Database Users

Own Asus TF Getting Iconia A500

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.
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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
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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. ...
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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)
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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)
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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
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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?
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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.
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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.).
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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

3.2 postponed again, won't come on September 10th

From Acer Malaysia:
We know a number of you in Malaysia are waiting for the A500 Honeycomb 3.2 OTA which we said will be out on 10 Sep 2011. We would like to inform you in advance that we have received communications that the patch will not be out on this date. We know you are disappointed and angry, and we truly apologize. We are equally disappointed and hope to resolve this issue as soon as possible. We do not want to promise another date as this matter is beyond our control. However, our target is to resolve this as quickly as we can. We hope for your kind understanding. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Acer Malaysia
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lol, glad I flashed Taboonay 2.0 after the first delay.

prophetic said:
lol, glad I flashed Taboonay 2.0 after the first delay.
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isn't the only real advantage to 3.2 is just the fact that tablet unfriendly apps can be stretched to full screen?

JiggaGeazY said:
isn't the only real advantage to 3.2 is just the fact that tablet unfriendly apps can be stretched to full screen?
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I believe so, but I like Richardtrip's kernel. And it hasn't been available for 3.0/3.1 for a couple weeks now.

prophetic said:
I believe so, but I like Richardtrip's kernel. And it hasn't been available for 3.0/3.1 for a couple weeks now.
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I'm running Virtuous Picasso 1.1.0 and loving it. Haven't tried anything else though so........LOL but i either find that our tablet doesn't support the game I want to play on it or it does just fine. I haven't found a app yet that only plays small.

well that answers my question. I was going to go post a topic asking if 3.2 was stable and safe to update to, as I thought it had been released a week or so ago.
I'd really love them to fix this damn wifi problme that started with the 3.1 update, come on Acer, get it together. none of the other tabs have this problem.....

I've got the Acer 7" A100 with 3.2 on it. Can't figure out why it is taking Acer so long to get 3.2 running on the A500 given that other than size these tablets have nearly identical hardware. Kind of hoping they'll throw in some really useful apps to make their take on 3.2 unique. Personally loving the Planner app on the A100.

4dthinker said:
I've got the Acer 7" A100 with 3.2 on it. Can't figure out why it is taking Acer so long to get 3.2 running on the A500 given that other than size these tablets have nearly identical hardware. Kind of hoping they'll throw in some really useful apps to make their take on 3.2 unique. Personally loving the Planner app on the A100.
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It took Acer months to figure out that they should not post a date for an update and you expect them to get something technical right the first, second or third time?
Actually I really like my Iconia A500 and think so far they have done a nice job on it.

I'm not disappointed with my A500, but I'd love a company to promise an update date and then surprise us with an early release. Don't know what the cost of releasing an update is, but don't see why we couldn't get any bugs found in a major release fixed in a minor release pushed when they were fixed.

I hope they fix the music pausing on sleep (when you turn your screen off with music playing after the song is done it will wait an incredibly long time to start the next song if it does at all)

OK, I sorta lost my faith with Acer on this problem. If I can get a cheap touchPad, this tab is going back.

ctiger said:
OK, I sorta lost my faith with Acer on this problem. If I can get a cheap touchPad, this tab is going back.
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That's funny. You're going to ditch a tablet that has mixed manufacturer updates to one that will have none. I think I just laughed myself a hernia.

michaelh99 said:
That's funny. You're going to ditch a tablet that has mixed manufacturer updates to one that will have none. I think I just laughed myself a hernia.
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I can't get one for $100 or $150, and I spent $380 for my 32GB A500, which is a good price, but, compare to $100, or $150, that's too much. If I get my A500 for $150, I don't care if they will update me ever or not after all, forever. They can tell me, here's your tab, and we will go under tomorrow, and I'll say, great, here's my $150 and farewell. But for $380, they'd better get their ass together and get me updated. The TouchPad is using a 1.2GHz duo-core.

ctiger said:
I can't get one for $100 or $150, and I spent $380 for my 32GB A500, which is a good price, but, compare to $100, or $150, that's too much. If I get my A500 for $150, I don't care if they will update me ever or not after all, forever. They can tell me, here's your tab, and we will go under tomorrow, and I'll say, great, here's my $150 and farewell. But for $380, they'd better get their ass together and get me updated. The TouchPad is using a 1.2GHz duo-core.
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You paid your money for your tab as it was when you bought it. Acer are under NO contractual obligation to provide you with updates.

FloatingFatMan said:
You paid your money for your tab as it was when you bought it. Acer are under NO contractual obligation to provide you with updates.
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But is under contractual obligation with Open Handset Alliance
Inviato dal mio A501 usando Tapatalk

FloatingFatMan said:
You paid your money for your tab as it was when you bought it. Acer are under NO contractual obligation to provide you with updates.
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I totally understand that and agree with you, only I have a 90 day return window that I can return it to the retailer where I bought. But I understand Acer has no obligation of update the software, just for their business future, this is a good way to show their engagement and faith of their product and their loyal customers, and get them a better chance later on. It is a extremely targeted advertisement that will be most cost efficient to my understanding.

This is probably why Acer America announced mid september and onward, Looks like we will get it first in the states over everyone else around world!

There are 2 apps i wish they would include that can make it complete. 1. Splashtop or Logmein 2. Full document editor. If even one of the two is included I would be happy.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

FloatingFatMan said:
You paid your money for your tab as it was when you bought it. Acer are under NO contractual obligation to provide you with updates.
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Click to collapse
I paid my money for a TAB with certain advertized features. They take my money, they better deliver. Acer IS under contractual obligation to provide me with a working product. Currently, my WIFI is very weak, my GPS doesn't work, and I get constant Forced Closures when I select one of the Acer provided desktop icons. The 3.2 update is supposed to fix those. No update, no fix, then I want my money back.

i just want my internal memory to be used as such and same with my sdcard. I dont want everything using my internal "virtual sdcard" and having to manually copy everything to the REAL sdcard. Which doesnt solve everything because some apps cant be told to use different storage locations. So they use what they think is removeable storage when its actually internal memory. This isnt Acers fault, this is a Honeycomb issue that still exists with 3.2

Is the A500 really discontinued??????????

I usually look at all the tablets at electronic stores and the last 1-2 weeks I have not seen 1 on display.
Fry's no longer have them on display. Staples and HH Gregg used to have a power display and neither are displaying them also.
Wonder if Acer is just getting ready for the next versions.

I would guess they are clearing them out in hopes of replacing them with ICS versions.
Just my guess, but a lot, I mean a LOT of tablets are at 'fire sale' prices.
Then you got tablets like the Kindle Fire out there that are really cheap.
Now for a look into my Crystal ball, I see data moving to the Cloud. Tablets getting cheaper and cheaper. Apps and the Cloud growing to the point hardware is irrelevant. Tablets will become disposable just like a disposable camera, what's import is the apps and data are on the Cloud.
Now; fast forward 10 years. Everyone will have a data profile that is their personal space. This personal space, is maintained in cyberspace (the cloud or call it skynet ). The Cloud is world wide and can be accessed from just about anywhere on the planet using wireless G5 (huge fast bandwidth). Your phone, your car, your PC, your tablet, your TV all are just vehicles to access your personal cloud. You loose your phone or drop it in the toilet, no big deal. You just turn on your TV and all your data is there, even the email you were in the process of typing when your phone fell in the toilet.
TD

Nice. I hope it's not G5 but instead WiDi or WiMax that takes over. No more phone numbers, data/text caps, and convert voice to voip. Oh and free would be nice too.

antonio8 said:
I usually look at all the tablets at electronic stores and the last 1-2 weeks I have not seen 1 on display.
Fry's no longer have them on display. Staples and HH Gregg used to have a power display and neither are displaying them also.
Wonder if Acer is just getting ready for the next versions.
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Click to collapse
I was in 2 best buys today they are all sold out. Crazy.
Sent from my A100 using Tapatalk

Definitely a firesale going on, as tablets move to ICS.
The A500 might also be moving away to be replaced by the equivalent A200.
To give you an idea of the value some stores are giving, I've just ordered my A500, which was the 64GB Unit, for $399 CAN. Which is crazy considering a few weeks ago you'd be paying that for the 8GB or 16GB models.

mswirski said:
Definitely a firesale going on, as tablets move to ICS.
The A500 might also be moving away to be replaced by the equivalent A200.
To give you an idea of the value some stores are giving, I've just ordered my A500, which was the 64GB Unit, for $399 CAN. Which is crazy considering a few weeks ago you'd be paying that for the 8GB or 16GB models.
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Seems to be the trend. Everyone is gearing up new models for ICS and some are offering them with HC saying ICS ready.
However, I caution everyone on ICS. The architecture is totally different and early hardware along with older hardware will have issues. Does anyone remember buying a computer that had Windows 3.1 but was Windows 98 compatible? Or a Windows 98 computer that was Windows XP compatible? These usually don't offer the performance you'll get if you just wait a few months and many really had serious issues.
So, take advantage of the 'fire sale' going on now and you'll get a great tablet with HC that you can use for a long time. Well, at least long enough to wait for vendors to release ICS and work out the bugs.
TD

timmyDean said:
Seems to be the trend. Everyone is gearing up new models for ICS and some are offering them with HC saying ICS ready.
However, I caution everyone on ICS. The architecture is totally different and early hardware along with older hardware will have issues. Does anyone remember buying a computer that had Windows 3.1 but was Windows 98 compatible? Or a Windows 98 computer that was Windows XP compatible? These usually don't offer the performance you'll get if you just wait a few months and many really had serious issues.
So, take advantage of the 'fire sale' going on now and you'll get a great tablet with HC that you can use for a long time. Well, at least long enough to wait for vendors to release ICS and work out the bugs.
TD
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This and more of this. People try to buy products that will encourage capability of upgrading, but little do they know, their device will run it very slug like and could frustrate them more than the previous version they had installed.

I picked mine up for $280 with free shipping and no tax. I couldn't be happier with it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

timmyDean said:
Seems to be the trend. Everyone is gearing up new models for ICS and some are offering them with HC saying ICS ready.
However, I caution everyone on ICS. The architecture is totally different and early hardware along with older hardware will have issues.
TD
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I wonder what makes you think ICS is "totally different" from 2.x or 3.x ?
My understanding is that it is really isn't changing very much of the honeycomb base for tablets, and is instead just merging that with 2.x style support for phones.
In other words, the only growing pains should be the time it takes apps to develop proper ICS apps that adjust based on tablet vs phone. But there shouldn't be any problems running ICS on our hardware, given that it's basically 3.x.
Is there something I missed?

The A500 is going to be replaced by Acer’s A700 Tablet Detailed: Quad-Core Tegra 3 SoC and 1920x1200 Screen. Just do a search on the web for A700

The lifetime of these products is going to be similar to those of cell phones which is 6 months to a year. Maybe a bit longer.
The business model is all about turnaround, planned obsolescence, consumers buying the next hot product, upgrading at every turn, etc. Just look at some of the signatures everyone has with several models of phones, tablets, etc. listed. Seems the economy is tanked yet everyone is buying electronic products at a furious rate (gotta have priorities).
The A500 is not immune to this paradigm.

speeddaddy said:
The A500 is going to be replaced by Acer’s A700 Tablet Detailed: Quad-Core Tegra 3 SoC and 1920x1200 Screen. Just do a search on the web for A700
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I tried to tell you lot about this a couple of months ago when my sister inlaw(acer employee) told me about a completely new tablet coming out

mswirski said:
I wonder what makes you think ICS is "totally different" from 2.x or 3.x ?
My understanding is that it is really isn't changing very much of the honeycomb base for tablets, and is instead just merging that with 2.x style support for phones.
In other words, the only growing pains should be the time it takes apps to develop proper ICS apps that adjust based on tablet vs phone. But there shouldn't be any problems running ICS on our hardware, given that it's basically 3.x.
Is there something I missed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically put, ICS has a series of new API's that require more horsepower to run. Running this on a earlier version of chip sets not designed for ICS will be sluggish.
Like I've said, I've been using ICS for over 3 months and it runs like a dog on older equipment. Half the time you think it's hung or locked up.
TD
---------- Post added at 07:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 PM ----------
irishmoe said:
I tried to tell you lot about this a couple of months ago when my sister inlaw(acer employee) told me about a completely new tablet coming out
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Exactly, follow the money. There is NO money in it. The margins are too tight to spend money and resources on something you've already been paid for. You might not like it, I don't like paying baggage fees at Airports either, but that's the market place.
If you have ever listened to JT (CEO) at ACER and his vision, you'll see exactly what he has told every employee. That ACER's life cycle is 6 months. They plan and build on replacing hardware constantly improving and encouraging customers to upgrade. The second thing, that comes out through him, is the need for ACER to make money on services, the Cloud, and software. Look around and you will see a lot of the tablet MFG's doing the same thing (just like bag fees at airports) they are all doing it.
TD

Did anyone think since it is the holiday season that may be why they are sold out?
Perhaps Acer did not make enough to keep them in supply or the stores did not order enough.
I doubt they would stop selling just because ICS may be an update.
And I doubt they would stop making the 500 until the 700 is close to being available.
But then it is Acer we are talking about and who knows what their thinking is.

frankws said:
Did anyone think since it is the holiday season that may be why they are sold out?
Perhaps Acer did not make enough to keep them in supply or the stores did not order enough.
I doubt they would stop selling just because ICS may be an update.
And I doubt they would stop making the 500 until the 700 is close to being available.
But then it is Acer we are talking about and who knows what their thinking is.
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Click to collapse
Demand is high and they probably did not make enough. But, they also cut back on the A500 production numbers too. So you're probably looking at several reasons. However, the a500, according to ACER personnel has been added to their twilight list. Not sure it twilighted items are 6, 9, or 12 months. It use to mean 12 months with production runs dropping each month after 6.
TD

I can confirm that they are officially discontinued at Best Buy. They will no longer receive any from Acer. Of course there are some stocks at some stores an distribution centers but once they are gone they are gone.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

cbradberry said:
I picked mine up for $280 with free shipping and no tax. I couldn't be happier with it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
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Where, if you don't mind me asking?
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

Discontinued.
Does this mean I have to give up my tablet..Please don't make erica sad. Don't make me cry.
Acer will continue support or will loose so many customers they will be out of business.

timmyDean said:
Basically put, ICS has a series of new API's that require more horsepower to run. Running this on a earlier version of chip sets not designed for ICS will be sluggish.
Like I've said, I've been using ICS for over 3 months and it runs like a dog on older equipment. Half the time you think it's hung or locked up.
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Click to collapse
I have to disagree with the statement that ics runs poorly on older devices. I've been running ics without any issues on first generation samsung galaxy s variant for the past couple of months. the speed is one of the main positives with the ics rom. I don't see why a tegra2 based 1gig memory iconia a500 wouldn't be an excellent hardware to go along with ics.

durango99 said:
I have to disagree with the statement that ics runs poorly on older devices. I've been running ics without any issues on first generation samsung galaxy s variant for the past couple of months. the speed is one of the main positives with the ics rom. I don't see why a tegra2 based 1gig memory iconia a500 wouldn't be an excellent hardware to go along with ics.
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Click to collapse
i loaded ICS on my Captivate the other day, and I noticed the same thing. If a single core 1Ghz phone with 512mb ram can run it smoothly, why can't a dual core with 1Gb?
The only official specs I can find is that it will be of similar requirements to honeycomb, with a minimum of 512mb ram.

Acer Quality

I don't know if anybody here has heard, but Acer just teased a new tablet, amazing sounding one, to say the least, and I was just wondering everybody's opinion of Acer's build quality, and how well they update their devices currently, and just the overall performance that you get out of this tablet.
Here's the article for anyone who wanted to see:
http://www.phonedog.com/2012/01/08/acer-shows-new-iconia-tab-with-quad-core-processor-1080p-display/
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App

Oh my! as much as I don't want to spend more money, I might need to THIS LOOKS TO BE QUITE AN UPGRADE ..
To answer your question Acer has good quality for the bucks in your bank. I like Acer as this is my fist Acer product matter in fact the only complaint I have is the microphone it stinks.. but if they have fixed that which I'm sure they have ill be sure to pick this up!
Thanks for the link!
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

Mic isn't bad at all, just not very loud... Some voice chat programs (including skype and gtalk, unfortunately) mess things up, though, giving you weird background noises (not on all devices, though, it works for me). Other than that, the Acer devices are very well worth their money.

username235 said:
I don't know if anybody here has heard, but Acer just teased a new tablet, amazing sounding one, to say the least, and I was just wondering everybody's opinion of Acer's build quality, and how well they update their devices currently, and just the overall performance that you get out of this tablet.
Here's the article for anyone who wanted to see:
http://www.phonedog.com/2012/01/08/acer-shows-new-iconia-tab-with-quad-core-processor-1080p-display/
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App
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Click to collapse
If you Google Acer A700 you'll see that the specs on that tab have been out for awhile. I'll be waiting to see if Acer delivers ICS to this tab first. If they drop support on this tab, there's no way in h3ll I'll be purchasing another Acer tab. If they do give us ICS on our tabs, I'll be grabbing the A700, as it seems it's going to be the best "bang for the buck" among the 2012 tabs

kjy2010 said:
If you Google Acer A700 you'll see that the specs on that tab have been out for awhile. I'll be waiting to see if Acer delivers ICS to this tab first. If they drop support on this tab, there's no way in h3ll I'll be purchasing another Acer tab. If they do give us ICS on our tabs, I'll be grabbing the A700, as it seems it's going to be the best "bang for the buck" among the 2012 tabs
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I agree 120% with this .. I have a birthday coming in MAY .. Giggles..
if my a500 does not get the support it should.. i might just wait and get a win 8 arm tablet.. and Dual Boot it .but there is always battery issues with windows . we will see what the tech word brings us in 2012.. for now my a 500 meets all the HAVE to have needs.. as if i really NEED a tablet.

Acer always seems to be giving the best bang for your buck, whether it is laptops or not tablets.
One gripe I have against acer is their bloatware. Some may like it but others (like myself) can't stand it.
Also keep in mind that acer is releasing the A200 soon. It's pretty much the same spec wise as the A500 but apparently has no rear facing camera. The pricing looks quite attractive though. I'm still happy with my A500. I actually have no desire to replace it with something newer and better, and I usually drool over the latest and greatest in technology.

I've had an a500 since november and the build quality is great. They have been providing adequate updates so far, and I expect them to provide ICS, but we will see.
Ive been wanting to get a second tablet bc my daughter always has this one and wouldn't hesitate to buy another acer.

Other than build quality ill be looking at development on market app as well as on xda
Gameloft and other game developers choose a500 as a flag ship for development another reason I choose this tablet over Asus, Samsung, and Mototrola. I contacted Gameloft before I picked up a 10.1 tablet around September and asked them what tablet to pick up they told me Acer Iconia because Acer has been the only company that was helping them out the most with developmental needs.. so of course when I went to best buy they were out of a500s and I had 300 bucks from trading in my Droid incredible and I didn't want to wait so I picked up the thrive because of the nice stuff included with it.. but ended up having nothing as far as xda & others so picked up tf101 loved it but it kept slipping out of my hands.. lol so bestbuy finally called me to tell me the Acer was in so I picked it up answer fell in love with it. So that my awesome story and we lived happily ever after
So I will most likely pick up Acer if top devs do aswell.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the replies guys! I still have plenty of time to think this over. Acer is definitely a huge choice now though, and I like this community, way friendlier than the original Asus Transformer. Back before the Prime came out, I made a thread like this, asking about Asus and what to expect in the tablets, and it was immediately hostile responses. Terrible, but glad I didn't have enough to buy that Prime, so much bad reports about it. My choices are now this A700, thanks to your responses and some research, and the Asus TF700T.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App

Oh, also something else, is Acer good with the bootloader? Like is it locked, or is it somewhat easy to root? Not a big deal, but just curious
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App

Lol your welcome too root is simple as long as u dont update u will just install an app that do it 4 you but if you dont know much about rooting you better search thses forums
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using Tapatalk

The Acer bootloader does some checksumming and stuff that makes rooting hard on the newer FWs, but there's a rooting method around that works (downgrading isn't much of a problem). As has been said, just use the search.

Alright, I was just wondering though, different company's products usually have completely different rooting methods than others; I've only ever rooted all my HTC phones, but thanks.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App

Just thought some would find this info helpful..
UPDATE: Looks like this is indeed the A700. The folks at The Verge managed to find the new Iconia Tab lounging around in Vegas and discovered that it's packing a 1.3GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, as well as the aforementioned 1080p display. It's also got Bluetooth support, a microSD card slot, and an HDMI port. As far as release details go, the A700 is said to be landing sometime in the second quarter, but no other specific launch information is known just yet.

ICS expected by April now?

According to Acer ANZ's Facebook page, the a500 is now scheduled to get the ICS update by April 2012 as opposed to the former January expectation.
I suppose this is better than not getting it at all
Hopefully, someone will have a fully functioning build sooner than Acer does!
The Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/AcerANZ
Also, attached a picture of the comment.

I'm guessing ANZ stands for Australia-New Zealand? If so, then the same applies for India too.

If you look again, ACER ANZ have removed their comment. This can only mean 1 thing; that they were wrong/didn't know the actual date.

It will come when it comes. At least Acer is a lot faster than Samsung when it comes to software updates, especially to its "lesser known" devices........
If you are dying to get ICS there is a ROM for it over at tegra owners. Almost everything is working except for the camera. You do so at your own risk though.

masands said:
If you look again, ACER ANZ have removed their comment. This can only mean 1 thing; that they were wrong/didn't know the actual date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I don't know about it only meaning that.. Maybe the guy's boss found out that he spilled the beans and demanded he take it down...
Anyway, we all hope he was full of it and Acer Poland was right with January. But like I said, better April than never.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

January would be good,Feb. Is OK, April is along way off. I just hope we get it.Just got a survey from Acerasking how I liked A500, responded that they should make sure that an OTA update to ICS comes soon, said that alot of people on xda developers and other Acer and android sites expect it and will be pi**ed with Acer if it doesn't come soon.I know this would be my last Acer product if it does not happen.
Wayne

Actually, let me clear up some of the confusion. The February-April ICS date mentioned was ICS estimated release for ACER's new hardware. For example, if you buy an a200 they will tell you to look for ICS starting in February as an OTA.
Again, everyone needs to watch actually what ACER is actually saying. Because they are releasing new hardware (really nice what I saw at CES) with HC, it is nuking up the waters. I stood there at CES and watched a person come up and ask 'when we getting ICS?' and they replied starting in Feb. But, when I asked the salesman, are you saying we're getting ICS on the a500, starting in Feb? The sales person said, no. That this was for these new tablets they're releasing now with HC. But, the person asking had already walked away assuming they were talking about all tablets with HC.
So a lot of people are taking this as ACER saying older equipment will also be getting the ICS OTA. This is not clear, nor has it been clear when we've talked to ACER directly. It really depends on which way the wind blows. They told the 'suits' here that it wasn't then was, and then it wasn't. So, maybe you have to drink more to understand it <lol>.
So, if you want ICS then load a custom ROM that already has it. You can always flash back if and when they release it.
TD

If it takes Acer until April to get ICS to the A500, I'll be buying anything BUT an Acer that is out with Teg3 and ICS.
Scr3w that!

kjy2010 said:
If it takes Acer until April to get ICS to the A500, I'll be buying anything BUT an Acer that is out with Teg3 and ICS.
Scr3w that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'm with you too. CES had some really, really, really nice Teg3 ones and NO LOCKED bootloader.

Yeah... hoping I didn't get screwed over for the second time; once by motorola and now soon* by acer. I still believe in you acer!

timmyDean said:
I think I'm with you too. CES had some really, really, really nice Teg3 ones and NO LOCKED bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont forget that the a500 didnt ship with a locked bootloader, that was patched in. No guarantee that the teg3 devices will stay unocked.
On another note, are the new acer tablets the same as these, but with teg3? I ask because the only reason I dont run ICS now is because I need the camera. If it isnt figured out by then (it seems more devices are getting it running now) could the camera stuff be taken from the a200or whatever?

nifterific said:
Dont forget that the a500 didnt ship with a locked bootloader, that was patched in. No guarantee that the teg3 devices will stay unocked.
On another note, are the new acer tablets the same as these, but with teg3? I ask because the only reason I dont run ICS now is because I need the camera. If it isnt figured out by then (it seems more devices are getting it running now) could the camera stuff be taken from the a200or whatever?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know you're right with the locked bootloader, but I was thinking of a vendor that has a policy not to lock it.
The camera is not the only issue we've had with hardware drivers on ICS. It will depend on what hardware you really need supported and/or matters to you. Some of the tablets at CES with ICS crashed or parts didn't work in some of the demos. No real big issues because they are not yet ready. The vendors that have been working on ICS for a while seem to very stable.
TD

The a 200 does not have a rear facing cam. the a 510 I am not sure. Both have a teg 2 so not much of a upgrade from the a 500. The a 700 I am not sure of because it is still so new.

timmyDean said:
I think I'm with you too. CES had some really, really, really nice Teg3 ones and NO LOCKED bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The next Asus one with the higher screen Res looked nice, but Asus support is worse than Acer's, which really isn't saying much these days.

kjy2010 said:
The next Asus one with the higher screen Res looked nice, but Asus support is worse than Acer's, which really isn't saying much these days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My current ASUS I like (transformer). I liked the Toshiba Thrive better right up to the last OTA which is when they locked the boot loader (removed fastboot actually).
Samsung Galaxy 10 I have is pretty good too. I'm just sick of fighting locked devices then we find an exploit then they patch it. PUKE. I'm really thinking Windows 8 might be a better solution.
TD
---------- Post added at 07:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:43 AM ----------
jvillejoe said:
The a 200 does not have a rear facing cam. the a 510 I am not sure. Both have a teg 2 so not much of a upgrade from the a 500. The a 700 I am not sure of because it is still so new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't the rear camera not supported on ICS because no drivers and the one they put on the NEW A200 does? Why only the front, not sure?
Some of the hardware devices that we use on the a500 have no ICS drivers at all and non-planned (official from ACER). However we were assured that on their new line they would have all the hardware drivers for what we need. However, we have to purchase new devices. Reminds me of upgrading Windows just to find out you need to buy a new printer, or the time I had to purchase a new scanner because there were no drivers for my win98 fax/scanner when I went to XP.
So for us, ICS isn't even an option because lack of device drivers on the a500, unless that changes. But for most, maybe it won't matter. But, can you imagine waking up to find ICS downloaded on your a500 and your keyboard doesn't work? Or your mobile card? How about your blood pressure monitor, or diabetes tester? With a locked bootloader how you going fix that, and if you roll back, OTA's still keep a coming unless you can root it.
A mad house I tell you, a mad house. Sometimes I think they think we're trainable monkey's. Take your dirty stinky locked bootloader off my tablet you dang dirty ACER update.
TD

I also think I am done with acer for two reasons. Updates get postponed each and every time and that not very fair for their customers... Maybe they should hire some more programer or I don't know what..... Also the quality of build is terrible. My volume button broke and when i opened the device I saw it was based on two tiny plastic "legs" that could break anyway by hard use; so be careful with it. On the other hand the hardware it is in general good and no any software problems (with custom rom of course). If any other new device come with full USB port then bye bye acer!!!!!!!

timmyDean said:
Actually, let me clear up some of the confusion. The February-April ICS date mentioned was ICS estimated release for ACER's new hardware. For example, if you buy an a200 they will tell you to look for ICS starting in February as an OTA.
Again, everyone needs to watch actually what ACER is actually saying. Because they are releasing new hardware (really nice what I saw at CES) with HC, it is nuking up the waters. I stood there at CES and watched a person come up and ask 'when we getting ICS?' and they replied starting in Feb. But, when I asked the salesman, are you saying we're getting ICS on the a500, starting in Feb? The sales person said, no. That this was for these new tablets they're releasing now with HC. But, the person asking had already walked away assuming they were talking about all tablets with HC.
So a lot of people are taking this as ACER saying older equipment will also be getting the ICS OTA. This is not clear, nor has it been clear when we've talked to ACER directly. It really depends on which way the wind blows. They told the 'suits' here that it wasn't then was, and then it wasn't. So, maybe you have to drink more to understand it <lol>.
So, if you want ICS then load a custom ROM that already has it. You can always flash back if and when they release it.
TD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once again, you completely miss the mark. Your lack of reading comprehension is phenomenal or you didn't even read the original post and attachment.
If you read the attachment in the original post, you would see there is absolutely no way to construe it, as even remotely referring, to some future/yet to be released Acer tablets. It was intended for current A500 owners.
IMHO, you really don't have the credibility to "let you clear up some of the confusion". Your "anti ICS upgrade" dogma, is starting to cloud your judgement and apparently your understanding of the English language.
Now, as to why the post was removed, it could be a myriad of things, either "good" or "bad", for those wishing for an upgrade.

firetruck41 said:
Once again, you completely miss the mark. Your lack of reading comprehension is phenomenal or you didn't even read the original post and attachment.
If you read the attachment in the original post, you would see there is absolutely no way to construe it, as even remotely referring, to some future/yet to be released Acer tablets. It was intended for current A500 owners.
IMHO, you really don't have the credibility to "let you clear up some of the confusion". Your "anti ICS upgrade" dogma, is starting to cloud your judgement and apparently your understanding of the English language.
Now, as to why the post was removed, it could be a myriad of things, either "good" or "bad", for those wishing for an upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, I would agree with you if you:
1. You were at CES with us.
2. You were a reseller of ACER tablets like us.
3. You have had reps in your office from ACER like us.
4. You personally wrote software for the ACER that is is sold in over 8 countries like us.
5. You went to the annual ACER meeting like us.
6. You wrote hardware device drivers for ACER, Toshiba, Samsung, ASUS, Lenovo, HP, HTC, . . . .Like we do!
7. You actually owned retails stores in multiple states that sells ACER products like us.
8. That your P&L showed more than 2.3 million on the ACER Cost Center in NET software sales alone like us
In other words, I hope this clears it up for you.
TD

timmyDean said:
You know, I would agree with you if you:
1. You were at CES with us.
2. You were a reseller of ACER tablets like us.
3. You have had reps in your office from ACER like us.
4. You personally wrote software for the ACER that is is sold in over 8 countries like us.
5. You went to the annual ACER meeting like us.
6. You wrote hardware device drivers for ACER, Toshiba, Samsung, ASUS, Lenovo, HP, HTC, . . . .Like we do!
7. You actually owned retails stores in multiple states that sells ACER products like us.
8. That your P&L should more than 2.3 million on ACER NET software sales alone like us
In other words, I hope this clears it up for you.
TD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you didn't read the original post of this thread and its attachment?

firetruck41,
I'm just trying to share with you where these dates are coming from and they are coming from NOT some per speculation or something else.
Thanks