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Things: The amazing, transforming Acer Iconia W510

Windows 8 tablets are still finding their footing in the pantheon of
consumer devices, with various form factors and device-types being
tested along the way. The Acer Iconia W510 tablet-laptop hybrid is a
throwback to the days of the netbook in both design and purpose. 

It’s
small enough to be considered ultraportable, while full-fledged
features like access to desktop apps for Windows and a USB port makes it
computer adapted for people working on the go.

Running Windows 8 –
and not its little brother Windows RT – the Iconia is able to run full
Windows 7 apps, as well as newer Windows 8-specific apps designed for
the Metro interface (or whatever it’s called now).

The
tablet part of the Iconia weighs around 600 grams and is similar in
size to the iPad. Its 10.1-inch display has a resolution of 1366 by 768
pixels, with bright colours and very little aliasing of font.

There
are several versions of the Iconia available, including a 3G one. The
Iconia I tested is wifi only with 64 GB of space, but this is a
misleading stat as only around 30 GB is available out of the box. The
user can reclaim another 15 GB or so by creating a recovery disk on a
USB stick, but this is a big ask from the average user. There’s a
microSD card slot, so you’re not limited to the internal memory card.

The
defining feature of the Iconia is a detachable keyboard (sold
separately), familiar to anyone who’s used an Asus Transformer before.
The keyboard has well-spaced keys perfect for long bursts of typing.

The
dock has its own battery which effectively doubles the battery life of
the combined device. With moderate use (mostly typing, light app use,
watching YouTube videos and browsing the web) the tablet lasts around
seven hours. Attach the keyboard and this is easily pushed to just over
13 hours. The incredible battery life is what impressed me the most
about the Iconia, it gives me enough of a tether to feel comfortable
taking it out without constantly keeping an eye out for open power
outlets.

Acer had to make concessions somewhere to achieve the
battery life and it’s taken that cut out of the processing power. The
1.5 GHz Atom processor and 2 GB of RAM works well with word processing
and web browsing, but throw an image editor into the mix and everything
becomes unbearably slow.

Verdict: I
would buy the Acer Iconia W510 as a secondary work computer.
Portability is the most important factor in a laptop for me. I can get
through tasks that need more power on my home computer, the laptop is
for word processing and browsing the web while out and about. 

The
Iconia’s fantastic battery life, keyboard, and access to Windows
desktop apps and Microsoft enterprise software – makes it incredibly
handy for me . Even more so because I work in a Microsoft Office
environment. However, the Iconia definitely isn’t the right option for people needing grunty laptops for processor-intensive apps.

The
cheapest price I could find using Price Spy is around $950 for the
tablet and another $300 for the keyboard package, but I wouldn’t buy the
tablet on its own.

Disclosure: Acer is a StopPress supporter. This was not taken into consideration during the review.

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