also @ TechSpot: HP Envy/Pavilion revamp, more touchscreens, 3200x1800 LCD, 20" tablet

Acer Iconia W510 Tablet: Making Windows 8's Dichotomy Shine

By

On March 14, 2013, 2:43 AM

Microsoft’s answer to the changing computing landscape is Windows 8, an operating system that attempts to balance the demands of traditional productivity-oriented desktops with the mobility of, well, mobile devices. Results have been mixed thus far as desktop users have complained about the ‘unnecessary’ user interface (formerly the Metro UI) while Microsoft’s pure tablet implementation - Windows RT – is limited in the software it can run.

But while Windows 8 might fall short on those two platforms, there’s a third category where it seems to fit in just perfectly – hybrids. When you think about it, hybrids are the optimal home for Windows 8 as both aspects of the operating system are in use and get to shine as they were designed to.

That brings us to today as we have Acer’s Iconia W510 hybrid up for review. The system is officially marketed as a net-tablet although the included keyboard dock essentially transforms the unit into a full-fledged PC – no Windows RT here, folks. What you’re getting here is the full Windows experience just like you would have on a traditional desktop or notebook.

Read the complete review.

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User Comments: 8

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  1. ..I won't buy it, because Acer is well-known for it's shady display, I mean the display is always dark (not that bright)..

  2. After reading the review, looks like Acer is getting better. The build quality got high marks which before, and on past product reviews, it didn't. Looks to have a great display and battery life as well.

  3. I was considering getting this one. It's incredibly cheap (400 euros including keyboard) and I especially like how it comes with lots of battery life. But I didn't like the look of it too much (especially the keyboard and the way the tablet is connected to it). And when Acer started to b*tch about Windows 8 I decided to not get it and wait for the Surface to release in my country.

  4. I've been pleasantly surprised by the W510, I've had one for about two weeks and I love it!

    It's really well made, very sturdy, and the screen really is gorgeous. It's also as light as an iPad so it's perfect for carrying with me.

    Obviously, power-wise it doesn't hold a candle to an i3 or i5/i7 performance wise it's very snappy for most things. Obviously the metro environment runs very well but so does the desktop. Office 2013 loads quickly and works fine and I've run Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and InDesign CS6 from the Adobe suite with no problems.

    Photoshop and Dreamweaver actually start up pretty quickly, which I found surprising. InDesign took a while to load but once it did I was able to make a bunch of flyers (and have Photoshop open at the same time for image editing) for print (so not small files) with no problems or delays. It was actually kind of a revelation.

    The only thing missing is a Wacom stylus but hopefully Microsoft will be adopting the Adonit APIs soon so we can use their very cool capacitive styli.

    Considering how loudly Acer have been complaining about Windows 8 they've put out some brilliant machines. The W5 is great, I'm very impressed by the W7 and the S7 ultrabook is gorgeous. They're also priced well too. The only problem is that it's so difficult to get hold of them in the UK and nigh impossible to actually get to see one in a store.

  5. I love this tablet! I've had mine for about 2 months now and its fantastic. The battery just keeps on going. I expected it to be slower because of the atom, but man the clovertrail processor is actually quite snappy. Dont expect to be editing pics in photoshop real fast, but as a tablet it couldn't be better. I have the dock but rarely use it. The build quality impressed me, like most of you I assumed that it being an acer would mean horrible quality, completely the opposite.

  6. One of the first things I did with my W510 was upgrade it to Windows 8 Pro. It saves having to wait for the Surface Windows 8 Pro, and is a LOT cheaper. It works just as good as my desk top Windows 8 Pro computers.

  7. ..I won't buy it, because Acer is well-known for it's shady display, I mean the display is always dark (not that bright)..

    Never had any issue with the display being too dark on my W510. The IPS panel on this thing is pretty sweet, actually. The resolution isn't the best in the world, but the overall look of the screen really makes up for it. I haven't been the biggest fan of Acer screens in the past either, and was wary of build quality, but I think the W510 is really nice, even with the plastic body. Can't speak of the dock. No need for it.

  8. Specs on this one look like the Skytex Skytab S970 but that used 1.5GHz Dual core Atom and it was slow with the 2GB of RAM. Need a min of 4GB Atom dual core on this one from ACER 1.8GHz not going to be any better. I have the S970 and can't use it because Skytex battery only last 3 months then the system BIOS foes in demo mode when the battery starts to fail.

    Also note I have ACER desktops, laptops, netbooks, and monitors and there is nothing shady about the displays.

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