The Acer Iconia W4 is a recent addition to the 8-inch Windows tablet scene and it brings with it a full line-up of specifications that include HDMI, GPS, large-capacity battery as well as an interesting set of keyboard accessories. There’s a 21Mbps 3G version available too and that’s the one we’ve got here. Thanks to Acer Europe for sending it over for review.
In a live session last night we took a look around the device in some detail and I recorded an HD version of that for YouTube. The video is shown below.
I haven’t found any major issues so far but the device is relatively heavy. 430 grams compared to the 350 grams of the lightest 8-inch Windows tablet, the Lenovo Miix 2 8 [info sheet], is noticeable but the Lenovo has a smaller battery and no HDMI which a lot of people are interested in having for large-screen usage.
The plastics used for the casing aren’t too inspiring but this is a device we think will be driven by the need for a 3G option or a desire to use one of the two keyboard options (additional video below.) Pricing looks like it might be competitive too as this 32GB HSPA+ (21Mbps) version is under 400 Euro.
Remember that Microsoft Office is included for that price so pairing it up to a larger screen with HDMI would give you a usable office system and a 3G tablet for a very cheap price. Acer have included a MicroUSB to USB host adaptor cable so you can plug in your USB2.0 accessories and get straight to work.
A full Acer Iconia W4 review will be ready towards the end of the coming week and will be linked into the Acer Iconia W4 specifications and information page.
Acer Keyboard Options:
I hope the hdmi port when used not to interfere with wifi like toshiba encore that drops speed down to 1mbps
I’m torn between the Vivotab Note 8 (Wacom digitizer) and the W4 (WWAN). I see myself using both a lot. Of course, my past experiences with Acer products aren’t good (overheating/throttling, flimsy, cheap feeling and breaks easily) which has me leaning towards the ASUS a little more. If the battery life with WWAN is very good and if it can be made to work with Connected Standby then I may ignore my past negative experiences with the Acer and the W4’s general not so good looks.
About the keyboard dock/case, it would be nice if OEMs included a trackpoint/trackstick with 3 buttons (middle button for click/scrolling). Using that virtual trackpad app or stylus is okay during tablet use but moving from the keyboard to the screen while “docked” would be too annoying for me. I’ve only seen the TPT 2 have this. I may look into the TPT 2 keyboard since it works over Bluetooth. I’m a big fan of the nub on ThinkPads and Latitudes/Precisions since even moving my hands to the trackpad gets annoying.
When you tried using Skype in 3g during connected standby, did it simply disconnected the broadband connection?
Yes. This is not expected behaviour at all as Win 8.1 should support 3G in CS.
Could you possibly demo the venue 8 pro with wwan that came out on January to see if that one works in Cs wan? I wanted to use that tablet as my phone. Thanks
Here is the venue model with mobile broadband
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=sm003tv8p9ukmbpro&model_id=dell-venue-8-pro&c=uk&l=en&s=bsd&cs=ukbsdt1
Any talks of 4:3 8″ or smaller UMPCs? I have an iPad Air and I really like the aspect ratio for portrait use. Too bad that’s the only thing good about it. I have mostly gone back to using a Dell Latitude 10 but the 16:9 screen is awkward in portrait mode. Especially with DPI scaling, I have non-resizable windows extending off the screen because they’re too big. You’d think native Windows apps would scale well. Does the 16:10 8″ screens help or is the difference marginal?
About DPI scaling, any info about it being improved on the desktop side in the upcoming Windows 8 update?