Almost one year with the awesome Acer Iconia Tab A500!

[Overmind One]

To be honest, Acer has some good low to mid range tablets but their laptops and desktops still are not very good quality. Right now for example in the world of laptops the two highest quality OEMs are Apple (spit) and Lenovo. Apple looks slick and I love the metal unibody construction but OSX is crap. Lenovo has a plainer look but they are solid as a rock and (especially the ThinkPads) really "get" what a keyboard on a laptop should do.

In the past Lenovo tablets were rather meh but their latest lineup looks like they may be getting it now (especially the Helix).

I hope you are aware that Lenovo no longer is associated with IBM...their enterprise products suck big time But I think you should take another look at Acer. I am typing this on my Acer Aspire 23" Touch screen computer. This one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer---...rive/7459066.p?id=1218846429935&skuId=7459066

This thing ROCKS. It has an i5 processor, 6gb DDR3, a 1TB hard drive, and the touch screen is multitouch. It lays almost flat like a tablet and you can do serious work on it as well as serious gaming. As far as Apple, I give them an A+ on design and materials, but a D on being a computer you can really use for business. Using an Apple in an office environment for business is like trying to use AOL for your business email. They are a nightmare for enterprise-level IT administrators like me. They cannot be fully secured using network policies, they are not fully connectable with network printers, they require different, less functional software alternatives to standard stuff like Office and Outlook even when you buy the Office for MAC product.

 

[Joelist]

Lenovo hasn't been associated with IBM for years. And really they have kept the ThinkPad quality up and actually improved on it in part - IBM had a BAD habit of putting older slower hardware in the ThinkPads but the Lenovo ones have top shelf components. The Helix looks very interesting in their new tablet line also.

Incidentally, they are now the #1 PC maker in the world:

http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24213513

 

[YJ02]

Yes, I remember. Now, they are rated at number one, two or three consistently...where HP and Compaq used to be. This tablet was a sort of "look at me!" device for them. When it was released (and even now), it is one of the few tablets which has a FULL SIZED usb port as well as a micro USB and micro HDMI, expandable SD card and an aluminum housing. The construction of this thing rivals Apple. And hardly anyone knows about it! But now, people have discovered it and they are being snapped up left and right. I snagged one from Amazon two days ago for only $130.00, and if I see more of them I will get yet another one for work. People do not realize that with VM View or Splashtop 2 Desktop, you can run a computer which serves virtual machines of Windows 8, and connect to them and have Windows 8 on the tablet as though it were running natively. All touch functions enabled. Tablets may have not yet seen their future...as THIN CLIENTS. They are perfect for this. Just the same way PADDs are used on Star Trek, where the processor and data storage is on the Main Computer and not on the PADD. The PADD is merely a thin client which accesses the data/media from another main device.

I am happy you have what you like and find what you need.

I don't know what it is-maybe I am just too uber practical, but I just do not see a "need" or want for something like this. My daughter had a smart pad thingy whatever for awhile, to me it was just a magnet for spending more money on apps and such, all on a piece of equipment she couldn't even type up a homework paper on .

But I do not see a need or want for much-I live in PA and probably one of the few people who thinks ATV's/4 wheelers are silly and a waste of big bucks. If it doesn't have a clear purpose and can fit a function of daily necessity, I see no reason to get it. My cell phone is still a "dumb one" as well

I am not against the stuff, just don't need/want it.

 

[Overmind One]

I am happy you have what you like and find what you need.

I don't know what it is-maybe I am just too uber practical, but I just do not see a "need" or want for something like this. My daughter had a smart pad thingy whatever for awhile, to me it was just a magnet for spending more money on apps and such, all on a piece of equipment she couldn't even type up a homework paper on .

Exactly. I use my tablet like a PADD at work. I use it to bring up data on computers I am sitting at like the specs, the reports as to when I worked on it last, my Zendesk trouble tickets, my company email, and to make video inter-office calls or Skype video calls. You dont just sit with a tablet and try to do your real work on it, but for work it replaces completely the clipboard. I predict that the clipboard will go the way of typewriters and adding machines. They will replace the doctor's medical records folders, they will be used for analyzing xrays and cat scans, and they are already being used in stores for inventory and cataloging. I will have two matching Iconia Tabs which I can pull independent data up on, and have them each displaying separate data...

But I do not see a need or want for much-I live in PA and probably one of the few people who thinks ATV's/4 wheelers are silly and a waste of big bucks. If it doesn't have a clear purpose and can fit a function of daily necessity, I see no reason to get it. My cell phone is still a "dumb one" as well

I am not against the stuff, just don't need/want it.

I totally get that...I envy the simplicity of your lifestyle. I would LOVE to be able to actually grow my own food. The closest I get to that is growing the cat grass for my little lions in window planters. But my reality is needing to stay on the sharpest edge of "cutting edge" because of the company I work for and my responsibility to knowing what is available. The touch screen computer was driven by that purpose, to truly immerse myself in Windows 8 and the touch experience. It takes a lot of getting used to, but it is getting better.

 

[YJ02]

Exactly. I use my tablet like a PADD at work. I use it to bring up data on computers I am sitting at like the specs, the reports as to when I worked on it last, my Zendesk trouble tickets, my company email, and to make video inter-office calls or Skype video calls. You dont just sit with a tablet and try to do your real work on it, but for work it replaces completely the clipboard. I predict that the clipboard will go the way of typewriters and adding machines. They will replace the doctor's medical records folders, they will be used for analyzing xrays and cat scans, and they are already being used in stores for inventory and cataloging. I will have two matching Iconia Tabs which I can pull independent data up on, and have them each displaying separate data...

View attachment 28381



I totally get that...I envy the simplicity of your lifestyle. I would LOVE to be able to actually grow my own food. The closest I get to that is growing the cat grass for my little lions in window planters. But my reality is needing to stay on the sharpest edge of "cutting edge" because of the company I work for and my responsibility to knowing what is available. The touch screen computer was driven by that purpose, to truly immerse myself in Windows 8 and the touch experience. It takes a lot of getting used to, but it is getting better.

I totally get the reason why and how a pad would be very useful in your work. Not having to split screens or open another browser, etc, on the PC you are working on would be quite convenient

When I was a surveyor in the army, it was during the long transition from manual angle turning and distance measuring (those damned laser measuring units just never worked (the survey accuracy required ones-not the targeting laser designators)) to the legal document of the number 2 penciled "recorder's book" (which is still required by convention and law for all survey field data to be hand recorded in a paper log book) then the data transferred to the team member(s) who computed the data on huge formulaic forms with the use of logarithmic tables and handhel programmable calculators. When the new equipment came along that replaced some of these (like a data device that stored all of the logarithmic tables in it instead of a paper book) it was a great improvement

Of course though the one achilles heel to all of this stuff-the new PADS and all other devices-for war or peace-is power requirements. No batteries or power grid and you just have a expensive paper weight

Just think back to the last power outage you were in and how powerless/helpless you may have felt and how stupid all of our "smart" devices suddenly become without power in sufficient amounts. It is our societal achilles heel this spiffy power grid of ours, isn't it?

 

[Overmind One]

I totally get the reason why and how a pad would be very useful in your work. Not having to split screens or open another browser, etc, on the PC you are working on would be quite convenient

When I was a surveyor in the army, it was during the long transition from manual angle turning and distance measuring (those damned laser measuring units just never worked (the survey accuracy required ones-not the targeting laser designators)) to the legal document of the number 2 penciled "recorder's book" (which is still required by convention and law for all survey field data to be hand recorded in a paper log book) then the data transferred to the team member(s) who computed the data on huge formulaic forms with the use of logarithmic tables and handhel programmable calculators. When the new equipment came along that replaced some of these (like a data device that stored all of the logarithmic tables in it instead of a paper book) it was a great improvement

Of course though the one achilles heel to all of this stuff-the new PADS and all other devices-for war or peace-is power requirements. No batteries or power grid and you just have a expensive paper weight

Just think back to the last power outage you were in and how powerless/helpless you may have felt and how stupid all of our "smart" devices suddenly become without power in sufficient amounts. It is our societal achilles heel this spiffy power grid of ours, isn't it?

Well, not really...that is the beautiful thing. In reality, all of the digital infrastructure in the United States could be run entirely on a combination of solar and fuel cell technology. Our societal achilles heel is the fact that private companies can deny our access to free power by either making the devices/equipment to do it illegal, or by filing patents for all such technologies and then never releasing it. With this solar charger array found on Amazon for $135.00, you can charge your cellphone or laptop or tablet:

http://www.amazon.com/sCharger-5-Pe...1374048782&sr=1-5&keywords=solar+cell+charger

Also, in the cities, you will see them swapping out all of the stop lights, streetlamps and other public lighting with LED lighting which is brighter and cleaner in wavelengths. AND bugs dont particularly like them. This swap results in almost an 80% drop in power consumption. I now burn three single high power LED lamps bounced off the ceiling to light my livingroom. Each floor lamp consumes .05 watt My electric bill has dropped 70%. LED headlamps are now on bikes and cars and they can be powered by simple motion like the wheel turning.

 

[Backstep]

I am happy you have what you like and find what you need.

I don't know what it is-maybe I am just too uber practical, but I just do not see a "need" or want for something like this. My daughter had a smart pad thingy whatever for awhile, to me it was just a magnet for spending more money on apps and such, all on a piece of equipment she couldn't even type up a homework paper on .

But I do not see a need or want for much-I live in PA and probably one of the few people who thinks ATV's/4 wheelers are silly and a waste of big bucks. If it doesn't have a clear purpose and can fit a function of daily necessity, I see no reason to get it. My cell phone is still a "dumb one" as well

I am not against the stuff, just don't need/want it.

I to do not have a need for the type of tablets or convertibles like the ones posted. I have a tab designed for multimedia and reading news, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. With the news apps you don't get all the clutter of ads and auto-play video you get with a browser. As HTML5 gets integrated more and more Adobe flash is a thing of the past. I can stream movies and TV from my Amazon Prime and Netflix accounts, with the HDMI dongle watch them on any HDMI TV or use the TV as a monitor.

As with anything in life you need to find the device that fits your particular needs and wants.

 

[Overmind One]

I to do not have a need for the type of tablets or convertibles like the ones posted. I have a tab designed for multimedia and reading news, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. With the news apps you don't get all the clutter of ads and auto-play video you get with a browser. As HTML5 gets integrated more and more Adobe flash is a thing of the past. I can stream movies and TV from my Amazon Prime and Netflix accounts, with the HDMI dongle watch them on any HDMI TV or use the TV as a monitor.

As with anything in life you need to find the device that fits your particular needs and wants.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Acer Iconia Tab 10.1 are similar devices and I use them the same way you do. I also stream movies and such on it. But this Iconia Tab A500 is not a new device...it is an early flagship model (2 years ago) which was designed to place Acer back in the game, and they packed it with features which are still not available on most tablets today. One of them being the full sized USB port (in addition to a mini USB), and the other being aluminum backing and 5mp rear facing camera, as well as the HD video and camera capability. It has a mini HDMI port as well, and does not need a dongle. With the ScreenShare app, you dont even need a connection via HDMI, unless you dont have a smart tv. Also, unlike the Samsung, the Acer has an easily accessible, micro SD expansion port which supports up to 32gb additional space.

This tablet came out in 2011, and the reason I am raving about it is because of the incredible value you get for the money. It was priced at a point where Acer was not making a lot of money on it...their goal was to stick their feet into the market with a splash. As a result, people got a high end tablet for a midrange price. Resale value for these tablets is still more than 70%.

http://androidadvices.com/acer-iconia-tab-a500-samsung-galaxy-tab-101-tablet/

The A500 even compares directly with the Samsung Galaxy 2 Tab, with the battery rating being much better for the Samsung...but the rest of it is mostly on par, despite it being more than three years older:

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/co...-2-10.1,Acer-ICONIA-TAB-A500/phones/6962,5233

 

[YJ02]

Well, not really...that is the beautiful thing. In reality, all of the digital infrastructure in the United States could be run entirely on a combination of solar and fuel cell technology. Our societal achilles heel is the fact that private companies can deny our access to free power by either making the devices/equipment to do it illegal, or by filing patents for all such technologies and then never releasing it. With this solar charger array found on Amazon for $135.00, you can charge your cellphone or laptop or tablet:

http://www.amazon.com/sCharger-5-Performance-Sunlight-Extremely-Reliable/dp/B003ZFQUWO/ref=sr_1_5?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1374048782&sr=1-5&keywords=solar cell charger

View attachment 28387

Also, in the cities, you will see them swapping out all of the stop lights, streetlamps and other public lighting with LED lighting which is brighter and cleaner in wavelengths. AND bugs dont particularly like them. This swap results in almost an 80% drop in power consumption. I now burn three single high power LED lamps bounced off the ceiling to light my livingroom. Each floor lamp consumes .05 watt My electric bill has dropped 70%. LED headlamps are now on bikes and cars and they can be powered by simple motion like the wheel turning.

That is great and all, but I am talking more on like how our "high tension wires (or whatever the proper name for those massive power lines on steel towers we have)" are from the 60's or older and that we still string our electric and ph lines and fiber op's on dead trees

These dead trees are probably one of the weakest links in the system-one "telephone pole" snaps and it can disrupt power or other services to any size area for a decent length of time

I remember how easily we f'd up the steel girder towers in Iraq carrying their electric (same towers like we use) in DStorm-it was quite easy to do; at4 rd, tow missile or a nice mortar or arty fire for effect and "poof" snapped in half

Our lines are no better then those (ironically Iraq probably has better power lines now then we do-paid with our cash-though they are a bit behind in actual power generation

So, while there are spiffy ways to charge a cell ph or smart pad it is kinda ok--you can play word find or angry birds while watching all of you frozen foods melt and rot

That's what I mean by "achilles heel"--we keep moving forward without fixing the rickety crap all of our new tech relies on for power, delivery of data, food,etc

BUT THATS A WHOLE OTHER THREAD!

 

[Joelist]

Overmind, did you see that there is now a 10 inch Nexus?

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_10_16gb

 

[Overmind One]

Overmind, did you see that there is now a 10 inch Nexus?

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_10_16gb

That is a beautiful tablet! 2560 x 1600 resolution? COOL. But the rest of the hardware is not much of an advance over my three year old Iconia. 5mp rear camera, 1.9mp front, dual core processor, 2gb RAM. For $399, that is an average value, not great. But it is the NEXUS! Cant get more Android than that. Who makes this one? Im guessing their newly acquired Motorola?

 

[Joelist]

Samsung.

 

[Overmind One]

Well, I received my "great deal" Acer Iconia from Amazon in "new condition". It was stuck in headphone mode, and now the touch screen is not working. So, I have to return it or eat the cost. At least my original is still running like a champ. The new ones on Amazon are 300.00, so I will just go ahead and buy one of those. But I definitely want two of them as opposed to one. I find myself using it more for stuff like displaying recipes, reading email while watching movies, checking on this website, and also when people are over, you can share it like a photo album, allowing the viewer to browse the album at will. It fills a niche in my home that I did not know was there. But still, it does not yet fill the role that a laptop or ultrabook would fill. For that, I found a co-worker who has a (gasp) Macbook Pro available for $500.00. At that price, Its a go since I can bootcamp Windows on it. It is only to fill the role of a laptop, so I dont care if it is an Apple. Its an older model and I dont expect to be in OSX much.

 

[Joelist]

Hi OM!

If you hunt around you can score a Nexus 10 for less than list too. And it is pure Android.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR9.TRC1.A0.Xnexus 10&_nkw=nexus 10&_sacat=0&_from=R40
--- merged: Jul 18, 2013 at 9:37 PM ---
On my tablet front, I am waiting for Q4 this year.

In Q4 we should see Intel Haswell CPUs out in the Surface Pro, so you get the full OS not RT and even better the hardware will be excellent battery life and will demolish any other tablet in terms of speed (after all we're talking Core i7 speed here).

 

[Overmind One]

Hi OM!

If you hunt around you can score a Nexus 10 for less than list too. And it is pure Android.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR9.TRC1.A0.Xnexus 10&_nkw=nexus 10&_sacat=0&_from=R40
--- merged: Jul 18, 2013 at 9:37 PM ---
On my tablet front, I am waiting for Q4 this year.

In Q4 we should see Intel Haswell CPUs out in the Surface Pro, so you get the full OS not RT and even better the hardware will be excellent battery life and will demolish any other tablet in terms of speed (after all we're talking Core i7 speed here).

See, thats the thing...I am seeing tablets and something other than a replacement for a laptop now. I still think a laptop is the best portable form factor for doing mobile work or if traveling. But for everyday accessing of data on the internet, shopping online or reading email or the news, I am finding that the tablet is filling a new niche in my home I did not know I had. It is nice to be able to read when in the bathroom on the can. For that occasional dip in the pool or bath in the tub, you can read or watch a movie or even take or make a Skype call by voice alone. But for work, I still have not seen this really replace my laptop. Earlier in this thread when it first started, I claimed that it has replaced my laptop. It didn't. Although I can do real work using Android apps and a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, it still felt like trying to do computing on something inferior to the laptop experience. So, as it turns out, a co-worker has a two year old Macbook Pro which she is selling for $500.00 and Im gonna go for it. *GASP!* OM1 is going to buy an Apple product??? Yep. at $500.00 for a Macbook Pro which I will promptly bootcamp to run Windows 7 or 8, that is a deal I cannot pass up. Still, that wont fill the niche the tablet is filling. Strange and new experience!

I am uploading an LCARS video showing the LCARS app for Android and the more extensively featured LCARS for Windows 8. It really is a fun and slick touch inteerfaxe. I never thought I would have one on my own computer, or that I would have a touch computer. Ill post it here shortly. Its about 50% uploaded, and it is 512mb. The LCARS app made the touch more fun to use in Windows 8.

 

[Gatefan1976]

I am finding that the tablet is filling a new niche in my home I did not know I had.

Hell, you even said it twice!!

MARKETING WIN!!!!!

 

[Bluce Ree]

I am finding that the tablet is filling a new niche in my home I did not know I had.

Creating exciting new adventures for the crew of the Enterprise through torment and confusion by mysteriously controlling their ship from the comfort of your livingroom.

Fun stuff you can do on your PC and Tablet.