Must Read: Mint 15: Today's best Linux desktop (Review)

Topic: Laptops

Holiday Gift Guide 2012: Acer challenges iPad 3 with Iconia Tab A510; 32GB for $450

Summary: Acer's Olympic Games Edition Tablet Iconia Tab A510 may beat the new iPad on price and specs but will consumers care?

Gloria Sin

By Gloria Sin for The ToyBox |

Acer Iconia Tab A510. [Photo Credit: Acer]

Acer Iconia Tab A510. (Photo Credit: Acer)

After debuting its first quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 tablet, the Iconia Tab A510, at CES back in January, Acer is now bringing the Olympic Games Tablet Edition to North America.

Photo Gallery: Acer Iconia Tab A510 Olympic Games Tablet Edition

For $449.99 for the 32 GB Wi-Fi model -- a full $150 cheaper than the equivalent iPad 3 -- the A510 is branded with the iconic Olympic rings on the back cover and offer 12 hours of video viewing via its 10.1-inch WXGA HD display, thanks to the Tegra 3 processor's 4-plus-1"Battery Saver Core" design and high capacity 9800mAh battery.

Of course, the A510 needs to do much more than just offer better battery life and value than the new iPad to win over the unconverted. That's why it has a built-in microSD slot for an additional 32 GB of storage, a micro USB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer, as well as a micro-HDMI connector for hooking up to HDTVs and projectors for presentations (it supports HDMI to VGA).

Other technical specifications:

  • Display: 10.1" WXGA HD (1280 x 800 resolution); 16:10 aspect ratio; 85-degree viewing angle
  • CPU: Nvidia quad-core Tegra 3 (1.3 GHz)
  • GPU: 12-Core GeForce NVIDIA
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Storage: 32 GB (internal)
  • Cameras: 1MP HD (front); 5MP with Auto Focus (rear)
  • Audio: Dolby Mobile 3 Technology; stereo speakers, dual analog microphone; 3.5mm audio jack
  • Sensors: G-Sensor, E-Compass, L Sensor, Gyro-meter
  • Communication: Wi-Fi 802.11 N/B/G; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; DLNA-compliant via Clear.fi
  • Dimensions: 10.2" (W) x 6.9" (D) x 0.43" (H)
  • Weight: 1.54 lbs.

In addition to running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with the Acer Ring UI, the A510 is preloaded with Flash 11, Polaris Office 3.5, Evernote, and the Acer Print app that claims to work with "87 percent of brand name printers on the current market." (Although the press release did not list all the printers that are compatible with this app, it's safe to assume they have to be capable of wireless printing for the app to work.)

Pre-sale for the silver or black 'Olympic Edition' A510 starts today at retailers across the continent. Acer is certainly positioning the new tablet as a budget and user-friendly alternative to the new iPad, which could use some legitimate competition sooner rather than later. So let the (tablet) Games begin!

[Source: Acer]

Related:

Topics: Laptops, Hardware, Mobility, Processors, Tablets

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

68 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion

  • *YAWN*

    The only difference is this article doesn't contain the words IPAD KILLER, otherwise it's like any other device article.
    http404
    Reply Vote

    • another nail in the iHype coffin!

      every android device is eroding apple's lame hype while people are seeing the light and buying FOSS enable hardware.
      The Linux Geek
      Reply Vote

      • I admire your optimism.

        Of course some people might call it "denial of reality", but I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
        matthew_maurice
        Reply Vote

      • 3 million sold in 3 days.

        What's that about android eroding Apple's hype?
        http404
        Reply 1 Vote

  • Let's see where it stands in a year

    Well, the test is simple. Let's see how it fares over the next year.
    lapland_lapin
    Reply Vote

    • Year? Look for it on Woot in two months

      because, like the blog author, Acer thinks its all about the feature set.
      baggins_z
      Reply Vote

  • This is the IPAD KILLER!

    There.
    harvey_rabbit
    Reply Vote

  • Um, hardly a bargain considering their's no high resolution display

    Let'e be clear; in the display department, this tablet just doesn't hold a candle to the iPad 3
    webmaster@...
    Reply Vote

    • Um, hardly a bargain. . . .

      I would have to agree!
      campat-01
      Reply Vote

      • That is because A510 could only compete with iPad 2; but even there it does

        not have much chances. There are two advantage of A510 over iPad 2:
        1) 32 GB versus 16 GB flash memory;
        2) better resolution screen (though no way that would be qualitative difference rather than quantitative).

        However, A510 has only 2/3 of iPad 2's graphic power (thanks to weak Tegra 3), very little quantity of tablet applications comparing to 200 000 for iPad, and more $50 price.

        With this, [b]Acer Iconia Tab A510 is not real challenger to any iPad Apple currently sells.[/b]
        DDERSSS
        Reply Vote

      • How?

        Do you have data to back that up? Have you seen it first hand? No, you haven't. My Acer Iconia A500 (last gen) has a display that rivals the new ipad 3, so I bet this one is much better.
        j28n
        Reply Vote

      • Wow

        "My Acer Iconia A500 (last gen) has a display that rivals the new ipad 3, so I bet this one is much better."

        Your Acer has better-than-HD resolution? I might have to see about getting one.
        Michael Alan Goff
        Reply Vote

    • The display may be the iPad's biggest negative, because,

      to be useful, it's going to require many times the storage that a comparable iPad2 would use, and that there, would make the iPad 3 much more expensive than it first appears to be. Besides, for most purposes and most tasks, the display of most iPad2s and other late model tablets, is more than adequate. The ultra-hi-def on the iPad3 is overkill and very expensive, when all is said and done.
      adornoe
      Reply Vote

      • Knowing the Future

        [ul][i]The ultra-hi-def on the iPad3 is overkill and very expensive[/i][/ul]I salute your fearlessness in making such a bold statement. I'm much more inclined to think, "I don't really know how people are going to react to that thing."

        In six months to a year the new iPad will either have kicked the Android wannabes to the curb, with most people citing the display as the reason they went with the iPad, or the iPad2 will outsell the iPad3 because people don't care about the high resolution screen and take the cost savings instead.
        Robert Hahn
        Reply Vote

      • Robert Hahn: In 6 months to a year, the iPad 4 will come along to solve all

        the problems with the iPad 3, and you and others like you will fall for the same tactics from Apple, which have you "upgrading" to the "latest and greatest" of iPads, while not even bothering to think that, you are one of those that that old adage was written about, the adage being, "a fool and his money are soon parted".

        iPad 4 will come along and add the memory which you suckers weren't informed would be needed in order to get any practical use from the iPad3, and that additional memory that the iPad 3 needed, will be added as an "upgrade" and it will be called iPad4, and you and all of the Applemaniacs will make the long lines again to hand over your money to Apple. Pure insanity!

        I don't salute you for being a fool!

        BTW, the ultra-high-def screen on the iPad3 IS overkill, and, in order to use it effectively, you need much more memory than any iPad comes equipped with. Like I said, "a fool and his money...".
        adornoe
        Reply Vote

      • @adornoe

        You know entirely too much stuff about me that isn't so. I've already stated on here that I'm not going to buy an iPad 3, just as I did not buy an iPad 2. I did buy an original iPad, and I don't see five or six hundred dollars worth of improvements over what I already have. Prior to the iPad, I had never owned an Apple product. I still don't have an iPhone, and when I just looked at the new Apple TV, I ended up buying a Roku. Please take your assumptions about my buying habits, roll them up, and stuff them where the solar wind don't blow.

        Like most Munchkins, you hold and espouse the fantasy that there exists a fixed set of Apple fanatics who are responsible for everything they sell, even as their sales increase at astounding rates. It's always the same Apple "fanbois" buying everything over and over again. Do you not realize how stupid that sounds when we're no longer talking about 9% of the PC business, but tens of millions of units -- far in excess of anything the Mac market ever achieved -- increasing every year. They sold 50 million iPads in the first two years, now they'll sell the second 50 million in just this year alone. If that sounds to you like the same people buying new models over and over again, then your head isn't wound very tight.
        Robert Hahn
        Reply Vote

      • I agree

        Don't use logic. very dangerous to do so.
        mdezrin
        Reply Vote

  • Your Kidding!!!

    Ports? That's what's going to kill the iPad?!?
    campat-01
    Reply Vote

    • Nah, it's the Flash 11.

      [b]Definite[/b] iPad killer there.
      matthew_maurice
      Reply Vote

      • Since when has flash actually worked...

        On an Android tablet?
        Flash is the feature which android fanatics use to show-off their device... And it rarely works the way it's supposed to.
        camcost@...
        Reply Vote
CNET Join | Log In | Privacy | Cookies Close