $600, although that gets you a full 32 GB of internal storage, among other things.

Acer’s tablet will run Android version 3.0 (Honeycomb) on its NVidia Tegra 250 1-GHz dual-core processor, supported by a gig of RAM.

The Iconia A500 will be available in a Wi-Fi version first, and a 4G version will eventually make its way to AT&T’s network.

The A500’s 10.1-inch display boasts a 1280×800 resolution ratio (equal to that of the Xoom, and better than the iPad 2). You can watch HD 720p video on the screen, or use the HDMI output to view stored media on external screens. A 5-megapixel rear-facing camera comes for shooting photos and video, while the 2-megapixel front-facing camera allows for video chat.

Like the other Android tablets to debut in 2011, the A500 will trail Google’s flagship Honeycomb device, Motorola’s Xoom, to market. Samsung’s currently available version of its seven-inch Galaxy Tab runs Android version 2.2 — not until the 10.1-inch version will we see Honeycomb on a Samsung device (although delays have pushed back the larger version’s release).

The A500 will support Flash eventually, but won’t ship with it. Motorola’s Xoom, which debuted six weeks ago, also launched without Flash, though a beta release is currently available for Honeycomb in the Android Market.

With the BlackBerry Playbook set to debut on April 19 and a number of offerings to follow, Acer’s will be entering the tablet market just as it heats up with some serious competition.

See Also:

• Motorola Xoom Launches Without Flash
• Motorola Xoom, Atrix Too Pricey for the Public
• iPad 2 Cover Is Smart, All Right — If You're Steve Jobs
• Hands-On With Apple's Skinnier, Faster iPad 2
• 10 Apps You Should Download for iPad 2
• Want an iPad 2? Be Prepared to Wait
• HP Launches WebOS-Powered Tablet, Phones
• HP Says WebOS Will Land on PCs in 2012