Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB A500 10.1 inch LED Tablet (nVidia Tegra 250 Dual cortex A9, 1GB RAM, 32GB HDD, Bluetooth, Wireless, Android v3.0 Honeycomb)

This is a great device - not perfect but really very enjoyable to use - and something you feel good owning. I'd be more than happy to recommend it against any of the current or upcoming crop of £400.00 + 10 inch screen Android or Apple tablet computers. If you aren't too clear on what the options are the iPad 2 = Apple - whilst pretty much everyone else = Android ... Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, Asus TF101.

Overall though - I'd be surprised if you developed iPad envy and I don't think you'd be unhappy with this sat next to your friend and their iPad 2! If you're willing to play around a little this to get used to it - this will give you as nice a user experience as the iPad but with much more flexibility - imho.

This device uses Android 3.0 which is Google's current big project and it works really nicely. In fact the nicest thing you can say is that I haven't really noticed what operating system I am using. Ease of use has been the main selling point of the Apple iPod/iPhone/iPad devices - and it is really refreshing that the competition has caught up. Yay!

Bear in mind that although you'll find Android 2.2 and 2.3 tablet computers available for a cheaper price - steer clear of them if you have the option - as they won't be quite so nice to use because those versions are designed for use on mobile phones whilst 3.0 aka Honeycomb is designed to be used on tablet computers. If you really want to save some cash and get a slightly older product - I'd recommend the original Samsung Galaxy Tab which was released less than a year ago - operates on Android 2.2 I think - and is now going for about £300.00.

One good example of how nice it is to use this is when you are browsing the net.

You'll most likely be holding the computer at the edge either on the left or the right of the screen - much as you would hold a steering wheel - thumbs around the front and fingers wrapping around the sides to grip the back.

Google have clearly thought this all through really carefully (as you might expect) - and so when you want to go to a bookmark or forward or back a page - you simply slide your thumb in from the side of the screen and a little semi-circular menu appears with all the buttons in easy reach so you don't even have to readjust your grip at all to do what you want.

Basically there are no real moans about using this that I can think of which is really quite a surprise.

Actually that isn't quite true.

All of the current / newest generation 10 inch tablet devices (either Apple or the competition) weigh about 600-700 grams (sorry if you do Imperial weight!). So my strong advice is that you go and try this and the competition on for size. If this isn't the most comfortable weight for you I'd recommend you either try one of the 7 inch devices coming out - again get an Android 3.0 device if possible - or if you're really patient (unlike me!) then wait 12 to 18 months for the next generation of devices May 2012 onwards as I'm sure they'll be a bit lighter.

Myself - well, I wanted the flexibility of the Android operating system and I had really been planning on waiting to get the HTC Flyer (seven inch screen) device - as I am convinced that for a significant number of people this is going to be the ideal combination. But I couldn't wait for Amazon - went into PC World and saw the Motorola Xoom - nearly got that but picked up the Acer and haven't looked back !

To me it feels really nice - the plastic back always feels cool and smooth and at first I thought it was metal. It works smoothly, is nice and easy to use with no bugbears from a user point of view - which was pleasantly surprising - and it feels nice and sturdy - with all the buttons and sockets all feeling stable and secure - and giving the impression of a high end consumer product that is going to wear well. It felt nicer than the Motorola Xoom - to me anyway - as obviously the whole thing is subjective. For instance I read on CNET (a pretty nice technology website)- that they thought it felt horrible and tacky - socheck for yourself !

The ACER touches which have been added to the basic Android background are really quite nice and not at all intrusive or over the top. One example is that on the homescreen there is a widget that scrolls up and down to allow you to jump right back to any of the last few websites that you were reading. Another example is that whilst you can swipe sideways to access any of the other homescreens available - there is a second set of homescreens which you can swipe through with shortcuts on your main homescreen which allows you to jump to what you want. The second subset of homescreens has a nice little background like a library - the idea being that one homescreen is for your documents and ebooks - and whilst another homescreen is for your media eg videos music photos etc

It is really easy to access control submenus to turn Wifi / Bluetooth on and off - and to turn the screen brightness up and down - simply tap on the clock on the bottom right hand side of the screen. The menu bar is visible most of the time along the bottom of the screen though in some programmes eg videos, photos and browsing it appears as a pop up. It has - has shortcuts for your homescreen, back- to-whatever-you-were-just-looking-at and icons for clock, battery, wifi connection indicators.

There is a nice menu bar shortcut icon that brings up the other programs that you currently have running so that you can easily swap between the web browser and your music player - say if you wanted to change tune.

The screen is obviously multi-touch for pinch and zoom - and is nice and bright - though it is optimised for films and photos so is a bit shiny (reflective) if you are outdoors - but I am not aware of any computer that works well in these conditions (matt screens tend to be be better in daylight but not so good on photos and videos).

If you're watching a video - it sounds pretty nice - not exactly hi-fi but pretty okay to listen too without being constantly aware you are listening to something with low quality speakers. Oh, and they are stereo speakers set up on the back of the device and designed for landscape mode - the ipad 2 has a single speaker.

If you want connectivity then this has loads - micro SD slot, micro HDMI slot, standard USB port and a big port on the bottom for I am not quite sure what ! Your camera may have a micro sd card in it and you can pull out the card and view all your photo's really easily without any adaptors. Connect to your TV or pop in a memory stick - go on - you know you want to (so why can't my brother's iPad ????). BTW I have seen numerous reports that for some reason the micro sd card in the Motorola Xoom isn't actually functional s there is a software glitch. Do some research on that if you are thinking about getting the Xoom as the shop assistant in PC World swore blind that the micro sd slot is functional.

In regards to the micro-sd card slot on the top side - for £50.00 you can expand your memory from 32gb to 64gb. It didn't make any difference to me - I just liked the Acer - but if this is important to you it would make the Acer about £50.00 cheaper than the wifi only 64gb iPad 2 by my reckoning and at current prices - I got mine from PC World for £450.00 for the 32gb wifi only version.

Not much to say about the camera's - one on the front and back of the device - other than they are better than having none - and they're about the same quality as the current competition - which isn't saying much. The other Android 3.0 tablet computers aren't offering very good cameras about 2MP and 5MP usually - whilst the iPad 2 - well it has cameras on it which are on a par with a camera-phone from a decade ago - "HD" if you are reading the Apple spin - and about 1MP to the rest of us! Clearly we'll all just have to wait for Apple to "up the ante" (sp?) in one or two years time before we start to see half decent cameras on tablet computers. FWIW the back camera is 5MP and capable of recording in widescreen and the video and camera options to change settings are rudimentary but okay - and again there isn't anyone out there making a tablet now that has anything better on offer. The user facing camera works okay when it is needed.

I think that this is a really nice device overall - with my only reservation being size. Make sure you want a 10 inch and not a 7 inch device and be sure you try it on for size in a shop. Then make sure you want one now and aren't prepared to bide your time for the next generation ten inch devices which will be available from about May next year (these things go in annual cycles with the next 12 months devices usually being revealed at the the major trade fairs and at press announcements in the first quarter of the year).

If you a want a 7 inch tablet of which there are several really nice versions coming up including my favourite the HTC Flyer which is priced at release in early May on Amazon at an eye watering £600.00 or thereabouts. It has the ability to grab screenshots and then annotate them with a special pen.

There are a lot of pro-apple and anti-apple die-hards out there - I would make sure you know where any given reviewer is coming from - so just to state my own allegiances - I'd say I am mildly anti-apple - on the basis that they make everything go through iTunes to make them more money and won't let you watch flash videos on the internet. The first one I can accept - they're not a charity and clearly every one is in it for a "buck" - plus they make nice hardware with software that is really easy to use out of the box. But the second bit is just ridiculous. No flash video ??? Really ??? I couldn't personally accept that if I get a £450. Read more ›

I was interested in a tablet to replace my netbook for browsing and playing games - but something I could hold, not have to rest on my lap.
Not being an apple-fan and already having android on my HTC Desire, I was really interested in either the Acer A500 or the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. Both machines have similar specs in terms of hardware, processor and operating system (Android 3.0).
The Asus has an additional keyboard but this seemed to be a feature that seemed like a great way to differentiate from other tablets but almost seemed superfluous, apart from providing additional battery life.

Anyway, the Acer came as a TSV on QVC last weekend and, given the supply issues on the Transformer, I decided to go for it.
After a few days I've got to say overall that I'm quite impressed.
Android 3.0 needs to refresh and hopefully 3.1 will be delivered OTA in a few weeks - this update may lead to 5 stars.

As for the tablet itself, I can't compete with Captain Zoom's great review.
The screen is great and bright, if a little glossy and very reflective.
The transition between the 5 home screens is smooth and apps appear quickly when pressed. Web pages are quick to load and there's no lag when scrolling on even quite media-heavy sites. Flash and Youtube work great on full screen, even with HD content.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend I've transferred about 20GB of media, downloaded 10s of apps, streamed dozens of youtube videos and browsed for hours. Overall I'm getting around 7 1/2 hours of usage on a charge and it's taking about 1 1/2 hours to re-charge.
I've transferred from an external USB drive and via wifi and have not had any issues yet. You just need to download a decent file manager (I recommend File Manager HD) in order to recognise the internal SD, external SD, usb storage and LAN connection.

One of the few grumbles I have is the length of the charging cable - which is about 2 feet too short. It's a bespoke connector so you can't use a longer one.
The additional Acer icons that create additional home screens to cluster apps around social, games, media players and e-readers seems a little last-minute.
Acer Sync took a bit of sorting out. You have to download the Sync Manager and PIM software from Acer in order to set up a location on the PC to save your contacts and calendar to.

Initially the Acer couldn't find my Wifi signal - but I realised that it couldn't recognise signals over Channel 10, but a quick fiddle with the router soon fixed it - hopefully a firmware update will fix this.

Please search around for Apps from the Market. A search for "Honeycomb" gets quite a few apps that are specifically designed for this generation of tablets.
Those that complain they can't play certain types of videos should look for Moboplayer, which plays all the divx and avi files that I have.

It's always a little unnerving to be an "early adopter" in these instances - when so many models are being launched that have similar but slightly differing specs.

So far I don't feel that the Acer has been a let-down and seems good value for money compared to similar sized tablets.

p.s. If you like the Asus Live wallpaper(that shows ice cubes in water and weather widget) then google "XDA asus live wallpaper" and a kind fellow has created files that you can download and install onto the Acer.

Addicted to electronic toys this is one of the very few that has not disappointed me. The screen has a clarity I have found in few laptops except for Sony's expensive offerings. Admittedly it is not easy to read in bright sun light but few screens are and this is not really the sort of size you are going to cart around like a mobile phone. There have been some adverse comments about the wifi connection but it has worked perfectly from the start for me and it seems to be as or more sensitive than other wifi enabled apparatus I have used in the same situations. There seems to be some question as to the nature of the screen, the manufactures of Gorilla Glass, Corning, lists it as being on one of this items with this feature but it seems strange that Acer don't make a point of this in their specifications. Some users have complained about problems with Google's Android Market Place but I have downloaded several free apps and purchase several others without problem. Two small gripes: the power lead is too short and blue-tooth does not work for many items yet but there should be updates to fix this problem.