Acer Iconia A100 7" tablet questions

[Max Power]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

Well, aren't you special—three tablets! I was very tempted by the Toshiba Thrive myself. I like the ASUS Transformer too. I'd also considered the Kindle Fire, but I really want the ability to connect to the TV via HDMI and I prefer having an SD card for storage.

After mulling it over for quite some time, I decided that Acer's 7-inch screen is probably a better fit for my needs. It's easier to hold and it has all the ports I want. The drawbacks I've read about didn't seem like deal-breakers for me. I don't think I would have paid $300 for it, but I was happy to pay $190. I'm new to Android, so this will be "fun."

I look forward to reading which of the three you decide to keep—and why.

It seems you were looking at almost the exact same as me. The Transformer looked very nice, especially docked. The Thrive had some good upside but eventually I managed to catch the Acer on the Best Buy site yesterday for $189. I know I'll be using it for a e-reader first and a web browser second, rather have the 7" for my purposes.

The only difference is I looked at the Nook Tablet rather than the Fire I wanted expandability in the tablet. Magazines and comics looked great on it. I hope to have similar or better results on the Iconia.

[Greg_E]

I'm a little under impressed with web browsing on my a500, some things just do not render properly with the stock browser so you may need to search out a different browser to use. Email from mail.com was impossible, thankfully they had an app, browsing newegg was OK but not the same as a computer but they also have an app. Many of the other sites I go to worked fine though so it is all up to the site in question.

I think PDF on the 7 inch display will be tough unless you hold it landscape and scroll through the pages. I prefer to have the full page displayed and the larger screen on the a500 is about as small as can be tolerated.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by soondai

showing as available online right now.

Wow, they replenished their stock. Interesting I wonder why they waited until now to release this stock? Why didn't they release it at the start of the sale?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

If anyone's looking for a case for the Acer Iconia A100, this one gets excellent reviews at Amazon and it's only $12.95 (free shipping):

Poetic Slimbook Leather Case

Thanks for the link, but it's sold out.

That company makes very good cases. I bought one for my HP TouchPad and really like it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

When I checked Best Buy online shortly before midnight (Wednesday night), the Acer A100 showed the reduced price of $189.99 with the note "coming soon." I checked it off and on before I went to bed Thursday at 2 a.m., and it still said the same. Then when I woke up later that morning, it said "sold out online."

The sale started at 3am PST, an hour after you went to bed. Anyway, glad you able to finally get one.

I'll probably end up choosing between the Iconia and the Streak. The Thrive is really too large, but I want to be sure before I rule it out.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

The nearest Best Buy is about a half-hour away, and I did consider doing that. Both the Thrive and Acer A100 were listed in the ad as "minimum 4 per store." Since they're both popular items and the prices were excellent, I doubted that they'd have enough in stock.

But, to be honest, I was simply feeling too lazy to drive over there and deal with the madness. I wasn't that desperate to buy a tablet because I know there will be more good deals in the next month or two since new models with Android 4.0 will be released soon. I would be surprised to see the A100 anywhere for less than $189, though, so I'm happy.

Yeah, Black Friday messes up that in store bit. No way I'm standing in a Best Buy line waiting for limited stock, which will be gone by the time they reach my place in line.

Nice thing about buying now is that their holiday return policy is in effect, giving us until 24 Jan to return things.

[tubemonkey]

The Acer Iconia 10" is on sale at Best Buy for $230 today and tomorrow only (27~28 Nov) as part of its Cyber Monday Sale.

Additionally, Best Buy is offering a free $10 eGift Card for all Store Pickup Orders of $100 or more. That might bring the price down to $220 - YMMV.

• Acer Iconia 10" -- Best Buy ($230)

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The Acer Iconia 10" is on sale at Best Buy for $230 today and tomorrow only (27~28 Nov) as part of its Cyber Monday Sale.

Additionally, Best Buy is offering a free $10 eGift Card for all Store Pickup Orders of $100 or more. That might bring the price down to $220 - YMMV.

• Acer Iconia 10" -- Best Buy ($230)

Thanks for posting that. I didn't see it in today's Best Buy print ad.

I can't cancel my order for the smaller A100 at this point, but that is SO tempting! I'm just not sure I'd be happy with the weight of the A500: 1.7 lbs. versus .92 lbs. But the larger screen would be nice. Decisions, decisions...

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

Thanks for posting that. I didn't see it in today's Best Buy print ad.

I can't cancel my order for the smaller A100 at this point, but that is SO tempting! I'm just not sure I'd be happy with the weight of the A500: 1.7 lbs. versus .92 lbs. But the larger screen would be nice. Decisions, decisions...

YW; but you can return the A100 as soon as it arrives.

Happy deciding

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

YW; but you can return the A100 as soon as it arrives.

Well, I just bought the 10" A500 for $230 (and it looks like I may get a $10 gift card too). It'll be delivered to a local Best Buy store on December 5. I'll have the 7" A100 by then, so I can spend some time with both and then decide which to keep.

Other than the screen size, the specs on both models are the same—except that the A100 has GPS, while the A500 specs say it doesn't. If that's really the case, it isn't a deal-breaker for me.

Added: I also bought the Logitech Keyboard for Android 3.0+ Tablets at Best Buy for $39.99 (list price is $69.99). I'm done shopping for tech toys now!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

Well, I just bought the 10" A500 for $230 (and it looks like I may get a $10 gift card too). It'll be delivered to a local Best Buy store on December 5. I'll have the 7" A100 by then, so I can spend some time with both and then decide which to keep.

I plan on going to Best Buy in the next day or two to play with the Acer. Unfortunately, the Streak is only available online, so I can't play with it.

I've decided the Thrive is too large; it's bigger than my TouchPad. So, it'll go back after it arrives.

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I plan on going to Best Buy in the next day or two to play with the Acer. Unfortunately, the Streak is only available online, so I can't play with it.

I've decided the Thrive is too large; it's bigger than my TouchPad. So, it'll go back after it arrives.

I enjoy playing with tablets at Best Buy. The security devices they have on them make it difficult to get a true sense of weight and the overhead lighting isn't ideal, but it's fun to compare all the devices!

I don't have any tablet (or even a smartphone), so it'll be interesting for me to be able to compare the 7" and 10" Acers side-by-side at home. I suspect I may be keeping the larger one, but I'm not sure yet.

Have fun!

[Greg_E]

The a500 is supposed to have GPS but I haven't tried it on mine, it was one of the first things I turned off to help prevent apps from tracking me. I also have not used it outside in daylight so I'm not sure if the GPS is even worth having. I can say that the a500 is smaller than an iPad by a fairly significant amount, even though it has a larger screen (a little more narrow than a Kindle DX). The screen is bright and clear with really good colors, has no problems getting on Android Market or Amazon market. Does PDF in full screen well enough with either Adobe or Aldiko, of course epub/mobi work well. Gave me a little over 6 hours fooling around with Youtube to see how the battery would last yesterday (mostly HD and full screen). Has worked with the couple of USB drives I've connected (download a file manager!). Works with my Bluetooth to rs232 adapter to get into network switches with one (of three) apps. Haven't tried documents to go (free from Amazon a few days ago) but I expect it will work fine with my BT keyboard or most any USB keyboards. I found printer drivers for most of the popular brands including the Samsung that I have right now, several were BT capable as well as wifi, worked like a charm to my Samsung when I printed a test page (kind of slow though).

I do not find the size to be much of an issue for book reading, but what I do find to be an issue is the device is slippery! I have a cheap silicone "case" on the way to solve this, until then I put some fabric gaffer tape on the back to provide a better grip.

I haven't used the camera (either of them), haven't tried HDMI, I have played audio and it works as expected even aac+v1 encoded music (saves a huge amount of space!) and played music while reading PDF.

The only other thing I don't like is the placement of the power on one end and headphone on the other. This means putting it on a stand in portrait mode and plugging power and audio into it is impossible until I find or make a stand. It is also a fingerprint magnet, thinking of getting a screen protector to help with this and trying to decide which to buy. Do not buy the Zagg protector, waste of money with the lines running through the plastic.

Does not have a 5Ghz radio, so if you have your wireless N set to only 5Ghz it will not work in N mode. I doubt it can really transfer at N speeds anyway so not a big deal to be on wireless G.

For $230 it is a great buy (assuming it is the 16GB model and not the 8GB model). Kind of wish I had waited to buy mine.

[Greg_E]

I also meant to add that a pair of scissors, ruler, and some scrap cardboard might help with the process of deciding what is too large. For me the a500 is just right considering I have a small music player that can go in a pocket, otherwise a 7 inch might be the best all around size.

[DreamWriter]

Greg, thank you so much for all the information! It's very helpful to learn about the device from someone who owns one.

Originally Posted by Greg_E

The a500 is supposed to have GPS but I haven't tried it on mine, it was one of the first things I turned off to help prevent apps from tracking me.

I have read elsewhere that the A500 does have GPS. I hadn't seen it in the official descriptions, so I did wonder about that.

For $230 it is a great buy (assuming it is the 16GB model and not the 8GB model). Kind of wish I had waited to buy mine.

Actually, it is the 8GB model for $230. I think it's a good deal, even with less memory. Suggested retail is $350, although I've seen the 16GB model for $299 (Black Friday sale at Staples). 16GB would be very nice, but I was going to live with 8GB on the A100 anyway, so I think it'll be okay if I don't go app-crazy.

Which file manager do you use? The two I've seen mentioned most often are ES File Manager and Astro File Manager, but I know there are others. I'm brand-new to Android, so I'm learning as I go... If I hook the tablet up to my computer via USB cable, can I see the tablet's SD card files that way (using Windows)?

I have an inexpensive silicone skin for my K3 Kindle Keyboard. It's made a world of difference for me (much easier to hold!), so I'm thinking I may get something similar for the Acer.

When I ordered, Best Buy said the estimated in-store pickup date would be December 5th. Then I got an email saying it won't be there until the 11th. Oh well. I'll have the A100 well before then, so I may take it into Best Buy and compare it with the A500 that's on display so I can make up my mind before my A500 arrives.

I've been looking at tablets for months. I'm excited!