Related
Good news everyone!
In an earlier thread (the [DEV] Recovery/Config thread), I mentioned that my company has a large corporate account with Acer and I was going to work my contacts to try and contact Acer and bring attention to the bootloader issue.
In my initial message to them, I informed them that Acer has a reputation of being "hostile" to the development community, reputations that the Xoom and the Transformer do not have. Specifically, I stated we needed the kernel source, which they're required to provide per the GPL, and for the bootloader to be unlocked so that we could load custom recovery and images. I told him that several people have stated they have returned the Iconia because it wasnt friendly for development, and that the developers and "power users" in this community have a vested interest in seeing development thrive and seeing the device succeed. I had two contacts with Acer I had hoped would garner a response.
Today, I received a response from one of those contacts, the Senior Product Manager of Notebooks, Tablets and Netbooks for Acer America.
While I can't post his contact information or the full text of his response (he was not empowered to speak publically on behalf of the company), he was able to share a bit of information with me that I can relay.
To summarize:
- Acer is aware of the community's reaction to the locked bootloader and unreleased kernel. They saw what went on with HTC's bootloader fiasco and they are now discussing their policy internally.
- They view the perception of the Iconia in the Android development and enthusiast community as very important.
- While he couldn't give me any specifics, he did reassure me that he is actively working with his team to find how quickly they can address the bootloader/kernel issues with the Iconia and what specific actions they would take.
So they are aware of the issue and they are working to correct it. He gave me both his work and personal contact information and he said he'd keep me posted of updates.
My personal guess is that there is more involved in the decision than just the Acer America team, but at least they're aware of the negative perception and they're taking steps to correct it.
I'll keep you all advised as I find out more, but I'm happy to see progress being made! There's still hope yet.
excellent, I believe there is an open petition thread (in general) that you may want to forward on to him, might give more ammo with the higher ups!
Good work my friend!
That's an encouraging response, kudos to Acer for hiring the guy. Too many times you get the basic canned response that goes something like "we know what we are doing, so suckit and deal with it". And good job, Fumetsu, on what sounds like a well thought out and worded request for info in the first place.
This give me hope that I'll be able to get flash-happy with my A500 in the future, even though I bought it knowing that I would probabaly be getting something else later in the year. Honeycomb just doesn't have all the dev potential that I've seen with my GTab, Nook, and Inspire...... but one can always dream.
Very good news indeed. I just want to be able to use stock Honeycomb, or Ice Cream Sandwich when that's available, without all the 'extra' software and apps that are generally unnecessary. From a business view it seems like they could have saved quite a bit of money and time if they had left the bootloader unlocked in the first place. All they would need to do is host their own update files online for people that want them and leave the rest to the Dev community. Just my thinking anyway. I feel like there is a large enough user base in the Android community that would justify an unlocked bootloader. I guess all we can do is wait and see what happens. =)
Nice. Thanks for your effort. Hope they do listen to Iconia users!!!
Enviado desde mi A500 usando XDA Premium App
Thanks all. Although he was light on specifics it was a very encouraging response. I just hope they move fast, the market is growing rapidly and dev interest can wane for the "next big thing " and Acer can find itself trailing in the market, even if it has better hardware and potential.
nice, let's keep our fingers crossed for this.
i hope that something will happen soon ...
Can you tell him to (cough) leak something (cough)?
I had the Acer Liquid and we used to get leaks like crazy. But nothing for the Iconia
Hello
Very good news, I hope it's not only a commercial response
@+
Where I come from we say:
Those who live in hope dies shi**ing ... :-D
But I also hope that bootloader will finally unlocked
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
acer driver page updated
On acers driver page they have in the last day or so added some content tabs. A place where os and updates will put available. So I do think they have some plans on atleast giving available to d/load recovery is and updates.I beloved this will come wyen or soon after they begin pushing 3.1 to our devices.everyone has spoken I think now its time tobsee if Acer comes thru.
Keeping gentle and responsible pressure in then not bashing and sending threats is prob best.
Just my two and ΒΌ pennies. Thanks all in the community
Blonde geeky chic
Erica renee
Pure speculation here... I think that I read somewhere that AT&T will be releasing an Acer Iconia Android a501 tab soon. Could that be why Acer has this policy? After all, AT&T is notorious about this sort of thing. My Atrix and I know this all to well.
My two cents:
1) it's really not a good idea to start of a conversation with someone you want to give you a welcoming response with "I informed them that Acer has a reputation of being hostile to the development community." You don't want to kiss their ass but you certainly don't want to tell a company that everyone hates them and then expect them to do something nice for you.
2) Market penetration versus market stability. Right now Acer has a product that is readily available. Reviews have been mixed. (I ignore the ones who ***** about weight because 0.2 ounce difference is two quarters and three dimes in weight. Grow a f*cking pair biceps, you wieners.) But CNET and all the other mainstream reviewers claim that an iPad (not iPad II) and the Asus Transformer are the better deals.
But let's be honest about the responses. Sure, iPad is a gimme because it's a hip, cultural thing. Just like telling some kid that Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is **** will not get them to change brands as long as it is perceived to be "cool." So forget the iPad. As for the Transformer? Sure you can have an unlocked bootlader and new snazzy 3.1 roms, but who besides the true fanboy has one of them? They won't have stock until October of this year, and then it will be newer more powerful models coming out. The majority of people have bought a computer (desktop) and a cellphone and that's as far as they go in tech. Sure you have an iPhone but do they really use it for computing and service? They load the apps that their kids told them to. Acer can fill this gap by doing one or two things in the immediate future that could lock them into a top spot: drop the price of A500 by $40 or, work with the telcos to build and ship the next gen, wireless tablet. They are not going to drop the price because the units are selling enough that some bean counter says it competes with the other tablets in the market. But this would be an issue if Asus had their **** together and had the Transformer in plenty of stock.
This is the reason for the locked bootlader. If companies plan to add wireless to the next gen (or rev) tablets, they will get a lot of attention from the telcos. The phone companies do not, I repeat, do not want unlimited broadband connectivity. These are the same people who still charge for cell-phone texts. Why? Because they can and they know people will go over limits. Limits and exceeding them rack in the dollars. And they have millions of dollars set aside to keep their limits (profits rolling in).
If the broadband wireless next version of the Acer is different enough in Honeycomb 3.1 than the A500, then they might release an unlocked profile for the small group of XDA developers and those that read this forum. For the general population (and the large amount of sales), telcos want locked systems so that metered broadband is the norm. But if there is any way of porting and unlocked A500 to the wireless model, I don't think they'll do it. Also, it shows good faith to the telcos that they are already in step with them about creating limits on the user base. The phone companies will show favor to locked systems over the others. And that's the second choice Acer already made.
look here and join as much as possibile!
http://www.facebook.com/?m2w#!/home.php?sk=group_149462058455870&ap=1
Cross the finger me too...
The_Monkey_King said:
My two cents:
1) it's really not a good idea to start of a conversation with someone you want to give you a welcoming response with "I informed them that Acer has a reputation of being hostile to the development community." You don't want to kiss their ass but you certainly don't want to tell a company that everyone hates them and then expect them to do something nice for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello!
Just to clarify, I didn't bash the Iconia or Acer itself, only that it is perceived as "hostile" to 3rd party developers. I actually took that "hostile" quote directly from a developer on these boards and compared development efforts with the Xoom and the Transformer. I made sure to stress that we have a vested interest in the success of 3rd party development on the Acer so that its perception as developer friendly in the community could be improved.
My initial contact and his response were cordial and respectful, so I don't believe he took it this way. I structured my contact with him stating that I felt the Iconia was a great product, had benefits the other Android tablets do not, has the distinction as of now being the fastest selling Android Honeycomb tablet, and that developers are eager to work with the device. He was quite clear that he valued the feedback and they wanted to and are working to address it.
We exchanged personal and business contact information so it was definitely a positive response.
mr.r9 said:
Can you tell him to (cough) leak something (cough)?
I had the Acer Liquid and we used to get leaks like crazy. But nothing for the Iconia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't want to risk his position within Acer by asking for a leak. I told him that I would redact his contact info and would not directly quote his response because he is a business contact for my company and I don't want to jeopardize that relationship or get him in trouble with the company. He was clear that they know it is an issue and that he personally was working with his team to find out the best way to resolve it in the quickest manner possible. Knowing how big corporations work, it's not up to one man or I believe even Acer America itself, but I surmise there are higher level talks going on. His team is directly responsible for product development of tablets and netbooks and I believe he is in a prime position to move Acer towards resolution.
diamond_cbr said:
Hello
Very good news, I hope it's not only a commercial response
@+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It definitely wasn't a canned commerical response that one would get from T1 Acer Tech Support. If it was something I felt was said just to placate me or was just a generic statement, I would not have bothered posting this to get everyone's hopes up. It really gave me encouragement that they do see this as an issue and that he does want to help.
The_Monkey_King said:
My two cents:
1) it's really not a good idea to start of a conversation with someone you want to give you a welcoming response with "I informed them that Acer has a reputation of being hostile to the development community." You don't want to kiss their ass but you certainly don't want to tell a company that everyone hates them and then expect them to do something nice for you.
2) Market penetration versus market stability. Right now Acer has a product that is readily available. Reviews have been mixed. (I ignore the ones who ***** about weight because 0.2 ounce difference is two quarters and three dimes in weight. Grow a f*cking pair biceps, you wieners.) But CNET and all the other mainstream reviewers claim that an iPad (not iPad II) and the Asus Transformer are the better deals.
But let's be honest about the responses. Sure, iPad is a gimme because it's a hip, cultural thing. Just like telling some kid that Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is **** will not get them to change brands as long as it is perceived to be "cool." So forget the iPad. As for the Transformer? Sure you can have an unlocked bootlader and new snazzy 3.1 roms, but who besides the true fanboy has one of them? They won't have stock until October of this year, and then it will be newer more powerful models coming out. The majority of people have bought a computer (desktop) and a cellphone and that's as far as they go in tech. Sure you have an iPhone but do they really use it for computing and service? They load the apps that their kids told them to. Acer can fill this gap by doing one or two things in the immediate future that could lock them into a top spot: drop the price of A500 by $40 or, work with the telcos to build and ship the next gen, wireless tablet. They are not going to drop the price because the units are selling enough that some bean counter says it competes with the other tablets in the market. But this would be an issue if Asus had their **** together and had the Transformer in plenty of stock.
This is the reason for the locked bootlader. If companies plan to add wireless to the next gen (or rev) tablets, they will get a lot of attention from the telcos. The phone companies do not, I repeat, do not want unlimited broadband connectivity. These are the same people who still charge for cell-phone texts. Why? Because they can and they know people will go over limits. Limits and exceeding them rack in the dollars. And they have millions of dollars set aside to keep their limits (profits rolling in).
If the broadband wireless next version of the Acer is different enough in Honeycomb 3.1 than the A500, then they might release an unlocked profile for the small group of XDA developers and those that read this forum. For the general population (and the large amount of sales), telcos want locked systems so that metered broadband is the norm. But if there is any way of porting and unlocked A500 to the wireless model, I don't think they'll do it. Also, it shows good faith to the telcos that they are already in step with them about creating limits on the user base. The phone companies will show favor to locked systems over the others. And that's the second choice Acer already made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't the Xoom went through the same thing regarding being released through a carrier with a catch of having to activated a plan? ... and later on got unlocked bootloader straight from MOTO ?
http://www.androidcentral.com/unlocking-motorola-xoom-bootloader-forums
Each ones has its own potential... yet ruined by marketing greed... ( carriers $$$ gouging ) ...etc... ^^$$$^^
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20029411-1.html
I'm an Iconian "TYPE A" BTW
could you please sign it/vote it ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102690
"Strength in ###"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...
Ask him why they haven't released the source yet, please.
To remain in compliance with the license, they'd have had to release it the same day as the bins. :|
I'm really starting to wish I waited for the transformer.
I've had the Asus Transformer since it was released and got the keyboard as well once it was available. I never really liked the way the Transformer looked with the bezel, and really found the extra keyboard kind of pointless. Anyways, yesterday I went to my local Staples and checked out the Iconia A500 and here are my thoughts, the build quality on the Acer is actually better than the Asus, I didn't care which one weighted more but screen quality was very important to me, luckily, the store had a Transformer on display as well and after some comparing I found the screens to really be on par and viewing angles/colours are just as good to the naked eye on the Acer as it is on the Asus. Overall though I thought the Acer Iconia A500 is a better choice than the Transformer if like me, you don't care for the keyboard. Aesthetically I like the way the Acer looks better and also feel that the build quality is a bit better with the Acer. So I ordered one from Staples and will be selling my Asus Transformer + Dock.
I'm just worried at the frequency of updates from Acer as I've owned other Acer products before and they are not the best when it comes to Support, as well it seems that development for the Transformer is moving a long faster than for the Iconia.
Acer is a directly partnered with Google while Asus is not, but Asus seems to be more community friendly.
jtheking said:
Acer is a directly partnered with Google while Asus is not, but Asus seems to be more community friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fairly certain your 100% wrong. at least on the "partnered with google" part.
http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html
janduin said:
fairly certain your 100% wrong. at least on the "partnered with google" part.
http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
under "handset manufactures" acer is on the top of the list.
(provided im reading and understanding this correctly)
eviltuna said:
...I found the screens to really be on par and viewing angles/colours are just as good to the naked eye on the Acer as it is on the Asus. ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find a Transformer to compare the screens anywhere. I noticed the Acer's screen is kinda washed out or muddy looking. How did you see the blacks and contrast between the two?
gh123man said:
under "handset manufactures" acer is on the top of the list.
(provided im reading and understanding this correctly)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you miss the point - both Acer and Asus are on that list, hence both are partner with Google (at least for handsets as it says nothing about Tablets).
Regards,
Dave
gh123man said:
under "handset manufactures" acer is on the top of the list.
(provided im reading and understanding this correctly)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
acer is at the top of the list, because the list is in alphabetical order. not because they have any preferential treatment or are more "in with google" than any other member of the OHA
true, that technically is for "cell phones" but thats all android was originally for.
i havent been able to see anything anywhere about tablet manufacturers specifically =\
foxmeister said:
I think you miss the point - both Acer and Asus are on that list, hence both are partner with Google (at least for handsets as it says nothing about Tablets).
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony and Samsung are also partners, and we know how fast they roll out their updates right?
Needa916 said:
I can't find a Transformer to compare the screens anywhere. I noticed the Acer's screen is kinda washed out or muddy looking. How did you see the blacks and contrast between the two?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't really look at the blacks I was more comparing viewing angles and colour reproduction and like I said, I can't see much of a difference between the two tablets. To be honest I didn't really care much for how real the blacks are as this was mainly a gaming/surfing tablet and wont be used to watch a lot of movies, I much rather enjoy watching movies on my 60" TV. Build quality wise the transformer just felt so cheap after holding the Iconia, I also really don't like the power button on my Transformer cause sometimes it takes me a couple presses for it to be recognized, while the power button on the Iconia feels a lot more precise and feels like it will last. Basicly just small annoyances with the Asus, and since the hardware is almost identical as well as software, I really think it comes down to if you need the dock or not, if you don't then by all means go for the Acer, I also got the Acer for a very nice price as well $429.99 for the 32GB version so that was a major plus.
Thanks for your comparison. How did you get the 32GB version at that price? That is a great price.
jtheking said:
Acer is a directly partnered with Google while Asus is not, but Asus seems to be more community friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's sort of an apples vs. oranges comparison.
Both are Google partners, but this has nothing to do with how frequently they get updates. The oha is an alliance of Google partners which simply means they officially get Googles android 'code', open or not and Android is built with these companies devices/components/drivers built in.
Those NOT in the alliance must wait on public code (example, viewsonic, etc.).
Regarding updates, recently, Google is encouraging an 18 month update pledge which from what I've read isn't 100% clear, not to me anyway. The pledge seems to be more focussed on handsets, not tablets per se, and really is just a 'best practices' scenario which they are trying to push throughout the collective that is the oha, and while the oha does include tablet makers Acer, Asus, Dell, Toshiba, Samsung, etc. it doesn't mean it applies to tablets since they all do/will also make handsets. Assuming Google DOES intend for it to apply to tablets, that still doesn't guarantee a thing because getting different partners to follow any kind of a timeline just isn't feasible, not even if perks are on the menu.
We can only hope that each company sees fit to adhere to a best practices scenario, spurred maybe by customer 'preference' for/toward those companies who do issue updates on a more frequent and timely basis. For example, the whole Samsung debacle where the carrier Galaxy S phones weren't updating until months after promised caused fallout with many customers - then what happened? Samsung now seems to be the first to update their phones with new firmware, even doing it through Kies (vs. the carriers) and in response, seem to be the hot sellers of the Android smartphone market right now with millions sold in weeks. Likewise, Asus and Motorola are showing that they are on the ball with updates, more than likely in order to entice customers to feel 'safe' with investing in their brands.
I don't expect Acer to let us down....not especially since they seem to be in it for the long haul.
Neoprimal said:
Those NOT in the alliance must wait on public code (example, viewsonic, etc.).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so sure about that.
Viewsonic say they will be first to market with a 7" Honeycomb tablet, and there is no public Honeycomb source code.
Regards,
Dave
Do you see the huge difference in viewing counts between SGT 10.1 and Asus transformer in forums? Although SGT is a better product it seems that Transformer is more popular. I wonder why.
I'm sure it is the fact that the dock and sd support right out of the gate had something to do with it. Not to mention that a lot of folks already had experience with eee products and people tend to lean toward more comfortable environments when given options. I swore off Asus after my last few laptops. Their quality dropped off and the screens were the worst I had had in years. Bad screen=bad experience for me.
Price. Solid tablet.
peare said:
Do you see the huge difference in viewing counts between SGT 10.1 and Asus transformer in forums? Although SGT is a better product it seems that Transformer is more popular. I wonder why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say the Sgt is a better product, just a different product. The Sgt is a tablet in it's purest form, whereas the Transformer is more of a hybrid between a tablet/netbook. Your requirements will determine is the best product for your needs.
Regards,
Dave
Transformer has been out a lot longer.
Also initially it's a lot more tempting. $100 cheaper tempts a lot of people, not many have seen the build quality reviews, nor have they seen that Asus is heavily backordered on all accessories, even simple critical stuff like sync/charge cables. Lose/damage your cable and you're screwed.
Samsung has the same proprietary cable problem as Asus, but at least there is availability of replacements, not just from Samsung but from third parties.
This was the main reason that drove me away from the Transformer.
Aaron636r said:
Price. Solid tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, cheaper product in more hands
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium App
Lets not forget that the Tab 10.1 isn't even available in all markets yet either (it's still a month off for Canada, for instance).
Look at it this way... People come to forums primarily to complain and get solutions to problems. If they're getting more posts it may not be a good thing.
TabGuy said:
Look at it this way... People come to forums primarily to complain and get solutions to problems. If they're getting more posts it may not be a good thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on this. I hate to say it, but that's what brought me back here. It had been so long since I had posted in the forum I couldn't rememer my account password. I had to open a new one. It's all good. I needed to be more social. I usually just get the info I need without posting. Plenty of people asking the same questions more than once on these forums. Hence the read forums only on my part. That and I can come across rather harsh sometimes so, i keep it to myself. But, over the years I have learned more people generally mean more problems.
T120ted said:
But, over the years I have learned more people generally mean more problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's only partially true though - more people often also means more popular/widespread too. If it didn't, by post count alone, the Huawei Ideos X7, Notion Ink Adam, and Advent Vega would clearly be the tablets with the least issues!
Regards,
Dave
Another factor is that many generic Android questions get answered in the earlier forums and become more device specific in the newer (latest device) forums.
Ok, so its a new thread about my ups and downs with the Transformer.. I wanted to crystallise a few thoughts about it though because its easy to pick up on the negativity and although I've posted about the positive things in the past, my most recent experience has put things into perspective quite interestingly.. so first..
The cons..
** Asus should've been a lot clearer on their communication regarding the dock battery drain issue for earlier models. If it weren't for the good people here on XDA and an eventual communication from Asus here, a lot of people would still be scratching their heads about this problem, how to solve it and even if it would ever be solved.. and lets not forget Joe Average who probably doesn't even know a genuine problem exists, save for the fact his tablet+dock aren't performing they way he probably expects (i.e. superior battery life when used together etc.)
** The early adopters from the ILoveKeyboard promotion should've been contacted (as someone quite rightly posted previously). Of course there's no obligation to, but it would've been great PR and a missed opportunity if we had been notified..
** Build quality has been questionable. Personally, I've found it to be more than adequate but I know it's affected a lot of people and it sucks.. In truth though, I guess this can happen to any mass market device (IPad 2 lightbleed anyone?)
** Awkward RMA process (i.e. Restrictions/issues with the web form, ambiguity about whether both tablet AND dock need to be returned etc.)
From reading here on XDA I know there are a tonne of other issues that when combined could paint a pretty bleak picture but what consumer electronics device isn't plagued by one issue or another? For me its about perspective and perhaps a bit of luck that I've not had any major issues to contend with. I do respect that we shouldn't have to be lucky when purchasing our tech, but there's always an element of risk whether its made by Asus, Apple, Motorola or whoever..
The pros...
** Software updates. Asus have really done us proud here! Its only after getting some privilaged info about how tardy other vendors have been with their updates (depending on your region) that I'm beginning to appreciate how lucky we've been with the updates.. both Asus' own firmware fixes and Honeycomb increments from 3.0.1 through to 3.2
** Dock RMA. For me, the process was quick and painless and I'm now the proud owner of the device I thought it would be when I bought it. I totally respect that many others haven't had quite the same experience (damaged returned units, paying for shipping, delays etc.) but at least in the UK/Europe its been pretty damned good!
**Community. It sounds silly, but we're building an excellent community here. From guys like Flexer and others who made battery widgets to the efforts of Stuntdouble and others who help keep the flow of information going! All these little things smooth the bumps and IMHO have really added to the experience of enjoying what is by no means a trivial bit of hardware.
Sure, I'd like to say to people weighing up iOS vs Android before they make their purchases that they shouldn't have to rely on a resource like XDA to keep them in the loop.. but I bet there are just as many "average" users scratching their heads about the vaguaries of iOS despite the fact its supposed to "just work".. with the flexibility we enjoy with our transformers also comes a little bit of effort on our part and XDA sweetens the deal that bit more
So there it is.. just my t'uppence 'orth. I'm still loving my transformer as much as the day I got it. The updates have improved things no end, the number of quality apps is improving all the time and the fixed dock gives me a tablet device unlike anything out there..
Happy days
Just a small paragraph to say I'm pretty pleased with this tablet and honeycomb development.
As an early buyer of this tablet ( from the first day in Best Buy in NYC) and having sort the problems of 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2 releases, I'm happy with the way this is working out.
Acer Iconia is a great tablet and it has been selled by far over Acer expectations. Now it is getting ATT selling it on contract.
As I see this in a very optimistic way, the more the merrier as Acer should respond to their clients and provide updates and improvements for us.
That's all for now...just a happy dude with his happy tablet ( by the way, my notebook has become a real dust buster as I have no longer use for it at home)
As a suggestion for the elder....please install mame emulator, download some roms, plug in your Xbox controller and have an excellent time!
Bye
Enviado desde mi A500 usando XDA Premium App
Yep. I'm a very happy owner too and thankfully didn't have any of the issues that others did off and on. This was my first Acer product, but it won't be my last.
Being an apple fanboy I was presented with the dillema of the Acer a500 or an ipad2. Having owned every iPhone from day one it made this choice much more diffifuclt than I originally thought. I spent about a week just reading comparison reviews and alot of them had many complaints about the Acer and not many complaints about the I pad. I've messed around with the ipad2 and I am extremely efficient/familiar with the ios system. Having worked as a regional manager for a T-Mobile dealer I was one of the first people to own the T-Mobile G1 and even had the very first review on the front page of wired and androidcommunity (Google kaziko android g1 wired). This had me familiar with android and so when it came down to choosing between the two, it was about hardware. After realizing the potential of the Acer a500's hardware ESP the full size USB port that is fully functional and the 100% mirrored HDMI out built in, I decided on the Acer. I must say its one of the best decisions I have made in the past years as far as technology. I have only been disappointed by the lack of apps in the market that are fully compatible with my tablet, but this is a problem that is temporary and not really a reflection of the device itself. This tablet is fast, responsive, fully featured and IMO it is an iPad1,2 killer. I also saved myself about $300 which I can use for other things now which is always a plus. If anyone is considering an ipad1,2 over this device, I advise you to take a deeper look. At half the cost and twice the capability its a no brainer that the Acer Iconia A500 is simply the better choice and will continue to prove itself as Honeycomb devlops and developers increase the amount of honeycomb compatible apps in the market
Sent from my A500 using xda premium
Being stuck in a country where the tech is very limited. I made my decision on impulse and availability. I am happy that I did however, very happy with it. Only tiniest issue is the weight. It does get to feel heavy after long periods of use but with the price and the ports, it more than makes up for it.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I just picked up a 16gb acer Iconia today and I've gotta say it has blown me away, it does everything I hope a tablet could as well as a usb port "yesss"
I did some serious looking around before picking it up, it's main competitor was the Galaxy tab and Transformer but those tablets lack in the port department which was my main deciding factor.
Acer does not disappoint.
For $299 it was a no brainer for me. I like Android and the full size usb was a nice addition to an already nice tablet. I too would like more tablet apps for honeycomb but as the market picks up for honeycomb I am sure we will see more just like Android.