Acer Iconia Tab W500 first impressions

TAIWANESE PC MAKER Acer claims the Iconia Tab W500 is "100 per cent PC and 100 per cent tablet" but at a briefing The INQUIRER thought it is more a tablet with a keyboard accessory.

Acer showed The INQUIRER one of its entries to the tablet market. It says the W500 is a tablet and netbook hybrid device that aims to cover multiple consumer demands and appeal to both business and consumer markets.

The W500 is a 10.1-inch touchscreen with 1280x800 resolution that runs Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system. It features a 1GHz dual-core AMD C-50 processor and up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM.

The device weighs 970g and is 15.95mm thick. This isn't too bad but it is slightly on the chunky side when compared to similar tablets. It is reasonable to carry around but at nearly 1kg we imagine it would get tiring to hold for long periods. The touchscreen is responsive and the processor copes with the Windows 7 operating system and applications well. The device will ship with a 32GB SSD and dual 1.3MP webcams.

The detachable keyboard, which you don't have to buy with the tablet, is Acer's attempt to convert the tablet into a netbook. It connects via a USB port and is a full size keyboard. While this will help with text input, there are a couple of down points about the gadget. Firstly it lacks a touchpad so users will have to deal with just a lonely track-point and the small cursor keys.

The keyboard attachment doesn't allow for any control of the angle of the screen so it's a one size fits all design. When converted into a netbook the unit seemed slightly top heavy, so it could be vulnerable to toppling over backwards.

The great thing about the attachment, however, is the fact that the device can be secured with the screen covered, just like when you shut a laptop. The two parts are held together with magnets and a single lock at the front.

The 'Acer Ring' is an attractive additional user interface to quickly access Internet and media content. This worked well and is loaded with a five finger touch on the screen.

Acer told the INQUIRER that the hybrid tablet netbook will be in the shops on 8 April for £449. The keyboard will cost an extra £89 or you will be able to buy both as a bundle for £529. µ