Acer Iconia W700. Thoroughly
Within the existing offer of tablets animated by Windows 8, there is a segment that is clearly focused on the professional sector. This device belongs to the device Acer Iconia W700 that we have tested. Everything in this model is a step (or two) ahead of the usual tablets for the domestic market: quality, features, measurements and price.
The Acer Iconia W700 device is a full-fledged PC in tablet format. From the moment you see the bulky box that contains the product, seeing its dimensions and weight, you begin to suspect that it hides a small monster loaded with accessories inside.When unpacking the carefully packaged product, there is no longer any doubt.
h2. Acer Iconia W700 outside
On the front of the device we find a capacitive touch screen that supports up to 10 simultaneous presses, with a size of 11.6'' and a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels The effective viewing angle, 178º, is one of the best on the market. In the central area of the upper part of the frame that surrounds the screen, we have the front camera (1.3 MPx) and its power indicator. At the bottom a button for the Windows key.
On the back is the camera with the highest resolution (6 MPx), accompanied by its power indicator, located under the lens. Both are positioned to the left of the frame, looking from the rear.
On the top profile of the frame there is a switch that allows to block the orientation of the screen and two ventilation ducts. At the bottom are the speakers and a small hole to restart the equipment, which simulates the removal and reinstallation of the battery.
On the left side is the microphone, micro HDMI port, USB 3.0 port and the connection for the battery charger. On the right is the power button and a led that indicates the battery status. It also has a volume control button for the speakers and the connection for audio devices(speakers, headphones, or headset).
h2. Acer Iconia W700 inside
The heart of the tablet is a dual-core Intel Core i3-2365M processor, clocked at 1.4 GHz. This is the first point of difference from normal tablets>"
The device has 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, an unusual amount of memory in the world of home tablets, which usually come with 1 or 2 GB of RAM. The graphics controller is an Intel HD 3000, whose performance is more than sufficient for any task we want to tackle with the Acer Iconia W700.
The solid-state hard drive has a capacity of 64 GB Connection with the outside is made via Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n. The integrated battery is a 4850 mAh(LiPO) lithium polymer battery, which according to the manufacturer provides up to 8 hours of autonomy, depending on the working conditions.
All the hardware of the Acer Iconia W700 is governed by the Windows 8 Professional 64-bit operating system, which runs smoothly and perfect on the tablet.
h2. User experience
"The first sensation when putting the tablet in your hands is that it is a very heavy device to handle without being placed on a surface . A kilo of pot>"
On the legs is not a solution either, due to heat dissipation. In a test environment at 20ºC, the heat given off by the equipment is not pleasant. The dimensions and weight of the device do not provide safety when placed on the legs or lap. The Acer Iconia W700 handles properly on a table top.
The display is quick to touch and delivers truly exceptional sharpness, brightness and color for a tablet. In both the Modern UI environment and the classic desktop, the visibility of the elements is impeccable.
Regarding the performance, it must be considered very good A few moments after working with the computer, the feeling is one of be driving a laptop PC that makes Windows 8 fly. Switching between desktop environments, opening programs, viewing video, rendering graphics and any other task you can imagine, runs with the speed of an equivalent PC with similar characteristics, if not a little better.
The sound quality is reasonable, taking into account the limitations of this type of device, which integrate very small speakers. At the distance of use, watching a movie for example, the perception of sound is more than acceptable, without the need to turn up the volume too much.
Regarding image capture, both still and moving, although the rear camera has great quality within the resolution that it provides, the final results are impoverished due to the difficulty of shooting, especially photographs.
The weight of the device, coupled with the need to activate shooting with a touch on the screen, make it very difficult to obtain clear images without the help of a point of support. In video shots it is not so noticeable, since the tablet can be held with both hands. However, requires a steady hand and strength
Let's go with the battery, Achilles heel of all mobile devices. With the battery completely depleted, recovers 34% charge in 30 minutes In an hour, the battery is already at 64%. In 1 hour and 30 minutes the level is at 89%, and after 1 hour and 50 minutes we have the battery at 100%
To evaluate battery consumption, a Twitter client and a 1-hour movie have been loaded on the screen.45 min duration, thus forcing the screen not to turn off, nor the equipment to enter sleep mode. The test was carried out starting from 85% battery charge
The battery lasted watch the movie twice in a row After the first pass the battery had 55% capacity. At the end of the second pass the battery was not completely depleted. In the course of testing I opened several Modern UI applications to make things more difficult. My experience with tablets from other manufacturers and operating systems has not been as satisfactory.
h2. Equipment
The Acer Iconia W700 tablet comes standard with three accessories: base to hold the tablet that expands the number of USB ports, a keyboard Bluetooth and a leather case. Both the base and the cover allow you to adjust the working angle of the tablet.
There is also a superior model to the one used in this test, equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor and a 128 GB SSD storage unit ability.
h3. Base
Regarding the base, it is the black point that tarnishes the product Mounting the tablet on it is uncomfortable because it fits poorly, and the Space to slide the body of the Acer Iconia W700 is very tight. The slightest deformation of the plastic involves forcing the attachment points for the power outlet and the USB connector.
The base has an added drawback a bad design of the rear support, which is unsafe and false. Although it allows you to adjust the tablet horizontally and vertically, the feeling that everything can collapse at any moment is high.The base assembly and its support are out of place.
h3. Bluetooth keyboard
The keyboard that comes standard with the tablet is robust, well finished and its shapes are very pleasant. An element that will surely withstand intense work without difficulty. It has 66 keys, including four for cursor movement and the Windows key. It has the Euro symbol. As drawbacks, it should be noted that configuration is not easy and it uses batteries.
h3. Leather case
Unlike the plastic base, the case of the Acer Iconia W700 is well designed The holding system of the tablet is something hard until it is used several times, but the system to anchor the device in its angles is as simple as it is effective. It is noticeably safer than the plastic base.It protects the device well and looks elegant.
h3. Other accessories
The equipment is also delivered with a bulky power adapter of moderate weight. The connection cable is similar to the one used by the power supplies of any PC. The user manual is well designed and comprehensive. Closing set two Installation DVD (operating system and add-on software).
h2. Data sheet
- Processor : Intel Core i3 2365M 1.4 GHz
- Memory : 4 GB DDR 3
- Hard Disk : 64 GB mSATA SSD
- Display : Size: 11.6">
- Graphics card : Intel HD Graphics 3000
- Webcam : 1.3 MPx 720p (front) + 5 MPx 1080p (rear)
- Connectivity : WIFI: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n - Bluetooth: 4.0
- Connections: microHDMI - USB 3.0 - Stereo headphone jack
- Audio : 2 stereo speakers - High definition Audio, Dolby - Integrated microphone
- Battery : LiPo 4850 mAh
- Dimensions : 295 x 191 x 12.7 (mm)
- Weight : 950 gr (with battery)
- Operating System: Windows 8 Professional
h2. Acer Iconia W700, conclusions
The Acer Iconia W700 tablet is aimed at the professional market, being a high-end mobility solution that provides the best features for those pockets that can afford to purchase one of these devices.
The official price of the product is 699 euros for the tested model and 899 euros for the superior model. There are currently deals on the device on the market for slightly less, without deviating much from those numbers.
For of this tablet we have the screen quality, overall performance , some of its accessories and design. From the packaging to the cables, they exude quality.
Against, the somewhat reduced connectivity for a device of its characteristics, not only because it needs the base to have 3 USB ports , it is also that it does not have an RJ-45 connector for wired networks The plastic base leaves much to be desired. The disc included in the most basic model is somewhat fair in capacity.
Rating: 8/10
