Acer Iconia Tab A500

“If you happen to be focused on media consumption, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 will serve you well. But if you can wait to jump into the tablet game, things are likely to get more interesting as more major manufacturers including HP, HTC, Samsung, Sony, and others release tablets in the coming months.”

“Acer’s Iconia Tab A500 is one of the, if not the, best Android 3.0 tablets on the market. We prefer it to the Xoom and at $450, it is most definitely a hell of a lot cheaper than the G-Slate ($750) or Xoom ($800), yet offers almost identical, if not better, specs. It’s even cheaper than the PlayBook and iPad 2 by a cool $50 as well.The two big downsides to the Iconia Tab are its weight and its operating system. At about 1.7 pounds, it is heavier than the Xoom, so if you’re looking for a mobile tablet, this may not be the one for you. Its OS, Android 3.0, is still a bit too unstable and quirky for our tastes, especially when pitted against refined experiences like Apple’s iOS or even Android 2.3. We hope Google takes a good hard look at Android 3.0 and fixes it up in the next few months.However, if you’re looking at a larger tablet and know all about Android 3.0, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 is the best deal around. It has specs that compare with the best at the lowest price. Win.”

“All in all, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 is a solid piece of hardware, if you have to have an Android tablet right now, but we don't know if we could recommend it in good conscience over some of the competitors on offer. Honestly, we're still slightly iffy about Honeycomb itself, and the longevity of the Tegra 2 processor, given the lack of Android 3.0 apps and speed at which OEMs are adopting faster and more efficient silicon respectively. At present, ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer seems the obvious choice if you can't afford a G-Slate -- assuming prices stay the same -- but at the same time, we don't think you'll be wholly displeased with Acer's tablet if brushed aluminum's your thing. Just keep that AC adapter handy.”

“The Acer Iconia A500 boasts many of the same core specs as its Android Honeycomb tablet rivals, and it handles the new operating system just as well, but the uninspiring design stops it from appealing over some of these alternatives. It's an entirely competent product, but as something you have to handle directly, aesthetic concerns and size are very important. Here, there just aren't enough extra features to quite mitigate fully for the bulk factor.”