Potential iPad killer?

COMPUTER maker Acer is ready to capture the local tablet personal computer (PC) market with the introduction of its Iconia Tab A500 tablet.

The Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)-based touch screen device is expected to be available in stores locally at the end of April and will come in both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi plus 3G version.

According to the company's director, brand management and product marketing division, smart handheld, Andy Chang, the Iconia Tab A500 has been designed thoroughly to meet the current and future needs of tablet users.

"We've seen a lot of limitations that previous tablets in the market had like the absence of memory expansion slot, camera functions, HDMI slots, etc, and we have included all these in the Tab A500 tablet," he said in Kuala Lumpur last week.

The Acer 10.1-inch tablet comes with a micro SD slot that supports up to 32GB external storage, mini HDMI for connectivity to flat panel TVs, dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2, which is said to deliver up to two time faster browsing, better graphics and optimised HD viewing, 3D and console-quality gaming, and multimedia playback.

Besides that, it also comes with a five-megapixel rear-facing camera plus 2MP front-facing camera for video recording, video chat, or picture taking. The camera can also be used as a barcode scanner.

Chang is optimistic that tablet PC will be as famous as the notebook and netbook among computer users.

"The devices will not out do each other as both have their own advantages. While notebooks and netbooks are best designed for e-mail, Web browsing, power point presentation, tablets are designed for slightly different purpose. We believe people will use tablets differently from the way they use notebooks or netbooks," he said.

"Study shows that the top three applications people do on tablets are gaming, browsing and social networking, and this is what the Aconia A500 has also been designed for," he added. Commenting on the reason for Acer to adopt Android for the Iconia Tab A500, Chang said this is due to the strong support the OS gets from application developers.

"The Android-based OS and the number of applications available give users the future they can expect. So when you buy a tablet like the Iconia, you will get more than just the preload games, ebooks, apps, MP3 tools," he said.

Chang also said the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) is a strong platform. In terms of applications, the Androind market now has more than 100,000 applications and the OS has also grew 600 percent over the last year in the smartphone category. The version 3.0 will make it an even stronger competitior.

"It offers a very quick customisation, smooth operations like drag and drop at just your fingertips," he said. As the tablet market gets more competitive this year, Chang said it is likely that every other vendor will offer about the same product. "For Acer, we have leveraged our PC experience and applied it to the Iconia Tab A500. We make sure the hardware is very competitive and offers parellel experience at a reasonal cost possible," he said. One example is to make the view angel possible at 80 to 85 degree to allow users to the widest viewing angle possible Besides that, Acer has also included its own applications like the clear.fi media sharing system for seamless integration in the home clear.fi environment to easily access, play and share multimedia across the home network and to instantly publish updates to social media networks.

The Iconia Tab A500 also comes with Acer's Social Jogger, which is an application that allows users to login into multiple social networking accounts once. Its full capacitive multi-touch screen ensures an optimal on-screen experience from every angle.

The the hardware side, the Tab A500 offers aluminum casing to give a cool look and feel, while its high gloss finish anodizing decorated with laser engraved textures demonstrates subtle sophistication.

"Despite being just 13.3mm thick, it's powerful enough to provide fun and productivity in any location and would survive a drop from a table height," said Chang, adding that Acer also has plans to launch 3D tablet in Q1 next year.

The Iconia Tab A500 will be price from RM1,599 to RM1,999 depending on models. Besides the Iconia Tab A500, Acer will also be offering a smallr seven-inch Tab A100 tablet , which will be on the shelf in late May. It comes with 8GB and 16GB storage and will be priced from RM1,099 and 1,499.