Acer Iconia A Series (2011)

What a load of rubbish! – I'm not surprised this tablet is discontinued!! What an absolute load of rubbish this thing is. Will never ever buy Acer products again. I called the Service Centre overseas (India) and was told by them that it would cost more to fix than the original cost of the tablet!! I declined this amazing service.......................  Show details

Best "cheap" tablet – Great specials which rival the top end more expensive tablets. 16gb internal storage and takes a 32gb micro SD. We bought this one as we wanted a tablet our toddler could play with and watch movies on in the car. Fits the bill perfectly and we are considering getting one for ourselves! Android with playstore included.

Adequate – runs like a pig, word documents are terrible, the device is already slow after owing it for under a year, camera is unbearable, wifi drop in and out ( no matter the network) heavy, flimsy it has an awkward shape, only really built to be used on its side, just don't buy one!!!!!! thank god it is business issued

Great tablet for the money – I was lucky enough to pick up this tablet from JB for $249. The quad core processor, great battery life and increased memory to 64gb via micro sd and of course none of the hassles of the fruit based os makes this the best tablet I have ever bought ! Why pay so much more for the Galaxy note ???? Fast performance and flexible connectivity via usb, hdmi A little bulkier than some of the competiton

Impressive – I bought this 3 months ago and so far I am absolutely impressed at what it can do. The tablet's main feature has to be USB port, this opens so many possibilities for the tablet which are otherwise absent. The tablet also charges quickly with the 12 volt charger. I would recommend it to anyone. USB port and Android 4.0 Hard to find accessories

Hard to fault – Bought my A500 on special at Office Works when they first became available, mainly because of the USB port. It has turned out to be a great machine,especially with ICS update and its excellent web browser. With the full size USB it is very easy to load movies, photos or files using a file manager like Astro. Great battery life and connects to wifi… Read more

quickly. Haven't noticed a weight problem like others report. Find it hard to put it down and use a laptop. Easy to use, fast, reliable, USB port, Android 4 is a good OS Limited supply of specialised apps

Love my tablet – I find it so easy to connect my devices to the tablet, and download photos, music, books, just to name a few things. Not needing special apps on my computers to synchronise data is a bonus. I thought I wouldn't be able to read books on a tablet, but I have found that I can read without the light on, which is a bonus when flying. inexpensive, long battery life, easy to read books on

Great product but had a few hiccups – Overall it is a great little tablet. I had a few issues with it not turing on and had to do a hard reset after only 3 months of having it but since then it has been running like a charm. The sound and video work extremely well and it fits perfectly into my handbag which is a plus. I also got the internet on mine which sometimes decides not to work… Read more

but it is wireless internet and does have a tendency of dropping out. Overall a great buy for the price. Large memory, price and the sound hard to get a case that fit

Nice iPad alternative, but not as impressive since Galaxy tab 10inch has become available – We purchased this when they were heavily reduced at harvey norman, so it was a real bargain so I would say it was value for money. If I paid full price for it (around $500), I might not necessarily be that sure it was value for money. Yes it does the job, and the thing that made it 100x more appealing than the ipad was that it had USB port… Read more

connectivity and mini HDMI port.

If you are already a big apple app store user, you might get frustrated with the "non moderated/approved" crappy apps available in the market place and that you have to find the apps you already have on your apple devices to use them on the android device.

It is a little on the heavy side - but it isn't that bad. If you want something light to read ebooks or ezines on, get a smaller 7inch ereader. Great for web browsing and accessing multimedia. Screen size, usb ports, A little heavy

Fully featured with no drawbacks at all!!! You'd be mad not to buy one – I purchased this from Harvey Norman for $420 when everything else (Xoom, Transformer, iPad) were way more expensive. Considered the similarly spec'd Toshiba, but reviews of it were less than confidence inspiring. I have been delighted by its speed, functionality and general robustness with the Android operating system. It does everything I want… Read more

it to do and then some and with more and more tablet optimized apps arriving on the market, it is a great source of everything!!! I can use it at work to pick up and sync with my exchange mailbox and it works flawlessly. Every aspect is delightful and I am getting good battery life in a mixed environment (combo of downloading, GPS, videos and general use) My kids think its Christmas and use it every waking moment! My biggest issue is getting it off the kids! I can't think of anything that would make you not buy this! My boss bought one for his wife and a work colleague bought on for herself after test driving my one. It is so impressive and flexible and saving the best parts for last - it has a real full sized USB slot and removable micro SD slot for the sort of flexibility the iPad can only dream about. Then there's the benefit of not having to run iTunes...you can connect it to anyone's computer and be uploading or downloading in seconds. If I was being uber critical I would say the only thing it could really use is more volume in the headphone socket (but that's just me, I'm deaf...) All in all it is a ripper package that will be supported for many years to come. Currently on Honeycomb 3.1 but 3.2 is imminent any day now. As I write this (16/9) you can buy this tablet from Harvey Norman for $386! which represents great value (no HN association - just letting you know) as it normally sells between $400 & $450. Whichever way you slice it, this is a winner. Reliable, Powerful, Versatile and fun to use with good battery life

A bit on the heavy side – An android tablet with a 10.1" screen - 1280x800, it performs really well and sounds good with its stereo speakers. With 3G, I'm connected all the time, so I can be entertained wherever I go on the bigger screen. At the moment the low battery alert is set on croaking frogs and it hasn't been a good idea to have it in the bedroom at night since it… Read more

croaks nearly all night. It does feel heavy compared to the ipad, and with tablets getting thinner, this tablet might have a short lifecycle. 3G Heavy

Spot on Acer – I am so very happy that I bought this little beauty. After watching my house mate struggle with a "certain well named brand of tablet" I could not be happier. All the doom sayers out there, saying people will struggle with a little extra weight, wrong! I have carried this tablet too and from various places and never has the weight been an… Read more

issue. I am not a very strong person. So the weight feels to me like an old HP ipac.

Prior to buying this I had bought a Toshiba AT100 tablet, I could not get rid of it fast enough. (frozen screen in stand-by, yellow tinge to the screen)

I agree nothing is perfect but the Acer iconia comes close. It is great fun to use and very fast, with games and videos. Web surfing and documents are handled wonderfully.

No I don't work for Acer :-) This unit is the best, now with Honeycomb 3.1 even better. Wondeful screen, ease of use, plus a whole list of accessories. Great battery life, and sound. Op system

It's no iPad..but that's the point – Got an Acer A500 16GB for $386 at Harvey Norman. Decent tablet with lots of potential. Android needs to address several issues to make the tablet shine. Great screen. Bright, responsive and decent viewing angle. Handles HD games pretty well. Compare it the iPad, Xoom etc it’s not that great but it’s not trying to beat them. It’s a decent… Read more

tablet (although very $$$ when not on sale).

Pity Acer did not customise Android. Pretty much stock-standard stuff.

Acer's next gen Tablets will need to shed some weight to be competitive. Cheap (when on sale), excellent OS Freezes alot, very heavy

Good - when it worked! – I have to start by making the proviso that my Iconia A500 lasted ten days from new before being returned to Acer because the touchscreen became intermittent and finally unresponsive. No input = useless tablet. On the plus side Acer Sydney was very responsive, emailing aN AusPost prepaid label to return the unit, and giving a link to their site to… Read more

track progress. Full marks there.

I have an Android phone so the system was not wholly new to me, and in many ways is easier to get a handle on due to the much larger screen than the HTC smartphone. Setting up the wifi link with my router went off without a hitch in less than a minute - again, full marks.

I don't think that there's much doubt that the obvious rival, the iPad, has a better and brighter screen than the Iconia, nor that it is subjectively a little more "snappy" - ie., responsive. However the 16/9 format is more suitable for playing movies and the iPad's lack of flash support, SD memory upgradeability and USB sockets made the Iconia, for me, the only choice.

My main criticisms are to do with the physical layout of the unit. The power switch is unhelpfully placed right opposite the charging socket, which means that you have to be very careful not to inadvertently switch off when inserting the charging plug and bracing the Iconia at the other end. The volume control is awkward to find and use, being quite a small rocker switch - yet only too easy to hit by mistake when turning the Iconia around!

Many have commented on the weight of the Iconia, but I feel that their problem is probably more to do with its thin, rather slippery feel than the odd hundred grams over the opposition. It IS not the easiest tablet to hold in position, and does try and get away from you when held at an angle or even when lying flat on anything smooth. I have ordered a case, which will hopefully make the thing a lot more usable.

And the length of the power cord. Well! what can you say - any shorter and they wouldn't have been able to solder the plug onto the end!

If you don't fancy an iPad together with its associated Apple lock-in, then - if the touchpad doesn't give up the ghost - the Iconia is probably the best of the rest. SD memory upgradeability, USB socket, Flash support, good sound Buttons awkwardly placed, screen extremely dim outdoors.

Exactly what the doctor ordered – A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. From the moment it came out the box and has been cradled lovingly in my arms ever since - this tablet is perfection. After months of researching which would be 'the one', the Acer Iconia Tab stood out from the rest in build, performance, features and style. The screen, the camera, the OS - wow, wow, WOW. The experts whinged… Read more

about the 'hefty' weight...well raspberries to them because if your arms can't support a measly 730g - I say you've got bigger problems. It's so easy to use, personalise and generally run your life from.

There's nothing even remotely negative I have to say for this tablet but if I must heed a word of advice - get yourself a hard case when you purchase one. The sleek metal exterior will be one you will want to guard with your life. Dream to use, a bargain for its feature-packedness, life's complete when you have one

Excellent value for money – I purchased an Acer A500 tablet and I am really happy with my purchase. Easy to use with android operating system, once you get used to layout and design. Lightweight, and accessories are excellent as well. Purchased a cover that can be used as a soft stand as well as hard stand. Easy to read, now use this more than my smartphone once I get it… Read more

back from other family members! Inexpensive, connects to wireless quickly Support team can be slow, but easy to deal with

Excellent - couldn't be happier! – I recently bought the A500 16 gig tablet after researching all the various ones. So far the performance, display, cameras, storage and overall quality has been great. Unlike many of the others this one has USB port so transferring data and files between tablet and PC is a breeze. The reviews say that this tablet is a bit on the heavy side. I… Read more

haven't really noticed it but others might I guess. Also, the price of this tablet (I paid $386 @ Harvey norman) compared to the rest is excellent. If you are new to tablets and don't want to spend a fortune, then you wont be disappointed with this one. Value for money tablet with excellent features. Love it! Not compatible with Java but I don't think any of them are from what I could find out.