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GAME UK expands tablet sales to include iPads, more entry-level Android tablets
UK retailer GAME has been hunting for ways to stay relevant during a shift to downloadable games -- and now, that includes cribbing some style (just a little!) from Americans. Much like GameStop across the pond, GAME will soon sell a full range of tablets at 150 of its stores. The existing Nexus 7 offering will be joined by the seemingly obligatory 16GB iPad and iPad mini, although the rest of the lineup will be decidedly more frugal: options like the £100 Acer Iconia B1-A71 and £130 Archos GamePad will be bracketed by a raft of mostly DGM-built slates that dip as low as £60. It's difficult to know how the expanded sales will help GAME's bottom line, although the Nexus 7 reportedly fared well enough that it's likely tablets are here to stay.
Acer launches 16GB Iconia B1 Android tablet for €139
Acer's low-end Iconia B1-A71 Android tablet made its debut at CES 2013, packing a dual-core 1.2GHz Mediatek processor and 8GB of internal storage. A few months later here at MWC, the company is introducing a 16GB model of the 7-inch Jelly Bean slate, and it's on sale immediately for €139 (compared to €119 for the 8GB version). The higher storage capacity is the real story here; otherwise, you're looking at the same 1,024 x 600 display, 0.3-megapixel camera and lightweight plastic build. Like the version announced at CES, the B1 is available in Africa, Europe and the Middle East but not North America. Cruise past the break for the press release. %Gallery-179307%
CES 2013: Tablet roundup
The tablet landscape has changed greatly in a year's time, at least if you gauge what we've seen on the CES show floor. The 2012 expo was led mostly by high-end Android tablets. This year, Windows 8 understandably garnered much more of the spotlight now that it's available, while Google's platform mostly surfaced in the budget category, where it was much more prevalent than before. Whatever the platform, we saw our fair share of experimentation -- some companies weren't happy with just a spec bump in a familiar form factor. Check past the break for some of the more daring (or at least well-executed) examples from CES 2013.
Acer Iconia B1-A71 hands-on
For the past few months most of the tablets we've seen have been running Windows 8, but at CES this week Android tablets have seen a resurgence of sorts, starting with two from Vizio and now the Iconia B1-A71 from Acer. It's hardly a flagship tablet. Quite the opposite actually: it has a dual-core Mediatek processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 display and a single 0.3-megapixel camera. Overall, the build quality and screen aren't nearly as nice as what you'll get on the Nexus 7. Still, for $150 it could be tempting for folks who think even $200 is a lot to spend on a tablet. We're told this won't go on sale in the US, so for all of our readers in the states this is nothing more than gadget tourism. For the rest of you, though, we've got hands-on photos and video below to help you decide if this is worth any further consideration.%Gallery-175392%
Acer announces Iconia B1-A71, a wallet-friendly 7-inch Jelly Bean slate
Acer is expanding its tablet lineup with a new budget-minded 7-inch slate running Jelly Bean. The Iconia B1-A71 pairs a dual-core 1.2GHz processor from Mediatek with 512MB of RAM for a machine that certainly wont set any benchmark records, but won't hurt any wallets either. The rest of the specs, like the WSVGA screen, 8GB of storage and lone 0.3-megapixel camera are certainly also helping keep costs down. At 11.3 ounces and 11.3mm thick it's a pretty svelte device, especially considering its expected starting price of under $150. Sadly there's no concrete time frame for release. If you're hungry for a few more details check out the PR below. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Acer eases Iconia B1-A71 Tab past FCC, GLBenchmark shows modest specs (update: pics)
Acer looks ready to launch an entry-level tablet into the market judging by an FCC application that popped up today along with an earlier GLBenchmark leak. The test site's report shows a likely 7-inch or so tab with a 1,024 x 600 display, Android 4.1.2 Jellybean, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and PowerVR SGX 531 GPU along with distinctly non-barnburning test results. Those specs now look quite credible when combined with the new FCC document, which shows it sporting WiFi radios but no cellular wireless options. The company has been mum so far about when or where such a device would arrive and at what cost, but judging by the above, it's unlikely to break any banks. Check the source if parsing radio reports is your bag. Update: Russian forum member vladimirdowla spotted pics of the new tab, which you can peek below the break.
