We’ve been playing with the Acer Iconia Tab A500 for over a week now and I must say this is a pretty decent Honeycomb tablet and probably the cheapest dual-core tablet in the Philippines with street prices as low as Php18,500.
The Iconia A500 is actually the first dual-core Honeycomb tablet to be released in the Philippines, sporting an NVidia Tegra 2 chipset. The Asus Transformer and the Samsung Galxy Tab 10.1 have been announced and previewed with the members of the media several months ago but have not yet been sold to the general public.
This 10-inch tablet isn’t the thinnest or lightest we’ve tested in its category but Acer managed to put in a decent effort with their first Honeycomb tablet and at a price point that’s very affordable (currently the cheapest) to most consumers looking for one. And for those who just want a taste of Honeycomb to play with (read: hack) and not put a big dent on the wallet, this could be the appropriate device.
And since the Iconia A500 is powered by an NVidia Tegra 2 chip, expect a slew of really nice HD games on the tablet that’s close to the quality of console games. Of course, that will still depend on how good the display is — and IMO, the Iconia A500 does it well enough (a bit washed out and hard to use outdoors even at brightest settings).
Acer Iconia Tab A500
10.1″ capacitive display @ 1280×800 pixels
NVidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor
16GB & 32GB internal storage
HDMI port (1080p output)
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
Acer UI 4.5
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1,
GPS w/ aGPS support
HDMI with Dual Display
USB Host
microSD slot
micro USB port
5MP rear camera w/ flash
2MP front-facing camera
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
I wanted to do a full review of the unit in its stock form but this one that I borrowed was loaded with a custom ROM. If you want to check out the details of the tablet, I’ll just point you to the review over at Gizmo Owl (the nice dude who lent us this unit).
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 has a suggested retail price of Php21,900 for the 16GB and Php23,900 for the 32GB but you can get units for as low as Php18,500 on cash purchases. Until the Asus Transformer and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 finally arrives, looks like the Iconia A500 will be our only choice for a Honeycomb tablet.
*troll*
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I like this better than the previous gadget of its kind.
sir yuga, yung Iconia Tab A501 po ang may sim card slot diba?
@prosopagnosia11 – yup, but looks like Acer is not bringing them here.
Baka kc mag babayad pa sa ntc si acer if they release Acer iconia A501 here
even notebooks or tablets in this matter pay NTC fees due to their Wi-Fi adapters.
what are your thoughts about this Tab sir yuga??
reviews in YouTube gave this gadget very positive feedbacks..
hmmm. dba may extra fees and a new registration rin for a tab with GSM + WIFI compare to wifi only products
wow this is really cheaper than the other dual core honeycomb… I want to have one!
Watch on You Tube the Acer Iconia Tab A500 review by stevechippy. Watch and learn.
This thing looks heavy as i see it in the picture unless it is made of plastic.
3.1 Update is up already. So resizable widget are ok.
will appreciate name of store where you can buy iconia at 18.5k cash. Likewise name of store in Galle for 14k.
ironically, in the US, the ASUS transformer should be $50 dollars cheaper than the ACER iconia tab.
Taxes, taxes, its all about the taxes
Asus Transformer vs Acer Iconia pls :)
One feature that iPad competitors can’t touch is battery life. Standby time of one month?! Of course, you’d have to be crazy to put your iPad on standby for one month. But I digress… How’s the battery life on this baby, Abe?
sana ma-ipost din dito kung saan pwede mabili ng 18,500 or below itong Acer Iconia kase I’m really interested at ito na nga ang hinihintay kong Honeycomb version na tablet…
+1 I am calling shops left and right asking for the cash price option of 18.5. Sadly wala akong mahanap. All I know is Electroworld has this for sale at 21,900 cash, straight or 0% installment up to 6mos.
ang alam ko 19995 cash sa pccorner as per tipidpc ad. Best magsamasama tayong bibili para lower price. looks like 18.5k is a pipe dream.
Hi, will the windows version of this tablet, the W500, have the hardware requirement of the upcoming windows 8?
i’d love to get my hands on it and play around with custom roms and games and videos, 16gb is enough for me and i believe this is one heck of a deal
SWABE!
Wow! Only Php 18,500?!? I want one!
I saw one at a shop at Robinson’s Galleria selling for 14k only.
What is the name of the shop sir?
Wow with this specs at 14K. Very competitive. Sang store po sir.
is that true? sobrang mura naman ata nun…hindi ba china un?hehe!
how many people really need a fancy tablet. almost all features of a tablet overlaps with a smartphone and laptop. these devices are merely fad. Manufacturers sell this because laptop and smartphone has reached saturation.
I find the SMS (phone features) a bit insignicant on tablets. So you send out an SMS, put your tablet back on your bag, and while walking you receive a reply in the middle of the road. Will you take it out?
The best solution is a good PC suite of the phone you currently have to run on the tablet so you could pair them both. One reason why I love Nokia and its suite. I could do that seamlessly once paired.
SMS function can be used for prepaid broadband users who would want to check their balances from time to time. I’am currently on SBW’s Plan 350 for 40hr/mo and I have no way of checking it using the iPad.
Making phone calls is absurd but SMS can be a Godsend.
My uncle uses his Galaxy Tab as his primary phone. Bluetooth headset for calls, big screen for sms, etc.
If this has the same specs as Samsung Tab P1000 (with SMS and phone capabilities) I will really consider this one….
But if thats the case…. a 10.1 tablet phone?!
Hmmm i might go for 7″ Samsung Tab… heheheheh
sms & Phone capabilities? lol! i have dozen of devices to support that! lol! this is honeycomb man!out of the box 10.1 screen! a dual core tegra device! gtab! is far far far away from this! pity to those who buy gtab earlier! now its time for you to swap or trade in that gtab! lol!