The Android 3.0-powered Acer Iconia Tab A500 is an instant charmer
MANILA, Philippines - Introduced as Acer’s first 10.1-inch tablet device based on the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) platform, the Iconia Tab A500 draws attention from right out of the box, and admiration upon first sight and touch. Evoking a modern tech vibe while staying true to the classic notion of “form follows function,” the tablet is easy on the eyes and feels smooth in your hands, with a slender aluminum unibody casing brushed in alpine silver and curved on the edges.
And that’s to say nothing of the subject these design elements elegantly frame: the Iconia Tab’s gorgeous screen.
With 10.1 inches of wide-angle 1280 x 800 brilliance and capacitive multitouch responsiveness, the Acer Iconia Tab A500’s LCD display is, quite literally, eye-catching. Add the processing power of a cutting-edge NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core super chip — plus a 6-axis motion sensing system — and you have another adjective: breathtaking. Graphics on 3D games move with console-quality fluidity; apps come to life in screen-leaping visual imagery; and HD (720p) multimedia playback delivers the kind of entertainment that has to be seen — and experienced — to be believed. Also, browsing photos in a favorite album and reading a New York Times bestseller using the tablet’s Lumiread or Google Books apps have never been done with this much ease, or inspired this much awe.
Audio played on the Iconia Tab A500 sounds smooth, too. Or powerful and resonant. Or immersive. It depends on what you’re listening to: an acoustic album loaded up on Acer’s popular media app, NemoPlayer, or songs on a playlist being streamed from the integrated AUPEO Internet radio, or a thrilling new music video on YouTube. In any case, it sounds amazing. The tablet’s built-in stereo speakers are enhanced by mobile technology — including an equalizer — from Dolby, which is known for its pioneering work on digital audio.
As though beauty and brains weren’t enough, the Acer Iconia Tab A500 packs plenty of entertainment tricks up its sleeve. Three adrenaline-pumping 3D games — Hero of Sparta, Need for Speed Shift, and Let’s Golf — are preloaded into the tablet device, and more are available for download via the integrated premium game stores: NVIDIA Tegra Zone, Gameloft, and the Android Market. There’s also an HDMI port with a Dual Display feature for those who see the Iconia Tab with an eye for even bigger screens, bigger games, and bigger entertainment.
