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Engadget's back to school guide 2012: tablets
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we're leaning back with our tablets -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of August we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- you can hit up the hub page right here! Your back may be straining from the textbooks, laptop, gym gear and lunch in that dangling overstuffed messenger, but you're still gonna want to save room for one more item -- a tablet. After all, while you can surf, tweet, play games and watch video from your other devices, there's nothing like doing it from a simple glass window that sits in the palm of your hand. As the hardware gets more powerful, these devices are rapidly becoming versatile enough to let you justify leaving the laptop at home on less-intensive days, so why not check out our picks of the finest devices you should be using and abusing before, during and after class.
Engadget's tablet buyer's guide: spring 2012 edition
As spring reaches full blossom, it's not just the flowers that are beginning to show -- so are the new slates heavy hitters teased back at CES. So, what does that mean? It means it's high-time that we cast a fresh glance over the tablet landscape, took in a deep breath of slate-infused air and exhaled a hearty Engadget tablet buyer's guide. We've been running the smartphone equivalent for a little while now, so we thought it only fair to give the now-mature tablet category one of its own. We're going to look at the main categories of fondleslabbery and carve out what we think are the finest offerings on the market right now. It doesn't matter if you're looking for something big, small, just good enough or so powerful that it could replace your laptop: we've collected our favorites and shepherded them safely into this one humble guide. Of course, if you want to cast your net a little wider, you can always check out our tablet review hub, but if you struggle with indecision, head on past the break to see what's hot right now in Tablet Land.
Distro Issue 33 takes on Apple's new iPad -- Now in HD!
Late last week, Apple unleashed its new iPad on the world, and in this issue of Distro we'll let our review of the high-res tablet loose on you. While the iPad may be out in front in terms of sales today, our Weekly Stat shows that the army of Android competitors may surpass it by 2016. We'll give one of those soldiers, the Acer Iconia Tab A200, the review treatment in this issue, as well as Wacom's latest tablet of another sort, the Intuos5 Touch, and Samsung's rugged handset, the Rugby Smart. Also on offer in our 33rd edition are a host of regular exclusives: Recommended Reading, Switched On, a Q&A with Tekzilla's Patrick Norton and the comic stylings of Box Brown. So grab the tablet of your choosing and hit the appropriate download link below, but make sure to update your app if you're sporting Apple's latest slate -- we've optimized Distro for high-res viewing.Distro Issue 33 PDFDistro on the iTunes App StoreDistro in the Play StoreDistro APK (for sideloading)Like Distro on FacebookFollow Distro on Twitter
Acer Iconia Tab A200 review
It's a tired promise for too many gadgets: Ice Cream Sandwich, just like the Gingerbread man before it, is coming... soon. You have to hand it to Acer, then, for bypassing those vague release schedules and actually pushing out a software update to the A200 on schedule. And though its specs are fairly run-of-the-mill (a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 display and 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 SoC), it could nonetheless be a tempting deal -- after all, you don't see too many $330 10-inchers running Android 4.0. The problem is, better things are around the corner, and the price wars rage on in the meantime. As it is, the A200 went relatively unnoticed at CES as Acer unveiled the Tegra 3-toting A700. The existence of that next-gen tab alone should raise a few red flags for consumers thinking of hopping aboard the Android tablet train. What's more, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has already promised sub-$300 Tegra 3 tablets are on the way (ASUS even confirmed one!). So is this just a case of bad timing for what is an otherwise respectable tablet? Should you hold onto those hard-earned greenbacks until the market becomes flush with affordable quad-core slates? Or will its immediate availability and reasonable price make for an irresistible purchase now? Join us after the break as we tackle those very questions and give this tablet the fair shake it deserves.
Acer Iconia Tab family to be given Ice Cream Sandwich treatment, rolling out to A200 now
Acer's revealed that it'll be bringing Android's latest and greatest version to its existing tablet family. The update is rolling out (as promised) on the Iconia Tab A200 now, but version 4.0 will also make an appearance on both its seven inch (Iconia A100) and 10 inch (Iconia A500) relatives in April. The update adds all those ICS features, including refreshed widget design and improved multitasking, but leaves the manufacturer's own Android addition -- the Acer launcher ring -- intact.
Acer Iconia Tab A200 hands-on (video)
Here at CES, you'd expect little 'ol Tegra 2 to get lost in the mix amid the Medfield prototypes, Windows 8 samplers and quad-core Tegra 3 devices. Not necessarily -- not if the price is right, anyway. The Acer Iconia Tab A200 packs NVIDIA's last-gen SoC, and no, it's not the slimmest or lightest tablet on the block, but for $330 you get a 10-inch slate on the brink of an ICS update. That counts for something, right? We'd say so, especially if Ice Cream Sandwich does indeed correct some of the sluggishness that's plagued Honeycomb tablets (even Tegra 3-powered ones). We got a few minutes of hands-on time with it today, and though we can't speak to potential deal-breakers like battery life or everyday usability, we came away feeling that all of the sacrifices Acer made in order to hit that $330 price are quite reasonable. Take the build quality, for instance. Although the A200 trades the A500's aluminum backing for plastic, it still has a soft, slightly textured finish that feels pleasant to touch and also makes cradling the thing that much more comfortable. It's noticeably chunkier than the Transformer Primes of the world but then again, it's also one of the few tablets with a USB 2.0 port, which would help explain the thickness. The 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) display is the same middling one you'll find on the A500; it doesn't compare to the A700's 1080p screen, but its relatively narrow viewing angles won't be an issue when you're streaming Netflix by your lonesome. It's missing a rear-facing camera, but do you really mind? (At this price, we don't.) And though you don't need the so-called Acer Ring for launching apps, it's an easy to use UI that manages not to get in your way. For now, this could be a tempting deal for people who don't have $500 to spend, but after seeing other companies tease their wares here at CES, we're concerned that the price wars haven't yet hit a plateau. We know, we know: there's always going to be something faster, thinner and better, but in this case, that something better might cost less too. Take ASUS, for instance: the company is readying a 7-inch, quad-core tablet that will cost just $249. If this is where the market is headed (and recent remarks by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang suggest it is), who knows how inexpensive Tegra 2 / 3 tablets will get over the coming months? The A200 seems fine for what it is; we just wonder if perhaps it's a transitional product, with a transitional price. Update: To clarify, the A200 starts at $330 with 8GB of storage, as previously reported. The higher-end version has 16GB, and will sell for $350. Billy Steele contributed to this report.
Acer Iconia Tab A200 arriving January 15 for $330, Ice Cream Sandwich coming mid-February
After slipping not-so-quietly through the FCC, we knew it was only a matter of time before Acer's Iconia Tab A200 arrived here in the US of A. Well, we just got word it'll go on sale January 15th starting at $330 -- not too shabby for a 10-inch tablet on the brink of an Ice Cream Sandwich update. According to Acer, the tablet is shipping with Honeycomb (version 3.2, to be exact), but should be getting that ICS upgrade in mid-February, about a month after it goes on sale. To be clear, that $330 price gets you 8GB of storage; the 16GB version will set you back an extra twenty bucks. Either way, it has a microSD slot for expansion, NVIDIA's dual-core Tegra 2 SoC, a modest 2MP front-facing camera, a 1280 x 800 display and a battery rated for up to eight hours of runtime. If all that sounds rather ho-hum, remember that this is still one of the only tablets with a full-sized USB 2.0 port for moving files on and off the device.
Acer announces Iconia Tab A200 packing Tegra 2 CPU, Ice Cream Sandwich on the way
We've already seen it pass through the FCC and pop-up in a family-friendly video, but today, Acer's Iconia Tab A200 has finally received official status, courtesy of an announcement obtained by Netbook News. Powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, the company's latest Android slate comes with 1GB of RAM and boasts a "generous" 10.1-inch display, with 1280 x 800 resolution. Available in either Titanium Gray or Metallic Red, the slate also features a two megapixel front facing camera and, as we observed earlier, comes packed with Acer Ring -- a multitasking manager that provides shortcuts to Google Maps, screenshot functions and other apps. Acer says it began shipping Honeycomb-laced models to select countries in November, but promises that an Ice Cream Sandwich version will be available worldwide in January (along with a free update for early buyers). No word yet on pricing or current availability, but you can find more information in the full press release, after the break.
Acer Iconia Tab A200 gets sentimental, strengthens families and makes video debut
Acer wants you to know that Apple doesn't have a monopoly on sappy tech commercials -- no Siri, Bob! The Taiwanese manufacturer wants to run with the big boys when it comes to overselling the emotional power of a gadget. Take, for instance, this promotional clip for the upcoming Iconia Tab A200. Yes, we understand that the 10-inch slate can play games and "share memories" but, what exactly Honeycomb has to do with creating family rituals or why you'd bring a tablet camping is lost on us. Sadly, the clip doesn't reveal too much about Acer's new slab. We can see that vanilla Android is out, simply by looking at the navigation icons, and there's a new feature called Acer Ring, which appears to be some sort of task manager with shortcuts to common tasks, like taking screenshots. It also appears to be sporting a full-sized USB port and a microSD slot but, otherwise, we've still got very little info on the spec front. Check out the video after the break. [Thanks, Manuel]
Acer Iconia Tab A200 leaves the FCC larger than expected
The consensus was that the Iconia Tab A200 would be the intermediate device 'twixt the 7-inch A100 and 10-inch A500 -- not so if the ruler-wavers at the FCC are doing their job properly. The schematic above shows a diagonal measurement of 29.6cm, around 11.65-inches. Given Acer's love of a thick bezel, it's safe to assume this will carry a 10-inch (or thereabouts) display. Now that it's been passed fit for human consumption (as much as you can with WiFi and Bluetooth, anyway), we should be hearing a lot more soon --including whether it'll be running Ice Cream Sandwich or disappointing us with yet more Honeycomb.
Acer's Iconia Tab A200 Honeycomb tablet emerges at Bluetooth SIG
Who's amped about another Honeycomb tablet? Go on, we'll wait for the hands to rise. All jesting aside, Acer's presumably forthcoming Iconia Tab A200 has just surfaced over at the Bluetooth SIG, where a filing has proved that a) Acer's new Honeycomb tablet will look pretty much like every other Honeycomb tablet we've seen, and b) it'll have Bluetooth and WiFi. Sadly, the rest of the details are still under wraps, but you can bet we'll be bringing 'em to you as soon as we hear more.
