Acer Iconia Tab A500

[Noah98]

Originally Posted by tipstir

Wow we all should have testing party at Best Buy with these tablets.

If a group of Mobilereaders showed up for a testing party at Best Buy, they would probably kick us out!

Originally Posted by tipstir

iPad2 can't knock that one I did test that out but to me just a very large iTouch 4.

I have to disagree with the whole "an ipad is just a giant iphone/ipod." The way the screen is utilized by the tablet optimized apps makes the ipad a real tablet. In fact, I think it is ironic that the ipad is criticized for the simple launcher, when the launcher is only a minor part of the experience. It should be all about the apps, not the front end. ios has 85,000 tablet optimized apps. Last time I checked, android had a few more than 60. I've asked this question before: Would you rather have a phone like launcher that launches tablet apps, or a tablet launcher that launches phone apps? Ok rant over!

[Noah98]

Originally Posted by SCION

One of the reasons I find the Acer attractive.

The Acer is actually pretty cool looking! I liked the style of it more than the Xoom, which kind of looks just like a black slab.

Originally Posted by SCION

Regarding the size of the Acer, Lisa made a good point in her video about it costing more to shrink something.

The good thing about the Acer is that it feels good when you hold it. It was more comfortable than the Xoom due to the weight distribution and rounded edges.

Originally Posted by SCION

No doubt the XOOM is a quality product. Just don't know if I want to spend that much more for it though. Particularly when we barely get a year out of these things before something else captures our attention.

Guilty as charged with my nook color! I loved it while I had it, but was seduced (as always) by a sexy new gadget. Good thing I'm not like that with women (my wife agrees).

If I didn't want an apple product, I think I would probably go with the Acer over the Xoom due to the significant price difference at the entry level. With the Asus model already released (although sold out), it would be hard not to wait just a bit longer. Of course, you can't wait forever. But then again, the Toshiba and the new Samsungs look awfully good...

[tipstir]

Waiting is fun, but ACER is available here no one has dug in yet as they did with Xoom when first came out. The Xoom feels good and well built. It should your buying a Motorola Communications product. Next to them would be Cisco Tablet which is long over due. ACER looks odd to me, it's not something I would buy. I own ACER everything they have from desktop towers quad core and to laptops and to netbooks. Just something wrong with the tablet to me.

iPad2 and itouch I am not knocking it. Just saying it not for me. The wife is into iTouch I can see why it's so popular. iPad2 is larger lite thin and brightness is set to the max. I did turn it down to see how dark it gets which doesn't go completely dark. That's well made you pay for that.

RIM Playbook is like a smaller version of the iPad2 quality. RIM all it makes are communication devices like another Motorola. Still both have dived in deep into tablets.

I've tested tablet's since 2010 after 18 of them from 7" to 9" ownership from RTS to CTS all various MPU/CPU on Android side. Motorola took the design like of most Gome tablets which were clones of the first iPad. Although I'd like of hardware front facing buttons LED Lit are missing. The OSD works on most. HoneyComb 3.0 takes some getting use to from Android OS 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2. I like 3.0 layout much better.

Well anyway these Tera SoC with integrated graphic on the die going to be something else by 2014 by that time that Tera going to be 100 times faster than the current Terga 2. Improve GPU core. But in the mean time the next one is only 5 times faster than current one and so forth.

So Xoom and A500 is using the same Tegra 250 CPU Dual Core 1GHz with GPU is 333MHz but yet the A500 can't do full 1080p video playback and the clipping starts to happen but not on the same on Xoom.

Maybe if ACER uses Tegra 250 3D Dual Core 1.2GHz with GPU is 400MHz and some hardware tweaks to improve the 1080p video playback might work.

[SCION]

Originally Posted by Noah98

... Would you rather have a phone like launcher that launches tablet apps, or a tablet launcher that launches phone apps? Ok rant over!

Touché! That's why every now and then it gets my interest.

[raven312]

Originally Posted by tipstir

So Xoom and A500 is using the same Tegra 250 CPU Dual Core 1GHz with GPU is 333MHz but yet the A500 can't do full 1080p video playback and the clipping starts to happen but not on the same on Xoom.

Maybe if ACER uses Tegra 250 3D Dual Core 1.2GHz with GPU is 400MHz and some hardware tweaks to improve the 1080p video playback might work.

The Acer is scheduled for a June update, at which time it will do full 1080p video playback. That information is posted on their website (and in the manual.) Most of the current tablets' faults are software related. As long as the manufacturer supports it with updates (something Apple does extremely well), then IMO that makes the price (a little) easier to swallow. Honeycomb is not quite ready, for me. I found that the tablets running 2.2 are much smoother at this time. However, my experience with Android says this is short-lived.

It's all a matter of what you will use the device for: if it's largely for fun and and extension of your phone, then get the one you're already invested in unless you just want to try a new platform. I had a Viewsonic G-Tablet, which I loved (my first tablet.) I'd read all of the reviews and all of the complaints (and counters) about the viewing angle of the screen. I decided that I could live with it. However, I found that I really couldn't. That is its only shortcoming, for my usage. The A500's screen is worlds above that, so maybe I'm just easy to please. I don't do any intensive work on my tablet - I have my workhorse for that - but it's great for reading, checking email and websurfing, keeping up with my forums, and light work. If you're looking for a media center, face it - I can't think of any tablet that can truly do that. I can sit in bed and use Gmote 2 to play my music and video files on my desktop computer from my tablet. I can stream movies or look at files from my desktop computer using Splashtop remote. Figure out what you want it to do, then play with the available tablets and see which one comes closest to your idea out of the box.

My A500 is rooted and gives me access to the programs that made me love my phone. Tethering is a blast (and free if you're rooted), and it's fun to do on a 10.1" screen what is tedious on a 4.3" screen (Evo). It's a "tweener"; picking up where your phone leaves off and not powerful enough to compete with your desktop. I guarantee, there will be a better tablet tomorrow. Wait for tomorrow or get one that suits your desires today - same choice with any piece of electronic equipment that is obsolete before you get it home...

[bobcdy]

raven312,
Already returned my A500; the killer problem was its difficulty with pdf files. My main use would have been reading google books and using GB files to proof my epub creations away from the computer. Unfortunately the A500 did not work well with GB pdf files - probably each pdf page was too big (GB scans at 600 dpi that is unusual for scans). I probably could have printed to pdf the files to produce a smaller file size with each page at 300 or less dpi, but I decided to wait for a tablet that would work well with the GB files without any workarounds. After all my sony 950 works well with the files (but the screen is too small to be convenient - a 10" screen would be much better).

Other than that problem the A500 seemed fine for most other purposes.

[raven312]

Originally Posted by bobcdy

raven312,
Already returned my A500; the killer problem was its difficulty with pdf files. My main use would have been reading google books and using GB files to proof my epub creations away from the computer. Unfortunately the A500 did not work well with GB pdf files - probably each pdf page was too big (GB scans at 600 dpi that is unusual for scans). I probably could have printed to pdf the files to produce a smaller file size with each page at 300 or less dpi, but I decided to wait for a tablet that would work well with the GB files without any workarounds. After all my sony 950 works well with the files (but the screen is too small to be convenient - a 10" screen would be much better).

Other than that problem the A500 seemed fine for most other purposes.

And that's my point, bobcdy - you have identified what you'd most like to use it for and it doesn't meet your needs. Hopefully one will come along that can handle the files much better. It may already be out there, but you'll have to play with them to find out, I guess.

[rfog]

Originally Posted by bobcdy

raven312,
Already returned my A500; the killer problem was its difficulty with pdf files. My main use would have been reading google books and using GB files to proof my epub creations away from the computer. Unfortunately the A500 did not work well with GB pdf files - probably each pdf page was too big (GB scans at 600 dpi that is unusual for scans). I probably could have printed to pdf the files to produce a smaller file size with each page at 300 or less dpi, but I decided to wait for a tablet that would work well with the GB files without any workarounds. After all my sony 950 works well with the files (but the screen is too small to be convenient - a 10" screen would be much better).

Other than that problem the A500 seemed fine for most other purposes.

It seems a bit nonsense have some saved at 600 dpi when screen is only capable of, for example, 150... The only reason is to be able to zoom in. I print all my PDF at 150 DPI and they can ve viewed without problem in my iPAD and Iconia, the the size can be about 50 - 500 MB...

[tipstir]

Well the idea to have the tablet was to offload the work routine tasks from carrying around larger heavier laptop and netbook around into a single all-in-one display. Prior handheld computer devices never wasn't even close to what we have now in Android OS tablet price wise. Sure I have no problem shelling out $500 bucks for A500 which I would have done but, my prior experiences with such tablets make me wonder if it's any good to do so. Right now I say NO!

I use the tablet for programming, and making rooted firmware rom mod for it, to monitor WiFi APN's (access point networks), program DVR, program routers and such. For entertainment I do watch Music Videos. Not really watching movies on it. I can stream my SageTV Media Server to the tablet and watch video over the stream that does work like watching Fringe etc.

I read the USA TODAY on it using their app fits nice and text is sharp so I can read it. Games that Angry Birds Rio good to relax with. That's about it. I still use my other systems more than I use the 3x tablets I have left out of 18.

I know my wife keeps-on saying "why are you buying and returning all these tablet's for?"

[bobcdy]

rfog,
Yes, I agree, if I were doing the scanning I would use 300 dpi and perhaps that would work ok in the A500; however, I'm not - Google Books does all their scans of perhaps 5 million public domain books at 600 dpi. (600 dpi is best for later OCR) Thus, the major (only?) source of these books is Google Books. I tried reprinting at 300 dpi one of the GB files I'm using as the basis for an epub - it took over 4 hours (700 pages) with my win 7 8gb ram, 3ghz core2 quad system. Way too long to be really practical. If I can't find any 10" android ereader that works well with 600 dpi pdf files by the end of the summer, I'll wait until I can purchase a 10 e-ink reader that I know will be able to handle the files.

[ZombieEatsYou]

I just picked up an A500.

Nothing to add, just thought I'd throw it out there.

[SCION]

Please share any cases/covers you discover for the Acer Tab.

[ZombieEatsYou]

Originally Posted by SCION

Please share any cases/covers you discover for the Acer Tab.

Okay - how about this?

[tipstir]

You all are aware of the issue with HoneyComb 3.0 and Android said that Icecream Sandwich Android OS 4.0 will solve this issue. I have reported this issue here.


Sweep Gradient Honeycomb 3.0 Issue

When using SweepGradient on a Paint at Android 3.0 with the null argument for positions the SweepGradient only shows one color.
Android Fix: A bug fix will be provided in Ice Cream Sandwich. This issue has already been fixed internally.

[gtriever]

After reading several reviews (and the comments here, of course) I picked up an A500 for at least a "test run". Initial reactions:

Setup... Easy as can be.

Root... Really simple. Sideload one apk and then click on the app.

Email and Browser... Hey, it uses the same ones you've probably used in the past.

Market... This is where it gets tricky. Some apps we all know and love just aren't there. One of my favorites, Executive Assistant, just isn't shown, and if you finally find it and try to install, you get the message "Incompatible with this device". Ten points off for the A500.

PDF handling... I loaded Repligo Reader, and saw no difference on the A500 from my previous devices (Droid X and Nook Color). Not a fault of the tablet, but come on folks, when do we get a good PDF app like iAnnotate?

GPS... WiFi assisted, excellent. I'll try it out today without WiFi and will report back. BTW, CoPilot Live v8 works very well on this machine.

USB Hosting... Can we say WOW! Picked up my 16GB flash drive immediately. The only drawback is that to access the files you need to go through a File Manager. I blame this on the software and not the tablet, however. I seriously doubt that any (or at least not many) devs have coded this option into their apps... yet.

USB Slave... Why won't Win7 Pro see the external SD card? Five points off, for having to plug the uSD into a card reader in the computer for file transfers.

Battery Life... Excellent. 'Nuff said.

Size and Weight... The same screen size as my netbook, in a much thinner package. Weight is a non-issue. Fits nicely into a standard netbook sleeve for transport.

As of now (after a couple of hours of use), the goods outweigh the drawbacks. I should have lots of time today to explore further. My inital reaction is that I'm trying really hard to like this machine and so far it seems to be working.