Since Windows launched its desktop operating system last October, you have been able to buy any size Windows 8 tablet you want . . . as long as it's 10-inches or larger. Enter the $379 Acer Iconia W3-810 ($429 as tested with 64GB of storage), the first in a new breed of smaller Windows tablets that are significantly more portable and affordable than their larger siblings. With an 8.1-inch screen, a free copy of Office 2013 Home and Student and a relatively-compact body, the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W310-810 provides an unabridged Windows experience that fits in one hand and lasts nearly 9 hours on a charge. However, to get that experience at this price, you'll have to make a few compromises.
Acer Android Tablet Specification
Pros: Strong battery life; Great virtual keyboard; Office Home and Student included; Runs full Windows
Cons: Poor viewing angles and screen contrast; Mediocre performance
The Verdict: While the screen could be better, the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 offers a full Windows 8 experience, Microsft Office and long battery life in a portable 8-inch package.
Acer Android Tablet Design
With its white-colored nasty front side and factors and its faux-metal gold nasty returning, the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 definitely looks like a price range product, but not an unpleasant one. Unfortunately, the dense dark frame and a nasty rather than capacitive home key give this standing a price range visual.
At 8.6 x 5.3 x 0.44 inches wide and 1.1 weight, the W3 is considerably bigger and bulkier than 8-inch opponents such as the 7.87 x 5.3 x 0.28-inch, 0.69-pound iPad small and the 8.3 x 5.35 x 0.31-inch, 0.75-pound New samsung Universe Observe 8. The distinction here, though, is that the W3 provides a full pc OS.
Acer Android Tablet Display
Acer Iconia W3-810 Click to Enlarge The Acer Iconia W3-810's 8.1-inch, 1280 x 800 display provides distinct pictures, but inadequate comparison and inadequate viewing perspectives. When we viewed a 1080p movie trailer for "The Avengers," shades such as the lemon in explosions or the red in the amazing logo seemed modest, though excellent information such as the stubble on John Downey Junior's experience were easily noticeable.
Whether we were viewing a video or simply checking pc on Acer Android Tablet, shades started to clean out considerably at just 15 levels to the remaining or right. We were able to point the display returning nearly 90 levels without too much shade distortions, but if there was normal mild in the room, the glare became extreme as we tilted the show away from ourselves.
Just ignore about using the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 in shiny sunshine. Its dim show calculated just 222 lux on our mild gauge, about 40 percent lower than the 364 lux product classification regular, and about half as shiny as the iPad small (432 lux) and New samsung Universe Observe 8 (489). Other Atom-based Windows pills such as the HP Jealousy x2 (306) and ASUS VivoTab Intelligent (292 lux) also were much lighter.
The show facilitates 5-point contact and, in our assessments, we were able to sketch with five fingertips at once in Windows Colour. In common, the digitizer was quite sensitive but we sometimes had to stick at things more than once to hit our target; this was particularly true with small places such as places in web types.
Acer Android Tablet Audio
Acer Iconia W3-810Click to EnlargeThe base installed double audio system (in symbol mode) created noisy, obvious audio that was pretty precise if not wealthy. When we unquestionably bass-heavy "Forget Me Nots," the words and equipment seemed really real. After changing to the guitar-laden "Kickstart my Center," the audio was not at all thin but the instrument and percussion perished out the speech a bit. At highest possible quantity, the Iconia W3-810's audio system were noisy enough to complete 50 percent of our resort.
Keyboard Docking station and Exclusive Keyboard For Acer Android Tablet
Keyboard Click to Enlarge Though it has the same virtual key pad as all other Windows 8 techniques, the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810's 8.1-inch show allows it to offer a better horizontally writing experience. When having the product in panoramic method with both arms, it was easy to achieve across the display and tap center important factors like G and H without contorting our arms or allowing go of the product. The important factors did seem a little bit crowded in symbol method, with the method change key headline reduced to "&1..." instead of "&123.
For customers who find attaining across the laptop key pad frustrating even at this size, Windows 8 provides a divided key pad option, which we discovered less useful. The hand writing identification key pad did a very good job of transforming our handy tracked figures into ASCII figures, even acknowledging our name "Avram," the first time we tracked it.
Users who update the OS to Windows 8.1 Review edition will get an even better exclusive key pad which provides three autopredict choices instead of the one provided by Windows 8 and allows you choose them basically by using on the laptop key pad. The new key pad also allows you to get into number important factors basically by long pushing on the top row of figures, a huge comfort.
Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810Click to EnlargeIf you want a physical key pad, you may want to purchase Acer's $79.99 Wireless key pad docking station for the W3. This light and portable TK-pound docking station provides full-size QWERTY important factors, a position to install the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3 and a practical bay on its base side that allows you click the product in for easy mobility and display security.
Typing on the laptop key pad was a combined bag. The important factors are fairly large and well placed and offer a affordable amount of travel, but they also feel a bit firm. On the Ten Thumbs Writing Instructor Analyze, we obtained just 68 terms per moment with a 3-percent mistake rate, well below our 80 wpm, 1-percent regular. As we conducted quality we discovered ourselves losing figures we thought we'd hit, because the important factors seem to require a more purposeful action. Like most product computer keyboard, there's no palmrest to back up your arms. Unfortunately, there's also no touch pad or directing keep so you'll need to achieve over the laptop key pad and touch the display to get around around, a process we discovered a bit frustrating.
Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 KeyboardClick to EnlargeSince the install uses nothing more than severity and a couple of non-locking nasty books to hold the product in position, we discovered that we needed to be cautious when shifting it. At one point, we slid the laptop key pad in reverse on a table with a little too much power and the product dropped over. Though the information organised the product in symbol method, we would keep with scenery only, because the product seemed hazardously healthy. We were able to stability the laptop key pad and product on our lap for a few minutes but wouldn't actually suggest it.
Acer Android Tablet Heat
The remaining returning side of the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 sometimes got warm during our use. After running a Hulu movie for 20 minutes, the place of that framework calculated 95 levels F, which is right at our uncomfortability limit.
Acer Android Tablet Port
Acer Iconia W3-810 PortsClick to EnlargeThe Acer Iconia W3-810 comes with a few helpful slots, but not everything you'd want from a Microsof company windows 8 system. A little HDMI slot allows you to get linked with a observe or TV, a microSD Cards slot allows you increase your storage capacity at low costs -- a 32GB microSD card goes for $25 online -- and a microUSB slot can get linked with USB peripheral devices or a hub, providing that you get a USB to microUSB adaptor.
Don't expect the USB slot to provide a lot of energy on its own; a USB observe we connected did not energy on at all. Also, the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 doesn't cost over microUSB, but instead uses a exclusive energy port.
Acer Android Tablet Cameras
Acer Iconia W3-810 Web camera PicClick to EnlargeYour photographic digital camera has nothing to worry from the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810. The tablet's returning and front side 2-MP digital cameras produced dull, but functional low-res pictures both in the house and outside. When we took an picture of our encounter both under a neon light and outside on a gloomy day, fine details such as the pores in our encounter were noticeable. However, when we tried to capture self images while having the product flat in a trench, we had difficulties keeping our head based and our thumbs out of the picture because the digital camera is unclearly located in the remaining frame.
The back-facing digital camera taken unclear but reasonably multi-colored still pictures and 720p movie of a New york road. However, when we indicated it at our notebook's key pad for a close-up taken in the house, we saw a lot of disturbance.
Windows 8 Experience with Acer Android Tablet
Acer Iconia W3-810 House Show in Symbol ModeClick to EnlargeBecause the Acer Iconia W3-810 is the first Microsof company windows 8 product with an 8-inch or smaller screen, this is also our first chance to see how Windows pc os features on a system this size. In our examining, we discovered the Contemporary UI encounter eye-catching and simple to use in both picture and scenery ways. The Begin Show easily changes between scenery, where it has 3 series and 3 and a 50 % material of flooring, and picture method witj two material and six series of flooring.
Most of the pre installed Microsof company programs run well in picture method, such as Google Information, Finance, Weather, Search and charts. The Camera, the Individuals app, the inventory email and Skydrive also move perfectly. Whether Microsof company or third-party, most programs that perform or show movie such as Console Songs, XBox Video, Skype, Blockbuster online and Hulu Plus force the screen into panoramic method.
The Iconia W3-810's display was more than large enough for studying the material in Contemporary Apps like excellent news app or browsing the web in the Contemporary edition of IE 10. Configurations choices and appeal were sharp and easily readable.
MORE: 8 Most severe Microsof company windows 8 Problems and How to Fix Them
Desktop Mode on the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810Click to EnlargeIn pc method, our greatest problem wasn't in watching programs or material, but in hitting little symbols and icons perfectly. When along with the sometimes laggy performance and difficulty applying long-presses we knowledgeable throughout the interface, directing the pc by contact was particularly frustrating.
Performance of Acer Android Tablet
Acer Iconia W3-810Click to EnlargeWith its 1.8-GHz Atom Z2760 CPU and 2GB of RAM, the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 offers functional performance that's excellent enough for web browsing, using the included Microsof company Workplace application, watching films and doing movie conversations. However, we sometimes knowledgeable minutes of lag, particularly when starting programs, changing returning to the Begin Show or running new pages over an otherwise rapid connection.
On PCMark 7, a artificial standard that actions efficiency, the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 obtained a moderate 1,415, about 50 % the product classification regular of 2,877 but on a par with other Atom-powered Microsof company windows 8 pills such as the ASUS VivoTab Intelligent (1,399) and the HP Jealousy X2 (1,428).
Acer Iconia W3-810Click to EnlargeThe product took 10 a few minutes to start to its secure screen and about another 4 a few minutes to release the Begin Show after we joined our security password, for a total start duration of 14 a few minutes. The 64GB of eMMC inner Display memory took 3 minutes and 51 a few minutes to finish the LAPTOP File Transfer Analyze, such as duplicating 4.97GB of combined press information. That's a rate of 21.9 MBps, just a third of the product classification regular, but in range with the VivoTab Intelligent (17.7 MBps) and the HP Jealousy X2 (22 MBps).
Consistent with other Atom-powered pills, the Iconia W3-810 takes a while to handle compute-intensive projects. When we ran the LAPTOP Worksheet Macro Analyze, which suits 20,000 titles with their details, the product took One-half hour and 17 a few minutes to finish the task, nearly double the classification regular (17 minutes and 16 seconds) but on a par with its opponents.
You can perform 1080p video clips on the Iconia W3-810, but don't try anything too graphically extreme. When we tried to perform "Judge Dredd compared to Zombies," a third-person present shooter that ran efficiently on the Surface with RT and is Nvidia Tegra 3 processer, the game kept putting a hold on for 50 % a second in the middle of the action and playful the screen black.
Acer Android Tablet Battery Life
Acer Iconia W3-810Click to EnlargeThe W3-810 survived an amazing 8 efforts and 54 minutes on the LAPTOP Battery power Analyze, such as ongoing web browsing over Wi-Fi at 40 % lighting. That's nearly two time longer than the product classification regular of 7 efforts and 2 minutes and the New samsung Universe Note 8 (7:13) and even better than some larger Microsof company windows 8 slates such as the ASUS VivoTab Intelligent (8:17) and the HP Jealousy x2 (6:52). However, the iPad little continues 10 efforts and 33 minutes on a cost with a lighter and more multi-colored screen. In our assessments, the Iconia W3-810's already-dull screen didn't actually look that much soft at 40 % than it did at 100 %, but if you function at complete lighting, enough time will reduce.
Apps for Acer Android Tablet
Windows 8 Keyboard of Acer Android Tablet in Term 2013 Click to EnlargeMicrosoft provides a 100 % free copy of Workplace 2013 House and Student on all 8-inch Microsof company windows 8 pills, so the Iconia W3-810 has complete editions of Succeed, PowerPoint, Term and OneNote that run on the pc. Each of these programs looks very excellent on the 1280 x 800, 8.1-inch display with enough for tool cafes and written text, provided that the exclusive key pad isn't displaying.
When we used Term and Succeed in panoramic method without a physical key pad, the exclusive key pad ate up more than 50 % of the screen property with the tool cafes and window icons, making space for only about a passage of written text or 9 series of tissues on-screen at once. However, you'll want to connect a key pad and consider including a rabbit if you're going to do any kind of serious efficiency work.
Word in Landscape Mode Click to Enlarge Using the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3-810 in picture method permitted for a lot more written text on-screen, but we had to zoom capability out to less than 100 % to see a whole range of written text in Term without scrolling flat in a trench. Either in contact method or regular rabbit method, Office's lace tool cafes were difficult to focus on with a handy and we discovered ourselves sometimes hitting the wrong symbol. Term and Succeed also showed a little but recognizable amount of lag when we changed lace an eye and it had to redraw the symbols.
Acer Public Jogger Click to Enlarge Acer many the Acer Android Tablet Iconia W3 with a couple of useful resources, some free software you could have downloadable on your own and a few pieces of crapware. Among Acer's promotions, we particularly like the Public Jogger app, which allows you to combination nourishes and post to your Facebook or myspace, Tweets, Google or YouTube records. We discovered Public Jogger much more useful than excellent news place of Windows Individuals app and experienced studying a combined set of up-dates from all our records on the rich 5-column news screen and watching direct information in an eye-catching two-pane view.
Acer Amazingly Eye manages the digital camera and provides a few options the Microsof company windows 8 inventory digital camera app does not have such as white balance control, lighting and comparison modification, a clock and the ability to tag by location. Acer Traveler has links to support and guides but mostly just encourages programs the company would like you to buy or use, some of which are among the pre installed crapware and others of which you'd need to pay for.
In pc method, you get Acer Media, which performs music and movie clips either regionally or saved in the AcerCloud assistance. AcerCloud is a 100 % free assistance that allows you share information, images, music and video clips amongst all your devices. Acer Documents is the document-sharing front side end for AcerCloud.
Acer MediaClick to EnlargeIn addition to its own programs, Acer contains over a number of programs you could have gotten on your own such as Evernote, eBay, Amazon kindle, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Tunein stereo, Spotify and Zinio. It's simple enough remove these, but until you do, they really mess up the Begin Show.
Tags: Acer, Android tablet
