Review – As Christmas approaches, it
appears that more folks are considering a tablet as a gift for a spouse
or for their kids and I am frequently asked which tablet I would
recommend. The trend appears to be pretty much determined by price, not
product: If I can spend $500 or more, the intent clearly is to get an
iPad 2 and if it is less than $500, the target price appears to be $200
and the question is: Kindle Fire or something else? However, if it is a
non-iPad 2 device, you may want to aim a bit higher and get a more
enjoyable device. Example: Acer’s Iconia 501 4G, which is the cheapest
way to get the full Android experience in a tablet. Here is what you can
expect.
I am not exactly convinced that tablets are the post-PC devices some
believe they might be and I have yet to come across a compelling product
that would convince me to shell out $500 or more for a device I believe
is a pure luxury entertainment product that just can’t replace a
traditional notebook for typical computing tasks. I can easily see a
market for the Kindle Fire or devices such as the Pandigital SuperNova,
which are sitting in the $200 segment, which is much easier to accept
than $500. However, if you are looking for such a $200 tablet, you have
to realize that you will get crippled hardware on one or the other end,
which will limit what you can do with a device that is already limited
by its form factor – when compared to a regular computer. At $200, don’t
expect full access to Android Market and don’t expect to get your hands
on Maps apps. If you want to replicate the experience from your Android
phone on an Android tablet, you will have to look for a tablet that has
a all the necessary hardware, including a GPS chip. Among the cheapest
tablets at this time is Acer’s Iconia series, which starts at around
$330 for 7-inch tablets and $350 for 10-inch versions. In this article, I
will be referring to the top-of-the-line-Iconia A501, which integrates
4G HSPA+ capability.
The basics: What it is
My tester came with 32 GB memory and checked in with a suggested
retail price of $550. Based on the already outdated Android 3.0.1
(instead of 3.2 or even 4.0), the tablet integrates Nvidia’s also
soon-to-be-old Tegra 2 (1 GHz) 250 processor, a 1280×800, 10.1-inch
pixel TN touch screen panel, dual camera (5MP/2MP), 802.11n Wi-Fi, a
full USB port, Micro-HDMI output, Bluetooth 2.1, an accelerometer, a
gyroscope, GPS, a digital compass, memory expansion via microSD, as well
as a decent 3260 mAh battery pack.
Pricewise, the 32 GB model compares to a $729 32 GB+3G iPad 2.
Directly competing Android 3.1 10-inch tablets with 4G tend to be at
least $50 higher in price, while class-leading tablets such as the
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 32 GB (Wi-Fi only) cost around $500 (or from
$570 with 16 GB and 4G). If you are willing to sign a data contract for 3
GB/$35 per month with AT&T, you can get the Iconia 16 GB for $330,
plus a $50 gift card at the time of this writing.
So, for the full Android experience plus 4G, the Iconia is about as cheap as it gets right now.
The basics, continued: What it is not
Since I have come across this one so often, I believe it is worth
noting. No tablet, neither the Iconia nor any other tablet I am aware of
is a replacement for your notebook.
You may be able to do some simple computing tasks with your tablet,
such as writing emails, or surfing the web, but that is about it. It’s
purpose is to consume content, not to create it, so don’t expect a
device that you can use to create or edit, for example, elaborate text
documents. Office applications, especially Google Docs are, on tablets,
very basic and often frustratingly difficult to use and, excuse me for
being frank, they simply suck. If the purpose of this device is to
create content, you may be much better off with an ultrabook. Keep in
mind that tablets work best for all those things a smartphone is too
small for: They are great basic computing and entertainment devices and
their primary purpose is to run apps that were designed for touch input.
What works
It is difficult to criticize the Iconia given its price tag. Its
strong point is, objectively, its overall feature set, which only lacks
an SD card slot, and a removable battery. Subjectively, its design and
material choices are among the best in this class.
The back of the device sports an elegant brushed aluminum surface,
the 5MP camera plus LED flash, dual speaker grills on the left and
right, as well as a docking port. The aluminum surface wraps around to
the front and touch the glass screen on the top and bottom.
The Iconia has been hit with lots of criticism about its weight –
about 1.7 pounds, which is hefty and well more than half of the weight
of a Macbook Air (2.4 pounds). Rival tablets weigh as little as 1.2
pounds. The weight is due to the material choices and it is one of the
compromises you have to make: It has some impact on the portability of
the device, but I did not mind accepting the weight in exchange for the
full feature set and the higher-quality materials.
Usability of the device was without surprises. A highlight was the
battery, which allowed me to reach operating times of more than 30 hours
on average usage days and more than 5 hours of continued, heavy usage.
What needs work
Tablets are, by default, devices that will require the user to make
compromises. To find the tablet you will enjoy, you will have to figure
which compromises you are willing to make. The Iconia is no exception.
One of those compromises I mentioned already is its weight.
Also, with lower prices, you will typically encounter lower screen
quality, which is also the case with the Iconia. Its brightness (322
cd/m2) and black level (0.20 cd/m2) are at the bottom of the field among
Android 10-uinch tablets, while its contrast ratio (1610:1) is at the
top. While the resolution an image quality in normal viewing is
impressive through a resolution of 1280×800 pixel, the twisted nematic
display panel looks good only at direct view – the visibility of the
content fades quickly as the viewing angle increases. There are clearly
better displays out there. Needless to say, in bright daylight, the
display shows strong reflections and is nearly unusable outdoors.
A downside is the 5MP camera, which can be considered a snapshot
camera for digital viewing at best. The same goes for the video camera.
Also, pay attention to the OS version. The fact that it runs Android
3.0.1 won’t allow you to run some of the newer applications, such as
Photoshop Touch.
4G Data access? To buy or not to buy?
This is a difficult one. It simply depends on your user scenario and
how often you will use the device out of the home and out of the range
of Wi-Fi. Without doubt, it is extremely convenient to use a tablet with
4G connectivity wherever you are: In this case, Android automatically
switched from Wi-Fi to 4G when the device was out of Wi-Fi reach – and
switched back when Wi-Fi was available again. HSPA+ was also relatively
fast in the area I live – and usually hit about 5 Mbps down. The
problem, however, was the simply amount of data that was consumed.
Turning the device on for the first time swallowed more than 20 MB
right off the bat. Half an hour web browsing and writing emails will
easily cause you to consume 50 MB. Sure, you could also be tempted to
watch YouTube, download apps or possibly watch a Netflix movie via
HSPA+, but then you are looking at hundreds of MB per hour and you
better make sure you have than 3 GB per month plan for $35 (each
additional GB is billed at $10). Internationally, by the way, each MB is
billed at about $19.97 and each GB for $20,450 – so you want to be
careful with that. There is no question that AT&T’s data access –
and data access in general – is overpriced nationally and
internationally. It is plain ridiculous how much carriers charge for a
few GB of wireless data transfer.
The upside of 4G access on such a tablet is that it is available when
you want it to be, but it requires you, if you are on a budget, to be
aware of when the tablet consumes 4G data and when not. If you are not
on a subscription plan, there is a handy feature that simply cuts data
transmission when your current plan is out of bandwidth and you can then
purchase more. If you get a full-features Android tablet, spring for
the non-contract 3G/4G version.
The bottom line
Let’s be realistic. $550 is a lot of money for a toy, which a tablet
really is for most of us. With heavy 4G data usage it can easily cost
you another $500 per year. I personally did not mind the weight of the
Iconia and actually liked the substantial feel to it, but it is clearly a
device you need to hold in both hands and its weight will cause some
fatigue in your hands after a while of holding it.
All Iconia models are offered at the very bottom of their respective
competitive price ranges and are worth a look, even if their hardware
and software is a bit outdated and Acer is rumored to be offering Tegra 3
models soon. If you are wondering whether to buy a $200 tablet, keep in
mind what you are expecting from your tablet: If you want full access
to all or most Android apps, the value is in the platform and the
additional expense to a device like the Iconia is a reasonable
investment.
Wolfgang Gruener in Products on November 21
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