ASUS Eee Pad Transformer vs Acer Iconia

[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.

 

[Suntan]

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.

Agree with this. Camera flash on the back is only slightly more useful than a non-flash camera. Which is to say still rather pointless. Although the iconia itself looks good at first glance.


-Suntan

 

[wynand32]

Having used the Transformer for awhile now, I have to say: I don't think I'd accept a screen of any less quality. I had no idea just how inferior the screen on the Xoom is, or conversely how much better the TF's screen is. I understand that the Acer's screen is somewhere in the middle, but frankly I wouldn't take a step back just for a USB port.

 

[kareden]

Aw Heck, Maybe the Asus or Maybe Both

As I mentioned in my "Acer By a Nose - Maybe" post on April 29, I did go to Best Buy to take a look at the Acer Iconia on May 1. I really liked the look of the Acer Iconia. After reading the posts in this thread and taking a look at the tab in person, I have to plead to momentary insanity when I said that I need a camera flash on a tab .

Deep down, I still think that it would make more sense to include it than not, but truthfully, I still am not sure why I would use a flash and, as it turns out, it's not the deal breaker I thought it would be. I would be more likely to use the tab for Skype calls, and I certainly don't need a camera flash for that. I guess if I really need a picture taken with flash, I can just use my DInc, which is always around anyway.

I really like that full USB and SD are native to the Acer tab, but my concerns now are the display quality and overall hardware workmanship between Acer and Asus. In the BB store I went to, the Acer Iconia is displayed next to the Motorola Xoom and the Xoom display looked positively dowdy next to the bright Iconia display. As always, YMMV. I can't wait to compare the Acer and the Asus side-by-side!

 

[Lorak]

I went ahead and bought the Acer A500. (still have a transformer on order).

So Far I really like it. Screen really isn't that bad. I think the screen on the transformer will be better of course, but the acer screen doesn't bother me at all.

Unit feels really solid, and the build quality seems good also.


I had every intention of just messing around with the Acer until the Asus came out.

But now I am not so sure. The shear convience of the mini and full USB ports ports on the tablet is awsome. And having a standard charging plug is too. (major rant: Why do companies make power cord so short that they can't reach anything.)

Anyway. Being able to plug my phone into the transformer to charge it while teathering is really cool at work. And have had no issues getting several thumb drives and a mobile hard drive(Fat32) paired up at all. And while not as integrated as the asus keyboard. usb keyboard i randomly pluged in worked fine.

I guess it just depends on your needs and which suits your needs better. Keyboard (and have to add the IPS screen obviously) or convenence of having the ports on tablet handy all the time.

Hopefully the asus gets here soon so I can use them side by side.

 

[rushmore]

Both the Iconia and Trans cater to different wants:

1. If you want a tablet with USB host and non proprietary data connection built in the tablet with no need for a keyboard (unless you want to use one)- get the Iconia (save$100).

2. If you want netbook-like function -get the Transformer

3. If you could care less about USB host- get the Transformer (save $50)

Things to consider:

1. Asus reported that global supply will be 10,000 a month until later in June. This means the Trans will be very hard to find until later in July.

2. The Iconia display is very good (as per reviews), but the Transformers display has better extreme viewing angles. If you are not reviewing in extreme angles, they both look as good.

3. Per reviews, the Transformer keyboard has some connectivity and stability issues. When it works, it does well, but it loses connection and is picky on what devices it will see. The other issue is keyboard availability (even harder to find than the tablet).

Seems that if you can buy the Iconia from a store, it would not hurt to try it out. It might surprise you in a good way. Most folks will not see the Transformer until July, so what's the harm? Iconia is also very easy to root.

 

[BAlGaInTl]

How do people feel that these stack up now that they are the same price?

I'm leaning towards picking up the Acer.

 

[liquidxit2]

While I liked the acer when I was looking I would still take the asus due to the dock and the fact that it gets updated earlier.

 

[BAlGaInTl]

The problem is that I have a $100 coupon burning a hole in my pocket... I can find the 16GB Iconia pretty easy, but not the transformer.

Seems like a good deal at $299.

 

[Suntan]

The Acer isn't a bad model. If it suits your needs then go for it.

That said, if you're looking at the Acer, you should take a minute to look at the Thrive too. The rubber back is really nice for holding/carrying and the full sized SD slot is even better then uSD.

-Suntan

 

[liquidxit2]

While I wasnt a fan of the thrive, the rubber back is a very nice feature. Honestly if youre shopping for a tablet I recommend trying every tablet out including the blackberry, ipad and hp tablets. Why? Because you never know which one is for you until you try them.

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk

 

[Suntan]

While I wasnt a fan of the thrive, the rubber back is a very nice feature. Honestly if youre shopping for a tablet I recommend trying every tablet out including the blackberry, ipad and hp tablets. Why? Because you never know which one is for you until you try them.

Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk

Coming from a Pre + prior to getting a Droid 3 I have a soft spot for WebOS, but I honestly can't recommend someone get the Touchpad. It's overpriced, under-optioned and WebOS really needs to be cleaned up on it. If a person wants WebOS on a tablet, wait for the TP2.

-Suntan

 

[pduffer]

I bought a Acer Iconia Tab just over a week ago. I sampled it, the ASUS, Samsung, Motorola, and Toshiba. Sales reps kept pushing the ASUS, but I found myself navigating back to the Acer time after time. However, I've since learned that the mic on my Iconia Tab will not support using voice services like Skype - and Acer customer support tells me I shouldn't expect their Android tablet to do so. So now I'm considering getting the ASUS instead. Anybody have mic problems with the Transformer?

 

[haberd]

Someone I was talking to on gTalk over video said my mic sounded very quiet and I had to practically yell for her to hear me. Is anyone else having this issue? And is there a software fix for it? @pduffer everything else is great tho!

 

[sstea]

I spent the last couple of weeks deciding between the Samsung Galaxy 10.1, the Acer Iconia and Asus Transformer all with the $100 off using the Staples coupon (matching).

The Samsung had an awesome form factor screen and decent sound. I almost kept it but I couldn't get past not having any SD expansion and it is was $100 more than the other two tablets. It went back first.

I have been struggling with the decision between the Acer and Asus. I have read so many posts and reviews it made my head spin. I have been using the Asus for about a week and I left the Acer in the box until yesterday. I really wanted to like the Acer for the USB ports and the haptic feedback...It came down to one simple factor..screen quality. For me the Asus screen is significantly better in viewing angle and vibrancy. The Acer screen is also very shifted towards blue (higher color temp). In my brief experience with the Acer at 3.1 it performed well and scrolling actually was a little smoother than the Asus but no significant difference. Although less than 0.2lb difference, it seemed like the weight difference was noticeable on the Acer.

I think the Acer is a great value but I decided on the Asus.

 

[damo]

Looked at Asus/Motorola & Acer at the same time. For the average user, they are all essentially the same thing. I got the Acer due to the price and I think it looked the best and better finished. The full size USB also swayed me. Can't praise it highly enough