Phenquestions
Most tablets manufacturers believe, that they are the future of computing. This firm belief is what gets them manufacturing some of the best these days. After the launch of Windows 8, convertibles or hybrids have been creating a lot of buzz as these are designed to offer best of both the worlds - tablets and laptops! When you need something light, just use them in the tablet mode and when you need to be productive, snap in the keyboard! We reviewed Asus Taichi DH271 and Lenovo ThinkPad Twist S230U earlier, so we decided now to turn our heads towards the Acer Iconia W700 Windows 8 Tablet.
Acer Iconia W700 Windows 8 Tablet Review
Acer Iconia W700 Windows 8 Tablet isn't that different from other Windows 8 tablet we have seen. It offers the same hardware standards, but takes a somewhat different approach when it comes to being a workstation. It comes with a cradle or so called DOCKING station whose function is not just limited to a tablet stand, but acts as a source for extra connections as well.
Firstly, the station can tilt Iconia W700 either 70 degree-angle or 20 degrees depending on how you want to use it. The 20-degrees position appears better for situations where touch input becomes important while 70- degree angle is typical for work scenarios. The same dock is also capable of adding three USB 3.o ports to one USB 3.0 port on the tablet.
Besides this, the tablet alone can be paired withAcer's own wireless Bluetooth keyboard turning the portable tablet into more of a traditional PC. The Bluetooth keyboard offers more comfort in typing long memos and mails than the virtual keyboard.
The outward appearance of W700's 11.6-inch IPS display (complete with 1,920×1080 full HD resolution) is protected by large Gorilla Glass screen at front. Although its a full HD screen, you may face a lot of problems. Things may look fine when the device is in the tablet mode running Windows 8, but as soon as you switch to the traditional desktop mode, user elements in Windows 8 like menu items and other buttons (close, minimize, etc) appear invisibly small to touch with a finger. It becomes a pain to close or save a document in Word or any Office document.
The aluminum-made backside sports a 5-megapixel camera, capable of recording 1080p HD video. There's a front-facing 1-megapixel camera too, capable of recording videos in 720p HD. Then, there are controls along the side edges. The right side of the unit has the power button, volume +/- rocker switch, and headphone jack.
Then, there's a USB 3.0 port, micro HDMI, and AC adapter port on the left, and an orientation lock switch on the top. Towards the bottom, you can find stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theater optimization.
Acer is offering the W700 with a choice of Intel Ivy Bridge Core i3 and Core i5 processors. There are variants available on Amazon.com. You get a Core i3 for the $799.99 price while the one with a tad expensive price tag of $899.99 is equipped with core i5 processor under its hood. The 128GB model, which houses an i5 processor too, is estimated to cost anywhere between $950-1,000.
Pro's
Acer Iconia W700-6465 gets an upper hand over Samsung 700T tablet as both run Windows 8, powered by an Intel Core i5 processor with 4GB RAM but, the former boasts a higher resolution (1920X1080) than its counterpart (1366 x 768).
Acer is also offering AcerCloud service with W700. It lets you share your PC content with your phone and other devices.
Cons
Acer Iconia W700 weighs 2.3 pounds and accessories (DOCK station, Bluetooth keyboard) that come along with it add more bulk to the machine.
Final Take
Acer Iconia W700 Windows 8 tablet does offer a good battery life, 8 hours of overall usage and 7 hours of web browsing but falls short on the pricing expectations, as some may find the price to be on the higher side.
Acer Iconia W700 Price - based on price and processors
- Acer Iconia W700-6607 11.6-Inch Tablet (Silver) for $799.99. Memory - 64.0 GB SSD
- Acer Iconia W700-6691 11.6-Inch Touch Tablet (Silver) for $899.99. Memory - 64.0 GB SSD
- Acer Iconia W700-6465 11.6-Inch Tablet (Silver), available for $999.99. Memory - 64.0 GB SSD
