Tablet World.pdf

“The screen
is where the
Acer Iconia
Tab A110
falls massively
short of the
standard
set by the
Nexus 7”
The screen is where the Acer Iconia Tab A110 falls
massively short of the standard set by the Nexus 7. It’s also
a 7in display, only with a disappointing resolution of
1024x600 pixels. This returns a pixel density of 170ppi.
Viewing angles aren't great either, especially when compared
to the Nexus 7's IPS panel. The LCD on the Iconia Tab
A110 is set deep into the tablet, so much so you don't
really feel as though you're touching it.
As well as an microSD card slot, the Acer Iconia Tab
A110 has another feature absent from the Nexus 7 – a
micro HDMI port. There's no cable in the box, so you’ll
need to purchase one separately if you wish to hook up
this tablet to a large-screen TV or projector.
Wireless connectivity includes 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth and GPS. There's no NFC chip.
Neither is there a rear-facing camera but, like Google's
tablet, there is a front-facing snapper for conducting video
calls and capturing self-portraits. We found the 2Mp
camera produced a good picture.
Software
The Acer Iconia Tab A110 is one of a few tablets to ship
with Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This has since been
refreshed with version 4.2, but the Acer remains more
up to date than most tablets on the market.
Pleasingly, Acer has enabled the homescreen to operate
in landscape mode, something Google only recently made
possible on its Nexus 7 via a separate update.
Google’s latest mobile OS runs smoothly on the Acer Iconia Tab A110.
Acer has made only some very small tweaks to Android Jelly Bean.
Firstly, the notification bar has an extra button, which offers quick access
to three power plans: High performance, Balanced and Power saver.
Preinstalled apps include the usual set of Google services, such as YouTube,
Gmail and Chrome. There’s also Google Now, the latest version of the company’s
search engine, which uses Google’s extensive dossier on you to predict what you
want to know before you search for it.
In addition there are two games: Ice Age Village and Real Football 2012.
More games can be downloaded from the nVidia TegraZone.
The lack of Adobe Flash support is becoming less of a problem for Android 4.1
devices. For example, the BBC has updated its iPlayer app to make it compatible
with Google’s now Flash-less OS.
Battery life
A tablet's battery life will depend on how often you use it. Acer admits in its
spec sheet that the Iconia Tab A110 won't last as long as the Nexus 7, quoting
7.5 hours of video playback, compared to more than nine hours.
We found battery life to be good, lasting us a couple of days with occasional
and varied use. While this isn’t bad, we found the Nexus 7 would last around
half a day longer on average.
The Acer Iconia Tab A110 doesn't stand up to the obvious competition
from the Nexus 7, let down by a chunky design and low-grade screen. It's more
expensive than Google's tablet, with less storage, so unless you need a microSD
card slot or micro HDMI port, you’ll get better value with the Nexus 7.
Acer Iconia Tab A110 REVIEWS
SpEcIfIcATIOnS
7in (1024x600, 170ppi)
capacitive multitouch
screen; Google Android
4.1 Jelly Bean; 1.3GHz
nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core
processor; 1GB RAM; 8GB
storage; ULP GeForce
graphics; 802.11b/g/n;
Bluetooth 3.0; GPS;
2Mp front camera;
720p video @30fps;
mono speaker; 3.5mm
headset jack; Micro-USB;
micro HDMI; 11W USB
adaptor; lithium battery;
127x193x11.7mm; 385g
TABLETWORLD 59