Acer Iconia Tab A500 (tablet). Description, specifications and reviews

Acer Iconia Tab A500 can be called such a tablet, which does not lose its popularity to this day. Interesting design, good technical characteristics and its other advantages are favorably distinguished against the background of most similar devices, but many do not know what are its main advantages and features, and whether in principle it should be bought today.

Design

First of all, it should be noted that the design of Acer Iconia Tab A500 looks rather strange compared to devices from Apple and Samsung, as they differ more original and delicate design. Many users note that the device is quite heavy and massive, and at the same time it does not differ with any thoughtful design forms. In other words, while developing the Acer Iconia Tab A500, the company was more concerned with how to provide the optimal screen diagonal at that time, and also take into account the various features of the platform used. Thus, in the end, a rather massive tablet, equipped with a metal case, was obtained.

Features

Dimensions, as well as a unique design can hardly be called obvious shortcomings Acer Iconia Tab A500, but rather it is worth highlighting them as features of this model. If we talk about a certain device that has similar technical characteristics and functionality, it could be argued that the use of such dimensions is an undoubted disadvantage of this device. But in fact, the tablet market today is simply filled with a variety of models, so users are free to choose what to give their preference to - lightweight plastic devices or still thick, equipped with a metal reliable case. In particular, thanks to such a reliable design, owners will rarely need to repair the Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablets , which is already important. Thus, there is only an additional choice in terms of reliability of the purchased equipment, and this is pretty good.

Practicality

Due to the fact that the metal case is used, Acer Iconia Tab A500 practically does not become dirty during its operation. In addition, the metal surface is equipped with a specialized laser engraving, which provides effective protection against all kinds of scuffs and scratches. Of course, such defects still appear during the operation of this equipment, but with the naked eye they can not be seen on the case. The screen in this case is dirty just like any other large displays, although, again, a reliable design eliminates the frequent repair of Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablets.

According to reviews, in terms of assembly, users note the only drawback of this design is the presence of a sufficiently large gap, located between the upper end of the shell and the protective glass. The size of this gap is about 1.5 mm, as a result of which this slot is quite actively clogged with dust, as well as a variety of small particles. Of course, if you do not look closely, this will not be noticeable, but even the very presence of this gap, which is different for a tablet (10 inches), is unacceptable for many.

Dimensions

The size of the tablet is just as impressive as its weight, since it is an order of magnitude larger and heavier than its direct competitors. Its dimensions are 260х177х13.3 mm, while this device weighs 730 grams. For comparison, released at the same time Apple iPad 2 has a weight of only 601 grams.

How important is it?

In one hand, keeping this device uncomfortable for a long time, because the arm quickly gets tired. If you hold the device with both hands simultaneously, it becomes much more comfortable, but in fact, as time goes on, inconveniences begin to appear if the device is held on weight while reading or watching a long video. Thus, many users say that it is better to use a specialized complete cover, which is suitable for this tablet (10 inches), because due to it it will be possible to put the device on a suitable surface and without any problems to view any interesting files.

Another option is to constantly hold the device on your lap in the event that, for example, you wanted to see a certain movie during the flight. It is for this reason that weight in the course of time is already turning into a disadvantage, as it limits the possibilities of operation that the Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablet has.

Control

Of course, as the main control element in this case is the display itself, which responds perfectly to touch, and there are no problems. Among other things, the tablet provides specialized volume keys, a screen on / off button, and a separate switch that can be used to exclude the possibility of automatic display orientation. This button is quite a convenient innovation, this is noted by many users. Often there are such situations that when the tablet is held in the hands in the case of a slight deviation, the picture begins to turn over. Many users completely disable the auto-rotate function, but, again, it is necessary in a number of situations. It is for this reason that one must constantly endure occasional coups or completely disable this function.

This function in Acer Iconia Tab A500 does not turn on, it is just activated permanently, but it can be periodically turned off with this button. Of course, given the weight and dimensions of this device, users are unlikely to use it often enough on weight, as a result of which such a function is in principle not very much in demand.

Display

In the Acer Iconia Tab A500, the display characteristics are quite good. The screen diagonal is 10.1 inches, and its resolution reaches 1280x800 pixels. The physical dimensions of this display are 136x218.

It should be noted that in principle this device is relatively good, since it has a certain amount of brightness (although even during the day it will be difficult to view the image under direct sunlight), a fairly quiet color rendering, and also not juicy, and at the same time Not too dull colors. In principle, this display does not stand out in any special way, that is, it is not worse than similar options, but it does not have any distinctive advantages. The opinions of users on this issue were divided. Someone of this level is enough, but someone was expecting more from the tablet. The viewing angles of this display are as high as possible.

Cameras

In the device, as well as in standard tablets, here two cameras are envisaged - the main camera and the front camera. In this case, the front camera has 2 megapixels, while the main camera has 5MP, and also the built-in flash. Thus, it's enough just to get and open Acer Iconia Tab A500 (covers designed for the tablet, allow it to do) and start taking pictures or making video calls. In principle, the capabilities of the cameras are quite standard, that is, they provide the owner with a sufficiently large number of possibilities, and they can hardly be called less effective than cameras in similar devices. Most of the users are quite satisfied with the quality of the photos.

It is worth noting the fact that after the Acer Iconia Tab A500 16Gb appeared, its front camera was practically useless to anyone, and most likely, the developer initially oriented this device to future users' requests. To date, when video calls have become very and very common, even among mobile device owners, such front cameras are used very often.

Battery

This tablet is equipped with a non-removable battery, whose capacity is 3260 mAh. Each Acer Iconia Tab A500 charger is included.

The tablet can work for five hours, but if you constantly watch the video, then the charge will last for no more than four hours. It should be noted that 5 hours of operation of the device is the result obtained with the Wi-Fi module permanently turned on, and also quite active (but not constant) viewing of various videos.

Particular attention should be paid to the fact that if you use the "on the plane" mode and at the same time set the brightness to about 20%, you can increase the total running time of the equipment to six hours with a constant viewing of the video, that is, its charge is approximately enough to view three full Movies.

Performance

This tablet uses a specialized dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz, while the platform based on it is NVIDIA Tegra 2. Many people do not very flatter about the various features of this platform, and in particular, many support the decoding of modern Video in FullHD format. The thing is that in practice this platform is not very suitable for high-quality playback of video in HD, and this device is no exception. Thus, if you try to view the videos as 1080p, be prepared for the fact that during the video viewing there will be certain delays or even drop certain frames. Of course, not all users are ready to put up with this situation. Many express their dissatisfaction with such a technical solution.

When you switch video quality to 720p, the situation becomes more decent, as all kinds of "brakes" in the picture are lost, but some users say that there may be a certain delay in sound. At the same time, it is worth noting the fact that it is not only about the reproduction of video by a standard player, but also about the use of additional software.

In this regard, this tablet can be used to view all kinds of films in an average quality, while watching HD video for it remains unavailable. Of course, if you take into account what the price on the Acer Iconia Tab A500 is (about 14,000 rubles), then this drawback is not so critical, and in principle tablets can hardly be called a device for full viewing of films in the best quality.

Memory

The device provides 1 GB of RAM, and 16 or 32 GB of built-in, designed to store various information. In addition, there is also a separate slot, in which you can insert an additional microSD memory card, fixing it with a special plastic plug. Many believe that this stub is unreliable, but, according to users, it can last for a long time.