Playing with the Iconia Tab at BB

[cloak.n.dagger]

So here I am at Best Buy playing with the Acer Iconia Tab. All in all I am very impressed. The device has a great feel to it, very sturdy. The keyboard seems to be a bit sluggish though. Is that pretty common with the Iconia Tab or is this something common to all tablets? Video quality is very nice and Honeycomb is very fluid. I seem to be having lots of issues with this keyboard. Are there other keyoard options out there for tablets (ones with better responsiveness)? I am a current EVO user and I'm still on the fence in my decision to upgrade my handset or keep my EVO and get a tablet. What made you go with the Iconia Tab over the other options out there?

 

[quadcam#CB]

The Evo is a great phone, I see no reason to upgrade and so I picked up the Iconia last week.
I have not had any issues with the stock keyboard at all. There are a few other keyboard options for the tablets available. Swify Key X Beta , Tablet Keyboard & Thumb Keyboard. Depends on what you are looking for. I prefer the stock keyboard.
You can also use a usb windows keyboard that will plug into the usb with no software required. The mini usb Gear Head keyboard for $15 at Office Depot works perfectly (except the F keys of course) it's a wired usb not bluetooth.Though I have heard some of the keyboards are not working especially if they need software installed.

I wanted a 10 inch tablet, expecially with a 4 inch Evo ( 7 inch was way too small in comparsion) As a retired Crackberry user/abuser that put the Playbook out as well.
I was looking at the Zoom but heard from bad reviews and it lacked a external sd card.
The Transformer looked exciting especially with the keyboard dock but no usb unless you purchased the keyboard which pushed the price to $ 550
I was at BB the day of the Transformer launch????, well no Transformers but they had the Acer in stock so I played with that for a while & went back many times to play with it before I made a final decision.
So far I have been very happy with the Iconia and you may be surprised just how many apps work on the tablets and more 3.0 Honeycomb apps are coming out everyweek

 

[Fumetsu]

SwiftKeys keyboard is awesome but still in beta. If the keyboard is your only holdout then you have nothing to worry about... there are plenty of options available.

 

[cloak.n.dagger]

Thanks guys, for the feedback. I got back to work and a co-worker fired up his Xoom and it also has the same keyboard lag. This lag is really only noticeable when using the browser, which is what I was using to write my post. Not only was his onscreen keyboard laggy but so what his bluetooth Android keyboard (but only in the browser). When composing notes, emails, etc... all keyboards were very responsive. I'm guessing this may be a Honeycomb thing since I have now seen it on two separate devices running HC. I would so love to hold out for a tables and hang on to my EVO but the rumor mill is churning. Word is Motorola is going to release an Atrix like device in the next month or so, so this could be what I end up doing. It's hard to pass up those subsidized upgrades vs. paying full price for a new tablet!

 

[Fumetsu]

Thanks guys, for the feedback. I got back to work and a co-worker fired up his Xoom and it also has the same keyboard lag. This lag is really only noticeable when using the browser, which is what I was using to write my post. Not only was his onscreen keyboard laggy but so what his bluetooth Android keyboard (but only in the browser). When composing notes, emails, etc... all keyboards were very responsive. I'm guessing this may be a Honeycomb thing since I have now seen it on two separate devices running HC. I would so love to hold out for a tables and hang on to my EVO but the rumor mill is churning. Word is Motorola is going to release an Atrix like device in the next month or so, so this could be what I end up doing. It's hard to pass up those subsidized upgrades vs. paying full price for a new tablet!

Yeah, stock browser isn't so great. I switch between Dolphin HD and Opera Mobile set to Desktop User Agent on both. I'd use Opera exclusively but it lacks total Flash support.

 

[Fungii]

Obviously you are still not there (right? ) but I love the Acer Iconia, but if you are still looking for first hand experience and haven't decided... I like The look and the weight, feels sturdy. Those review sites that claim it is to heavy just look at their hands. Girl hands and look like they haven't any testosterone. That being said the wireless antena is weak and is my biggest gripe about it. But other than that, great tablet.

Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

 

[KzooPackFan]

I use Thumb Keyboard and it works great!