Late last month we reported on a leaked tablet, the Acer Iconia W3. At the time, the W3 was believed to be the world’s first smaller-screen Windows tablet, though little details were known. During the weekend, Amazon put up a listing for the tablet giving us a lot more details, at least until the page was taken down.

So what can we expect from the Acer Iconia W3-810, provided Amazon’s listing got things right? First, it will be powered by a dual-core Intel Atom processor, accompanied by 2GB of RAM. Next, we know it has an 8.1-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. Some of the other specs that we are aware of include 32GB internal storage, 2MP rear cam, 8 hours battery life (average) and 1 USB 2.0 port.

The tablet runs on Windows 8 and manages to weigh just 1.1-pounds. It certainly sounds like a decent enough tablet, but what about pricing? The original listing points to a price of $379.99, which is quite a bit more expensive than the iPad Mini’s $329 price tag or the Nexus 7 32GB model’s price of $249.

Still, this is the cheapest we’ve seen from a Windows tablet so far and with an x86 processor in tow, the Acer Iconia W3-810 also has the advantage of working with a vast array of Windows legacy software. This might not matter so much to the average Joe, but for business users, it could certainly be an important difference.

Personally, I was hoping to see Microsoft and its partners aim for a $275-$350 target range for these smaller tablets. At the current range, they still could offer an important value for those that are highly invested in the Microsoft brand and ecosystem, but $380 is still a bit of a hard sell compared to Android and iOS small-screen tablet pricing.

What do you think, is Microsoft asking too much or are they priced just right?

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Google has set its sights on the high end market of notebook with its latest notebook, the Chromebook Pixel, but their plans don’t end there. According to a new rumor, Google plans to release cheaper Android OS and Intel Atom notebooks that are expected to be as low as $200. Both Acer and Asus also have plans to release the new Chromebook later this year.

While details are sparce right now on what we know about the Asus Chromebook, it is expected to be unveiled in the third or fourth quarters of 2013.  We know slightly more about the Acer Chromebook.  It supposedly had a 11.6 inch screen and is expected to be for sale in July of 2013.  We do not know any more about these devices at this time, but they are supposedly going to be mid-range devices and should be quite a bit cheaper than the projected price of the Chromebook Pixel.

With all the interest in the Chromebook, Google is quickly establishing itself as a heavy hitter in the notebook game.  What do you think of Chrome OS, are you okay with using a cloud-driven OS for your laptop needs or would you rather stick to a more traditional Windows, Mac or Linux device?

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Microsoft recently confirmed that it was in fact working on smaller-sized Windows tablets for the not-too-distant future, something we’ve been expecting for a while now. With the market making a push to 7 and 8-inch tablets it was only a matter of time. Still, when will we see the first tablet with a smaller display? The newly leaked Iconia W3-810 seems to indicate the answer to that is “soon”.

The W3-810 is a mid-range 8-inch tablet with a 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor. Not much else is known about the device, but we can guess that it will be reasonably affordable considering the small display size.

IF Acer can release such a device at similar pricing to devices like Apple’s iPad Mini, it could certainly catch the attention of those that have occasional need of basic desktop Windows programs, such as those in the business world. Remember that with the power of an Atom processor, the W3-810 might not be running modern PC games or advanced PC programs, but it could certainly handle basic programs and older PC games.

What do you think of the idea of 7 and 8-inch Windows tablets, would you be interested if Microsoft and its partners can actually deliver aggressive pricing this time around?

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At present, there are many 7 inch Androids tablets out there for customers to choose from such as the Nexus 7, the HP Slate 7, or devices from Acer, Asus, Lenovo and countless others. Being highly portable and offering lower price tags, smaller Android tablets are becoming quite popular. And now, it appears like these new tablets will be overtaking the iPad in quarterly market share, according to estimates by Sameer Singh at Tech Thoughts.

Data suggests that 57% of the market will be taken by Android tablets while iPad will take 40% by the end of Q1. These predictions are mostly based on tablet display shipments. Of course we can’t say that these figures will be completely accurate, but analysis of the supply chain sometimes does tell us what is coming especially in the near future.

According to available data, compared to the shipments of the iPad Mini and the full-sized iPad, the shipments of 7-inch Android tablets are on the rise which might be suggesting an increasing demand for cheaper 7 inchers. Although 10-inch tablets are still popular, they don’t seem to be growing at the same rate as 7-inchers, both running Android or even Apple’s own iPad Mini. In fact the iPad Mini is also affecting the sales of the 9.7-inch iPad.

Will 7-inch Android tablets overcome Apple’s iPad in the tablet market soon, or will these predictions prove wrong? We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, you can share your thoughts on the matter.

Do you prefer iOS, Android, or maybe even Windows on a tablet? What size of display, 7 to 8 inches or 9 inches plus?

The post Look Out iPad, 7-Inch Android Tablet Market Continues to Grow appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Acer knows this to and has unveiled the 3.5-inch Acer Liquid Z2. Specifications are on the basic side with a small HVGA display, just 512mb RAM and a 5 mega-pixel rear camera, but you do get Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and it will only cost between 100 and 130 Euros.

What do you think, a decent enough budget phone or just to weak for a phone at this point?

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What are some of the specs you’ve come to expect from flagship smartphones that are going to be released in 2013? Perhaps it’s a 5+ inch display boasting a 1080p resolution. Maybe you want a super fast quad-core or even octo-core processor, backed by at least 2GB of RAM. Maybe you want to see a 12MP or better camera on there. Unfortunately, the newly revealed Acer Liquid E1 Android smartphone doesn’t have any of them. This is not a high-end smartphone at all.

Instead, you can probably better describe the Acer Liquid E1 as more of a mid-range device, the kind of phone that you’d be able to get free on a contract or perhaps offered for a reasonable price through prepaid. There’s a 4.5-inch qHD display, a dual core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB internal storage, 5MP main camera, VGA front camera, and a 1760mAh battery. At least it’s rocking Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, but it’s missing out on the Android 4.2 action.

This isn’t necessarily to say that the Acer Liquid E1 is a bad smartphone, per se, but it’s hardly able to compete against the likes of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4. In fact, looking at those specs, it’s probably better equipped to compete with the Galaxy S2 from 2011. Let’s just hope it’s cheap. Then, all is forgiven.

What do you think, if the price is right would you be interested in a midrange Acer phone like this or not?

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[CES 2013] Tablets are quickly becoming household staples, with many families easily having at least two such devices per household. Part of this tablet revolution has to do with price-friendly devices like the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7.

From the sounds of it, 2013 should continue this trend in an even bigger way as prices continue to drop and the age of a sub-$150 tablets from decent brands starts to be ushered in. One of these cheap options for 2013 will be the Iconia B1-A71.

The B1-A71 features a 1.2GHz MediaTek dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and a 7-inch display with a 1,024 x 600 resolution. Other specs include 8GB of storage, a .3MP front camera and a tiny 11.3mm-thin package that weighs just 11.3 ounces.

Best of all, the pricing is said to be no more than $150.

Based on other rumors and speculation we’ve heard, the price could be as low as $100 in select markets in Asia and Europe, though North American customers can probably expect it to land in the $140-$150 price range.

Let’s be clear, this is no Nexus 7 killer with relatively modest specs. So what is the Acer B1-A71 all about? It’s a tablet at a cheap as hell price that is actually from a reasonably popular brand.

For those that can’t afford a high-end tablet or are looking for a 2nd or 3rd tablet for their families– this could be perfect. What do you think, excited or not?

The post Acer Announces Iconia B1-A71 Tablet, Will Cost Less Than $150 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to any, but netbooks are officially goners now. This has been a long-time coming. As ultrabooks and tablets have eaten into netbook marketshare, Asus and Acer remained the only two brands that were keeping the netbook market alive.

Now Asus and Acer confirm that 2013 will be the last year, with no plans to make any further models. The companies will instead focus on convertibles, hybrids, ultrabooks and tablets.

The ending of an era. Netbooks gained popularity as quickly as they fell. So what happened? Probably the biggest reasons for the end of netbooks is that profit margins were never great for manufacturers when it came to netbooks, whereas tablets and other mobile computing devices have proven much more lucrative. Demand has also gone done.

Sure, some niche users need a highly-portable device with a real keyboard, but many consumers have moved from netbooks to tablets. So what about those that want a smaller notebook device and don’t want to pay much for it?

At this point, your best bet is probably to look towards Chromebooks, if you have a way to provide an always-on connection and don’t mind cloud-based apps. There is also the possibility of using a low-end notebook, but they are generally quite a bit bulkier than netbooks ever were.

Will you miss netbooks? Do you still use one, or have you moved on to other devices like tablets instead?

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According to supply chain makers in Taiwan, Acer will soon release the Iconia 1, a 7 inch Android tablet with a bargain price of only USD $99.  Supposedly this tablet will arrive sometime in the first 3 months of next year.

The tablet will evidently sport a MediaTek 1.2 GHz dual core processor with 512MB of RAM, which is why it will be offered so cheaply. The strange part of the rumor is that it is said to run Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS, which would be quite a feat for just 512MB of RAM to handle.

While we can’t see this as much of a primary device, at $99, it might make a great secondary tablet or perhaps a great choice for a teen or child.

Would you pick one of these up or would it be a case of getting what you pay for?

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Acer recently released the Acer C7 and now they are back at it again, this time with the Acer C710-2605 Chromebook.

This affordable laptop features an 11.6 inch display will 1366 x 768 pixels and a Intel Celeron 847 1.1 GHz processor.  An impressive 500GB hard drive and 4 GB of RAM, versus the 320 GB hard drive and 2 GB of RAM you get with the C7.

Also included an HDMI, Ethernet, VGA and 3 USB ports.  The battery is an upgraded 5000mAh which lasts up to 6 hours compared to a 2500mAh battery supplied with the C7.  The main benefit of this new version over the previous C7 version is the bigger battery. The Acer C710-2605 is also a bit more expensive at $300, versus the $200 tag for the Acer C7.

Does this beefier version sound appealing?  Is the price difference worth the upgrades?  Tell us what you think, is the C710-2605 on your holiday wishlist?

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