Computer gear maker Acer is expanding its Iconia line of Android tablets with the new Iconia Tab A100, a half-inch thick, 7-inch touchscreen device running Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Acer is betting the 7-inch form factor will be a hit with consumers, families, and moms (who get mentioned no fewer than seven times in Acer’s official press release): the Iconia Tab A100 is big enough for video and doing actual work, but small enough to use comfortably with one hand. “The Acer Iconia Tab A100 tablet delivers the ultimate combination of portability and performance for fun and gaming as well as staying in touch,” said Acer America’s VP of marketing Sumit Agnihotry, in a statement. “Families are spending more time social networking and enjoying Web-based digital media, so a highly portable tablet like the Acer A100 will let them get more done and stay connected on-the-go to enjoy their lives more fully.”
The Iconia A100 Tab features a 7-inch touchscreen display with a 1,024 by 600 resolution and is powered by a 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and Nvidia GeForce graphics. The tablets sport 1 GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and single LED flash (it can handle 720p video capture), along with a front-facing 2 megapixel camera for video chat. Also on board the A100: microSD card removable storage supporting up to 32 GB cards, a microUSB 2.0 port, a micro-HDMI output for pushing video and media to an HDTV, a 3.5mm combination mic/headphone jack and a docking station port, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. The Iconia Tab A100s will be available with either 8 or 16 GB of onboard flash storage, and sport 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity—Acer hasn’t announced any plans for a 3G or 4G option, so Wi-Fi may be as it gets.
Of course, hardware is only part of the story: the Iconia Tab A100 also supports Acer’s clear.fi media sharing technology that enables the tablet to hook in with any other DLNA-enabled device, including Acer’s own clear.fi enabled smartphones, notebooks, and media players. Acer says the tablets should get about five hours of use on a single battery charge—although we’re betting extensive use of the included Adobe Flash 10.3 player might bring that down a bit. The tablets also feature Acer’s Social Jogger, which offers a unified interface for Twitter and Facebook.
The Iconia Tab A100 is available today in the U.S., with the 8 GB edition going for a suggested price of $329.99 and the 16 GB version bumping up to $349.99. Acer also plans to offer a Walmart-exclusive version, and expects the A100 will be available in Canada in September.
