Acer launches 7.9-inch Iconia A1 Android tablet starting at $169

In addition to introducing a pair of noteworthy laptops, Acer has unveiled the new Iconia A1 tablet, a 7.9-inch Android slate that will compete against the ever-expaning range of smaller tablets.

Curiously, the company's press release failed to mention the word "Android", though it noted that the A1 "delivers the Google experience". (Our sister site CNET pointed out that it runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2.) It's powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor and comes with either 8GB or 16GB of capacity (with a microSD card slot if you need additional storage).

The display is LED backlit, featuring IPS technology and 1,024x768 resolution. You also get front- and rear-facing cameras, with the rear-facing one able to record 1080p video at 30fps.

The A1 is priced to compete against the likes of the Kindle Fire, as the 8GB version will start at $169 and the 16GB flavor at $199.99 when it hits in June. But it also has to compete against the Apple iPad mini, Google Nexus 7, Samsung Note 8.0, and a plethora of other 7- and 8-inch tablets.

And maybe it's going to be competing against another, more intriguing small tablet from Acer — potentially the first mini-model that runs Windows 8. Whether it can stand out amid all of that competition remains to be seen, though pricing aside, there's nothing about the A1's specs that suggests it definitely will.