Acer Iconia A100 7" tablet questions

[Venus]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

The 8GB Acer Iconia A100 was in Best Buy's Black Friday ad for $189. I was able to purchase it at that price on Best Buy's website the day before (on Thanksgiving Day). The price is currently $249.99 at Best Buy, but I think it's on backorder now.

Thanks Greg again....the best price seems to be around $250 now. I hate waiting, but I am going to try and restrain from buying right away.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

My A100 arrived today. It's a keeper. Prime Videos stream beautifully. Have to watch the viewing angles though, because it doesn't have IPS. Otherwise, the screen's gorgeous. Need to decide on a case now.

Well, I'm fairly certain that I'm not keeping it now. It's not because I don't like it or that there's something wrong with it, it's because I've decided to go with a 5" tablet instead. After playing with my new Galaxy Player 5.0 over the weekend, I decided that screen size was all I needed in a tablet. I'll give the A100 to one of my kids.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

How exciting! Do you stream the Prime videos through the browser, or is there some better way to do that? I don't have Amazon Prime right now, but I'll probably try it for a month and see if I like it.

Yep; through the browser.

Prime breaks down to $6.58 per month. While Netflix has a larger selection of videos, Prime has enough to keep me happy. Additionally, Prime has free 2-day shipping and library books; and Netflix doesn't.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Well, I'm fairly certain that I'm not keeping it now. It's not because I don't like it or that there's something wrong with it, it's because I've decided to go with a 5" tablet instead. After playing with my new Galaxy Player 5.0 over the weekend, I decided that screen size was all I needed in a tablet. I'll give the A100 to one of my kids.

so, you go for 10" for the tablet and 5" for the rest?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

so, you go for 10" for the tablet and 5" for the rest?

No; my tablet is a 5" Galaxy Player and my media player (all the rest) is a 4" Galaxy Player. My ereader is a Kindle 3 and my audiobook player is a Sansa Clip Zip.

[robertc88]

I'm not surprised this thread sort of died as many places don't have the A100 or A500 currently. Maybe there is a later thread?

I didn't want the A100 to slip me by now since I've tried both the KF and NT recently and I'm kind of mad at myself for not including this device in the mix for my needs. I managed to find the 7" A100 at Walmart but it is back up to $249.00 now most anywhere anyway. I took the plunge though to try it out.

Be careful at BB. I'm absolutely certain the extended holiday return policy for TABLETS and the like isn't January 24th, it is 14 days after Dec 25th.

So please let me know what you think of the Acers. I'm surprised only a few have chimed in about them at this point.

And I'm not sure why folks look towards the Samsung Players to tell the truth when the price of the KF, Acer 100 and NT are relatively the same in comparison.

[5thWiggle]

Liking the A100 I got for Christmas. Screen viewing angles are OK, not great, but not a deal breaker either - after all, it's a 7" device, I'm not putting it up on the mantle to watch HD movies and expecting everyone in the room to see, I'm holding it. Battery life is 5 hrs or a little more - again, not a deal breaker for me.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by robertc88

So please let me know what you think of the Acers.

I have both the Acer A100 (7") and Acer A500 (10.1"). I purchased the 8GB Acer A100 online on Thanksgiving Day when Best Buy was selling them for $189. On the following Sunday they offered the larger 8GB Acer A500 for $230, and I was able to snag that one too. My plan was to return the A100 once I received the A500, but that didn't happen. I like the 7" too much!

The A100 was delivered to me right away, but weeks after ordering I hadn't received my 8GB A500. Many others who had purchased from Best Buy were having the same problem. I eventually received an email from Best Buy stating that they were out of stock and not expecting more, so they offered me the 32GB Acer A500 for the same price ($230). Needless to say, I jumped on that! They were out of stock on that model soon after, so I got lucky!

Anyway, I'm extremely happy with both tablets, and I haven't had any problems with either. Both have lots of ports (microHDMI, microSD card, micro USB, headphone) and two cameras. The A500 also has a full-size USB port. We recently signed up for a free one-month trial of Amazon Prime, so we've been streaming lots of free movies from the tablets to big-screen TV via HDMI. I also use the tablets for e-reading, games, and web surfing.

The only criticism I have is that the screen clarity of the A100 can be adversely affected by viewing angle. This is a common complaint about that model, but I don't find it to be a big problem. Battery life isn't great on the A100, but that's not been an issue for me because I use it mostly at home and can plug it into the charger when I'm planning to use it for an extended period. The A500 is heavy for a tablet of its size, but I don't mind. Both tablets are solidly built, and I like the design of each.

Both tablets are fingerprint magnets. I purchased GreatShield Ultra Smooth Clear Screen Protectors for the A100, but I haven't used them. Not sure I will, as I just wipe off the screen once a day. The fingerprints aren't too visible when the tablet's turned on.

I purchased this case for the A100: Poetic Slimbook Leather Case. It's real leather, fits very well, and has a magnetic closure.



And I purchased this case for the A500: BLUREX Leather Slim Folio Case with Multi-Angle Stand. I'm very happy with that one too. It's also real leather, fits well without covering the edges of the screen, and the viewing angle can be adjusted.

[barkndog]

I'll jump in and say I really like the A100. The viewing angles have not been a problem for me - like someone said earlier in the thread: I'm not putting it on a wall for everyone to see, I'm holding it in my hand. I've even looked over my daughter's shoulder as she was using it and could see it just fine. So don't let the screen issue sway you.

Amazon (or their partners) has them in stock for just a few dollars more than Best Buy. Once you consider free shipping and no taxes, you'll actually come out better.

Just a note: the A100 fits in my shirt pocket. It was more of a casual shirt so the pocket may have been bigger than a dress shirt, but I was surprised that it fit.

[Greg_E]

The one thing that really bothers me the most is that the Kindle app will not allow you to get Fire only consumables like the graphic novels. Not sure who to complain to so I haven't started complaining. The 32gb a500 for $230 is a screaming deal, wish I had purchased one of the 8GB to have that same deal land in my lap, 32GB would do everything I could ever think to need without having to add an SD card.

Rumor is that we will be getting Android 4 in January, might take 6 months to roll around to the USA as I just got the 3.2.1 update that Europe has had since May. Overall I'm still extremely pleased with my 16gb a500 that I got used for $260.

Also consider that these a100 and a500 models should drop in price soon, the 700 series is on the way which will be a quad core processor so these old dinosaur dual cores are destined to an early death.

FYI, I get charged tax on pretty much every Amazon purchase I make, so not a real deal maker for some of us. They must have a warehouse or maybe a college bookstore in my state.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by Greg_E

The 32gb a500 for $230 is a screaming deal, wish I had purchased one of the 8GB to have that same deal land in my lap, 32GB would do everything I could ever think to need without having to add an SD card.

Greg, you got a great deal for your 16GB!

I was very fortunate to get the 32GB Acer A500 for $230! But I spent 17 agonizing days wondering if/when Best Buy was ever going to deliver my original order for the 8GB Acer A500!

I ordered it on November 27. Several weeks passed with no word regarding delivery. I was trying to be patient, as I knew that a lot of other customers were similarly affected. Several times I was very tempted to just cancel my order, but I knew that I wouldn't find a similar deal elsewhere so I waited. Best Buy didn't notify me that they were unable to obtain any more of the 8GB models until December 14, when they sent me an email to offer the 16GB or 32GB model as a substitute. I called them immediately to order the 32GB (of course). Both models were showing as "out of stock" not long after I requested mine.

By the way, did you ever find a TPU/silicone case that fits well? I really like the case that I have; it does protect well. I have a silicone cover for my Kindle and it really does help with grip without adding much weight, so I would consider one for the A500 too.

[Greg_E]

I have a cheap silicone and it doesn't fit well which seems the norm, never have bought a TPU case yet, still thinking of masking it off and spraying the metal with PlastiDip. Right now still have gaffer tape on the back to provide grip.

[Sweetpea]

When I bought my Flyer, I didn't even know of the existence of those silicone cases. But, as I got 2 + screen protector + car charger for a very friendly price (I mostly wanted the car charger and screen protector), I must say, I really like it. I'll have my Flyer in its folder case when I'm away, but when carrying around the house, I prefer the silicon case. I think I'd get one if I ever go for another device...

[Tabatha]

Amazon (All categories) has several silicone cases for both the A100 & A500 tablets, most under $10. I just typed in Acer Iconia Silicone, and many pop'd up.

I have one for my HP tablet and love it. Took it out of the Acase Leather and use the silicone instead for a better grip, when using. Will use the leather only when transporting it now.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by Tabatha

Amazon (All categories) has several silicone cases for both the A100 & A500 tablets, most under $10. I just typed in Acer Iconia Silicone, and many pop'd up.

I've looked into those in the past. From the review comments, it seems that they don't fit very well (too loose). I was hoping to find one that fits like a glove, like the one on my Kindle.