[dwt10]

I was searching the internet for tablets, when on Best Buy, I found a tablet called the Acer Iconia. I think that as a tablet, not a laptop-tablet-both thing, it's better. Here are some specs:
10.1 Inch display, 1280x800
Android 3.0
Nvidia Tegra 2 @ 1 GHZ
Rear Facing 5.0MP camera With single LED flash
Front Facing 2 MP camera
Doc Connectors & HDMI
Optional 3G
B/G/N Wifi

So we are looking at a Motorola Xoom for $400. I dont know about you guys but that sounds better then $600. It is the same price as the Eee Pad (without the dock) and it has better specs (camera, HDMI, etc).

What do you guys think? Better then the Eee Pad, equal?

[fm123]

How is the acer display? Asus is IPS.

[hanano17]

How is it better than the Transformer, minus flash? Also its $50 more than the Transformer, not the same. Just as tablets, without the dock? Maybe, but that's a big maybe to me. HDMI isn't a big issue when you can use DLNA...plus, doesn't it have mini HDMI? The Acer doesn't have 3G yet if im not mistaken, and the Asus is also getting a 3G model later as well. The screen on the Asus should be hands down better than the Acer.

Aside from spec v spec, the dock is a HUGE draw for me...with all things considered, makes it the clear winner even if the Acer was the same price and I thought any of the differences favored Acer (which I don't really).

[dwt10]

It has LTE also. LCD Screen, It supports HTML, HTML5, XHTML, and Flash. And according to Phone Arena it also can take a 64 GB MicroSD Card (?). Micro* HDMI, Bluetooth 2.1. It supports Multi-Touch. It has a gyroscope, a compass, accelerometer, Light and Proximity Sensor. And a 3260 Mah Battery. Keep in mind Acer also offers the first 7 Inch Honeycomb tablet with literally the same specs (same camera, dual core, 3g, etc)

[Suntan]

Personally, I don't think any of these tablets are "better" than the others. At the end of the day, they are all 10.1", tegra 2, Android 3.0, etc. etc.

Some just have differing features that may or may not appeal to a person. (Obviously, pricing is pretty easy to understand)

For me, the IPS panel and laptop-dock are much more appealing than the differing features on the Acer. YMMV.

-Suntan

[david6785]

im really thinking about getting the transformer now that i know it has a ips display but it doesn't have a freaking usb port or mini usb port on the tablet itself. i don't want to pay a extra 150 for the keyboard right now for those features. I really hope the acer screen is good enough because i really like the look of it and it has all the ports on the sides including mini usb and a full usb port. who gives a damn about 0.4 0.9 grams heavier!!!

[zach_alt]

Who cares if it doesn't have mini USB on the tablet? Why is that needed?

[sheba510]

I pre-ordered the Acer Iconia A500 from Best Buy online and should be getting it sometime next week. I may return it if the Asus Transformer display is a lot better. The Acer is $50 more but it does have the full size USB host port on the tablet (as well as the mini-USB). Acer will also be coming out with a Bluetooth keyboard and a dock for the A500.

[Suntan]

I wonder how long it will be before we see thumb drives with mini usb connections.

-Suntan

[milominderbinde]

Here is the comparison:
Comparison Chart: Xoom, Transformer, Galaxy, TouchPad

The Asus is cheaper. For the $150 you will want to add the keyboard dock that turns it into a netbook, adds a second battery, an SD slot in addition to the microSD slot, and so much more.

Check out the Android Central: ASUS EeePad Transformer review.

See the Android Central:ASUS EeePad Transformer pricing and availability. Basically the Asus will be in every store on April 26.

You can see Asus Windows netbooks everywhere right now. They are well built. Asus has been making PC's and phones under a dozen brand names like Treo, etc. for years.

But whatever you get, see them side-by-side, play with them and get the one that you like best. It's like trying on shoes. No one else can tell you what will feel right to you.

[Dexter73]

Here is a review of the Acer Iconia.

[.46caliber]

The back on the Acer appears to be brushed aluminum which I like. But I hate the bezel they put on the sides.

I had the same conundrum a couple years ago when I bought a netbook. I chose the Asus. I've been happy. I run an Asus mobo, and I've been happy. I'm leaning towards the Asus, just wish the back wasn't plastic.

[jharo]

Dang this is a tough decision. I really like the usb on the Iconia. I'm not sure I would get the keyboard dock for the Transformer right of way or how much I would use it. I guess I would get it for the usb/card reader, which makes the price difference go away. Plus I can't even find a Transformer right now.

[Ufd108]

Dang this is a tough decision. I really like the usb on the Iconia. I'm not sure I would get the keyboard dock for the Transformer right of way or how much I would use it. I guess I would get it for the usb/card reader, which makes the price difference go away. Plus I can't even find a Transformer right now.

Nobody can find a Transformer right now. They apparently were released in very small quantities and sold out immediately.

[farwest]

I've played with the Iconia. Definitely better/sexier than my Xoom, at much better price ($450 vs $599). I like the build quality marginally better than the Transformer and really like the full USB on the tablet - a master USB is the only remaining "wish list" item that I wanted for the "perfect" tablet. But the Transformer is as close as it gets for me - the dock w/extra battery is the near perfect combo. (that said, I'm eyeing the new Lenovo tablet they just announced that has dock and stylus combo that could really be a full bore legitimate work laptop replacement - think corporate users will flock to similar devices if they have decent security)

Add in the lowest price tablet, and hard to see how anyone passes up the Transformer and buys the Acer Iconia - unless paying $100 net more (ie including the dock) for a vastly more functional tablet is an issue. But if you can't afford $100 without a blink of an eye, you shouldn't be buying a tablet in the first place...

[BigCTM]

I would never buy a dock with a tablet. If I want a keyboard, I will use my laptop. The dock defeats the whole purpose of the a tablet to me.

I've played with the Iconia. Definitely better/sexier than my Xoom, at much better price ($450 vs $599). I like the build quality marginally better than the Transformer and really like the full USB on the tablet - a master USB is the only remaining "wish list" item that I wanted for the "perfect" tablet. But the Transformer is as close as it gets for me - the dock w/extra battery is the near perfect combo. (that said, I'm eyeing the new Lenovo tablet they just announced that has dock and stylus combo that could really be a full bore legitimate work laptop replacement - think corporate users will flock to similar devices if they have decent security)

Add in the lowest price tablet, and hard to see how anyone passes up the Transformer and buys the Acer Iconia - unless paying $100 net more (ie including the dock) for a vastly more functional tablet is an issue. But if you can't afford $100 without a blink of an eye, you shouldn't be buying a tablet in the first place...

[jharo]

I wish they would release some sort of dongle/adapter similar to what the iPad has for usb/sd card.

[Gameboy70]

I would never buy a dock with a tablet. If I want a keyboard, I will use my laptop. The dock defeats the whole purpose of the a tablet to me.

For me, the purpose of a laptop is the additional computing resources it brings to bear for advanced applications like Photoshop. For lightweight applications, a tablet allows you to use an external keyboard on an as-needed basis. With a laptop, you're always stuck with a keyboard, which is a liability for use cases that benefit from portrait mode, like reading ebooks and documents.

[jerrykur]

The dock is a deciding factor for me. I makes the unit something with which you can create content easily.

If I wanted a tablet only something smaller and lighter like the 8.9 Samsung would be my choice. The iPad is too big and heavy to hold comfortably with one hand for reading in bed on your back. The Iconia is even heavier than the iPad and the Xoom.

[kareden]

It has LTE also. LCD Screen, It supports HTML, HTML5, XHTML, and Flash. And according to Phone Arena it also can take a 64 GB MicroSD Card (?). Micro* HDMI, Bluetooth 2.1. It supports Multi-Touch. It has a gyroscope, a compass, accelerometer, Light and Proximity Sensor. And a 3260 Mah Battery. Keep in mind Acer also offers the first 7 Inch Honeycomb tablet with literally the same specs (same camera, dual core, 3g, etc)

I was getting more and more stoked for the Acer - until I realized there was no camera flash. I don't expect that I will be taking many pictures with the tablet, but I still think no flash on the Acer is a big miss - only marginally offset by the presence of a full USB port. It also sounds like the display on the Asus may set the bar - and the Acer may fall a little short.

When I first read about the Asus dock/keyboard, I was really excited. But I go back and forth. I have a laptop (and a netbook) and I'm not sure that the Asus dock/keyboard is the clincher (especially since that is even harder to find than the Asus tablet!). It may be just another peripheral that I will have to keep up with...Of course, I will probably get rid of the netbook once I get a tablet...In any event, the tablet needs to stand on its own for me as I would primarily use it as just that. So the availability of some type of sd slot on the tablet (regular sd as opposed to micro sd) is more important to me than a full USB port.

By the way, my netbook is an Asus which I have owned for over a year and I really enjoy using it. I want a tablet, though because, as a class, the tablets totally trump netbooks in computing power - not hard since netbooks are quite underpowered and tend to hang even when just surfing the Internet.

Anyway, I like the build quality of my Asus, so I would not hesitate to buy another Asus product.

[jharo]

I was getting more and more stoked for the Acer - until I realized there was no camera flash. I don't expect that I will be taking many pictures with the tablet, but I still think no flash on the Acer is a big miss - only marginally offset by the presence of a full USB port. It also sounds like the display on the Asus may set the bar - and the Acer may fall a little short.

When I first read about the Asus dock/keyboard, I was really excited. But I go back and forth. I have a laptop (and a netbook) and I'm not sure that the Asus dock/keyboard is the clincher (especially since that is even harder to find than the Asus tablet!). It may be just another peripheral that I will have to keep up with...Of course, I will probably get rid of the netbook once I get a tablet...In any event, the tablet needs to stand on its own for me as I would primarily use it as just that. So the availability of some type of sd slot on the tablet (regular sd as opposed to micro sd) is more important to me than a full USB port.

By the way, my netbook is an Asus which I have owned for over a year and I really enjoy using it. I want a tablet, though because, as a class, the tablets totally trump netbooks in computing power - not hard since netbooks are quite underpowered and tend to hang even when just surfing the Internet.

Anyway, I like the build quality of my Asus, so I would not hesitate to buy another Asus product.

If you have a full USB but no full SD card slot, you can use a SD card adapter.

[kareden]

Good point. And yet another reason to wait for the dust to settle a bit before plunking the moolah down .

[xavioremu]

I was getting more and more stoked for the Acer - until I realized there was no camera flash. I don't expect that I will be taking many pictures with the tablet, but I still think no flash on the Acer is a big miss - only marginally offset by the presence of a full USB port. It also sounds like the display on the Asus may set the bar - and the Acer may fall a little short.

When I first read about the Asus dock/keyboard, I was really excited. But I go back and forth. I have a laptop (and a netbook) and I'm not sure that the Asus dock/keyboard is the clincher (especially since that is even harder to find than the Asus tablet!). It may be just another peripheral that I will have to keep up with...Of course, I will probably get rid of the netbook once I get a tablet...In any event, the tablet needs to stand on its own for me as I would primarily use it as just that. So the availability of some type of sd slot on the tablet (regular sd as opposed to micro sd) is more important to me than a full USB port.

By the way, my netbook is an Asus which I have owned for over a year and I really enjoy using it. I want a tablet, though because, as a class, the tablets totally trump netbooks in computing power - not hard since netbooks are quite underpowered and tend to hang even when just surfing the Internet.

Anyway, I like the build quality of my Asus, so I would not hesitate to buy another Asus product.

The Acer does in fact have a LED flash. Also the full SD is only on the Asus dock which is fine if you don't mind the extra $150 for the dock.

[kareden]

@xavioremu: I got my tabs mixed - you're right. It's the Acer that has the flash, not the Asus. I took another look @ the comparison chart that was posted. So since I think the flash could come in handy (although I'm not sure how) I may take another look @ the Acer now. A BB in my area has one on display, so maybe I'll pop on over today. Thanks for mentioning!

[Visual360]

I think flash on tablets or even smartphone is overrated. I have flash on my xoom, and I rarely if not never use it. I'll take the IPS screen of the Asus over the flash on the Iconia. On the other hand the Iconia is very nice, heck I'll take it over the Xoom.