We have watched the parade of tablets as they have been introduced into the technology market place one by one. Of course with the Apple iPad as the leader of the pack, others followed offering many of the same specs but at a shocking sticker price. That’s where the Acer Iconia Tab A500 differentiates itself. Perhaps not always the best marketing strategy, price has often given the Acer brand a competitive advantage and this case is no different.
Acer jumped into the tablet game at $450.00, significantly cheaper than its closest competitors the Motorola Xoom priced at $800 for the 32GB, 3G version and the Apple iPad 2 starting at $499.00. With many of the same basic amenities, the Iconia tablet does offer some nice additional features for the business professional.
Perhaps the most useful attribute of the Iconic is the customizable home screen widget that allows users to personally tailor the home screen and organize apps in a way that is useful and makes sense for their business objectives. Many times a tablet can be shared within an organization and while it can work out nicely and be a cost effective solution, different people have different needs and purposes for the tablet. For example, your sales manager might need the Iconica to take on a sales call to help demonstrate the benefits of your product or service while the CEO of your company might take the tablet with them on a business trip to keep up-to-speed on current business affairs. Also when finding solutions that are adaptable to multiple users it is important to keep in mind the different levels of technical acumen involved. The Iconica is super easy to use, running on Google Android’s highly intuitive Honeycomb operating system and Acer’s simplified user interface.
Getting down to the nitty gritty, the Iconica runs on Wi-Fi and is not offered in a 3G or 4G option at this time. The tablet does begin to make up for this by offering a full-sized USB 2.0 port and microSD card slot expanding internal and external storage. Speaking of storage – the tablet comes packed with 32GB and 1GB of memory. Weighing in at a bloated 1.63 pounds the Acer is packing a little more weight than its Motorola and iPad competitors but its brushed aluminum case still makes it stylish, sleek and aesthetically pleasing.
The bottom line is that the Acer Iconica is a nice balance between affordability, functionality, feature set and design. Are you convinced to take the plunge and get a tablet for your business? If so, which flavor tablet best fits your company’s needs?
For more information on the Acer Iconia Tab A500, shop our online store or contact Megan Meisner at mmeisner@launchpadonline.com or 813 920 0788 x210.
