Event Coverage

Acer Launches Touchscreen Windows 8 Ultrabooks and Tablets

By Leo Boon Yeow - 25 Oct 2012

Acer's New Windows 8 Iconia Tablets Arrive

Acer's New Iconia Tabets
 

Acer Iconia W510 Tablet

No it's not an Ultrabook that has been beheaded. It's a hybrid tablet that comes bundled with its own keyboard dock,

So far, we've touched upon the touch-enabled Windows 8 Ultrabooks. But what about tablets? Well, there are two models, both of which fall under the Iconia tablet branding. First off, we have the 10.1-inch (1366 x 768) Acer Iconia W510. This is the more affordable model of the two, simply because it runs on an Intel Atom Z2760 (1.5GHz) processor with only 2GB of RAM. While it's obviously underpowered compared to a regular Intel CULV processor, it also means that it would theoretically have much better battery life, since its power draw is much lower.

Having said that, the Atom chips you see in tablets today are much more powerful than those found in the netbooks of yesteryear. They are capable of running Windows 8, as well as most of the new Modern UI apps without any problems, which makes the W510 a more than adequate device for casual use. And because it's running the Windows 8 instead of Windows RT, older applications written to run on Windows 7, can also be used on the W510. The only problem you might face, is the lack of space on that 64GB embedded MMC for all the Windows 8 apps you'll be downloading.

The hinge on the keyboard dock allows a 295-degree backflip that props the W510 up and hides the keyboard.

And like any self-respecting tablet, the W510 will ship with a keyboard dock that will convert the 0.58kg W510 into a fully functional (but small) notebook. This will allow users to transition effortlessly from play mode, to work mode. On top of that, the 0.6kg keyboard dock also doubles the W510's battery life. Another neat trick which the dock has, is the ability to rotate 295 degrees (with the chiclet keys facing downwards). This allows the W510 to be propped up, with the keyboard out of sight, and out of your way. The Acer Iconia W510 will be available right after the launch of Windows 8, and will be retailing for S$1198.

 

Acer Iconia W700 tablet

The cradle that comes with the Acer Iconia W700 is able to rest in either landscape or portait mode.

Once the 11.6-inch, 11.9mm thick Acer Iconia W700 gets onto retail shelves, it will become Acer's current flagship tablet. Underneath that Full HD screen, lies the heart and guts of a true Ultrabook. And by that, we mean that the 0.95kg Iconia W700 has a third generation Intel Core i5-3317U processor, 4GB of RAM and a (somewhat tiny) 64GB SSD. Like the W510, we feel like 64GB for a Windows 8 device is hardly enough. The Windows 8 installation alone will take up a large fraction of the 64GB, leaving very little space for your Windows 8 apps and media files.

The Iconia W700 won't have a keyboard dock like the W510. Instead, it will come with a cradle that is able to prop the W700 up in either landscape, or portrait mode. It will also add an additional three USB 3.0 ports to the single USB 3.0 port found on the body of the W700 tablet. While the dock's main function is to prop the tablet up and give it additional USB 3.0 ports, there are also a couple of holes that have been strategically placed to enhance the sound coming from the W700's built in speakers. The Ultrabook-like Acer Iconia W700 will be hitting the stores after the Windows 8 launch, and will be going for S$1498. We've captured some highlights of both the Iconia W510 and W700 models during Computex and we hope they'll be further assistance to you:-

 

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