There are now a lot of Android based tablets out there. But let’s be honest, not all of them are worth our $$ or time of day. Several companies have jumped on the low-cost tablet bandwagon, and when you use one of those tablets you quickly know 2 things… #1 Why it was so cheap. #2 Why you have never heard of that brand.
When looking for a good tablet I suggest that you go with only those brand names that are known for making reliable product. And you should go for one that is build with great technology, like an Intel processor. Intel Tablets are fast. And Acer is one of those brands that you can count on. I have had several Acer products that they do not disappoint. As a matter of fact my son is still using an Acer Aspire One Netbook that I purchased in December of 2009.
Although their name may not be the first one that is brought up when discussing the tablet market, Acer does make great tablets. I have tried out an Acer Iconia W3-810. This is an awesome little Windows tablet. It was recently replaced by the updated Iconia W4. I have also tried the Acer Iconia W510, also a Windows tablet. I was excited to get my hands on an Acer Android tablet.
As part of the Intel Tablet Crew (#TabletCrew) I received the Acer Iconia Tab 8. It is the newest in Acer’s line of Android tablets. It is sleek, pretty, and packed full of power. At 1920 x 1200 the screen resolution alone beats out most of the other tablets in it’s size category.
Favorite Features
- Stunning 1920 x 1200 resolution screen
- Sexy metal back
- Running Andriod 4.4.2 (Kit Kat)
- Available with 16gb or 32gb storage
Although I do have much love for another brand of tablet (which I will let remain nameless), there is something very refreshing about a vanilla Android device. It’s nice to see Android 4.4 as Google intended without all the changes, additions, and pretty GUIs. The Acer Iconia Tab 8 does not disappoint. The incredible screen showcases KitKat for what it is… an awesome operating system.
The Iconia Tab 8 runs on a quad-core Intel Atom processor. It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. It also has a microSD card slot to expand the memory. This is plenty of power to handle most tasks.
Processing Power
With the Intel quad-core processor the unit is very snappy. I experienced no lag time when opening apps or swiping. There are some games that require a lot of processing power. The Tab 8 can handle them. I tried running some of my kid’s favorite games on another no-name tablet and they would not run at all. However, the Iconia Tab 8 has absolutely no problems.
The Screen
As mentioned the screen resolution is 1920 x 1200. This means that videos are clearly shown in awesome HD. In addition, the Tab 8 includes Intel Smart Video which is said to improve video quality by reducing noise and eliminating artifacts with interlaced content. This feature can be turned off or on in the tablet’s settings.
Playback Issues
I had some problems getting the tablet to play movies and TV shows from the Google Play Store with Intel Smart Video enabled. When attempting to play a movie on HD I got nothing at all…. no sound, and no video. And on some attempts after a few minutes I got a message that Play TV & Movies has stopped. However, with Intel Smart Video turned off, videos play just fine, and they look great. So, apparently this feature is not available in all apps. But as mentioned, if you run into an issue it can easily be disabled in your tablet settings.
Acer Touch WakeApp
One nice feature of this tablet is the Acer Touch WakeApp. This wakes up your tablet with one touch of all 5 fingers. You can also adjust it to wake up when you touch it near the bottom corners with both thumbs.
The Camera
I never care about the capabilities of a camera on a tablet because I reach for my smartphone for that. Something about taking photos with a larger tablet just feels strange. 🙂 However, the Iconia Tab 8 camera will do in a pinch. At only 4mb and no flash, it certainly won’t win any awards. However, it is very responsive and takes photos quite fast. It also includes a few cool features such as Collage Picture which helps you take Instagram ready photos.
Overall I am loving this little tablet. It is very snappy and a pleasure to use. I do wish the battery life was a bit better, unfortunately that is a usual issue with Android devices. I also love how thing the tablet is. It is a great design, and it is a pleasure to use.
Stay tuned for more thoughts and info on using the Acer Iconia Tab 8.
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