yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Acer Iconia A500] gordec:
So I'm really liking it now. The screen's viewing angle is great, and I found this in the Settings.

In Settings->About tablet it states:

Model number - A500

Android version - 3.0.1

Kernel version - 2.6.36.3-00001-gf991e5d

Build number - Acer_A500_1.016.04_COM_GEN1

Going into the About Device menu shows something different:

FLEX Version - 04_COM_GEN1

Product SKU - 3G

Device info version - 1.0

Manufacturer - Acer

Model ID - A501

This may mean the hardware is actually built in to support 4G just need to enable it.

I tried to put my ATT 3G sim in there but the slot is too big. I assume the slot is for Verizon LTE 4G. I don't know if the sim sizes are different.
[Acer Iconia A500] wynand32:
I'm sure the Acer's a nice device, and for a decent enough price. It's probably what I would get if it weren't for the Transformer's keyboard dock. That just makes the Transformer a whole different class of useful for me.
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
The Acer does have a docking connector in the same location as the Eee Pad so no doubt has a docking system waiting in the wings. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we get information on that.
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
Yeah. A station. Like the Xoom has, not a keyboard dock.
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
Link please.
[Acer Iconia A500] wynand32:
Yes, this. The Transformer is clearly engineered for a keyboard dock like they've built, and without the extra anchor points I can't imagine the Acer having the same kind of option.

Let's face it: the Transformer is just a different kind of machine compared to other tablets at this point. In this case, the total really is greater than the sum of the parts--being able to use as a tablet or a very portable netbook/notebook is a great thing.
[Acer Iconia A500] huppelkutje:
Acer iconia.

The docking station + remote control for audio!!

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=56366

I orded the Acer over here. I can pick it up in 3 days. (damn easter, stores are closed :P)

About the keyboard. You can always buy a USB or bluetooth keyboard right?
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
Aw, that's a shame. ):
[Acer Iconia A500] wynand32:
You do understand that those are entirely different machines, right? The Windows Iconia is the one that supports the keyboard dock, not the Honeycomb tablet.

Edit: I see that you fixed your post. Yes, you can use a bluetooth keyboard, but of course that's not so easy to use on a lap nor does it provide roughly double the battery life.

Again, the Acer seems like a nice tablet, but it's just not the same as the Transformer. Which I think is okay to point out, since this is, of course, the Transformer forum.
[Acer Iconia A500] DeerChaser:
My Xoom screen isn't yellowed. Nor is my phone..
[Acer Iconia A500] huppelkutje:
Good point. But I have to argue on that, if you dont mind :)

The way i'm gonna use the tab, is on a couch. When i want to type loads of stuff, I will sit behind my desk/table. My point is, that (as you say) the tablets are different in use, but the keyboard is not my priority in daily use. It's just a cool add-on. A case wich makes the tablet stand up + usb keyboard does the job on my desk.
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
That's pretty much where I'm coming from as well. While the keyboard dock on the Eee Pad is a great feature, I have a laptop (and desktop) so any serious writing I do will be on one of those while the a500 is mostly for IM (outside my office) and note taking, surfing etc.

It's still kind of a shame the a500 won't have a keyboard dock but far from a deal breaker imo.

At this point, however, I'm just excited to step up from my Archos 101 (which the wife will get).
[Acer Iconia A500] knoxploration:
Perhaps more important (for my money, anyway) is the touchpad, which you don't get with bluetooth keyboards. When using a keyboard, it makes things much less efficient if you have to keep reaching away from the keyboard to make on-screen selections, which is why few laptops have touch screens (and basically none have solely a touch screen with no touchpad).
[Acer Iconia A500] starplaya93:
I'm going to be getting an ASUS laptop soon and I really want a tablet as well but I can't decide on which to get.

The xoom is out of the question b,c i'm not particularly fond of it when compared to acer or asus however out of the two I really don't know which to get...

They seem to be pretty much identical except for the fact that the asus is designed and works particularly well with a keyboard in mind however the Acer seems to have much better build quality. From what i'v read they both have really nice displays so I figure that really won't be an issue but the asus has gorilla glass which can very well be a deciding factor when you take into consideration how much damage one face down drop can do.

I also think it'd be nice to have a matching asus laptop and tablet but I don't envision myself buying the optional dock since i'm going to be using a brand new laptop, which i'd much prefer for business use while the tablet will be more for entertainment purposes. Then again, added portability and the ability to use it as a small net book does intrigue me...

One more thing that is really making me consider Asus is that they seem to be much more open to the hacking community which is huge for me since one of the first things I always do with a new device is root it...

Please keep us updated with your decision OP because i'm in the same boat...

Also if there are any advantages/disadvantages between the two tablets please let me know so I can make a better decision.
[Acer Iconia A500] Flowah:
So if I purchased a GPS nav app that stored maps locally, I'd be able to use it on the go with no data connection?
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
Correct.

GPS will work just fine.
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
Any recommendations on a good GPS app?
[Acer Iconia A500] gordec:
Copilot works great also the cheapest.

I am loving the iconia. I can charge my 4g phone through usb while tethering. Can't beat that.

Sent from HTC Inspire 4G via XDA	Premium.
[Acer Iconia A500] dotpro:
I am also considering Iconia but im sold on Asus so I don't know...

Another factor for me is that asus is cheaper than iconia, at least the 16GB model and it does not make sense to buy 32GB unit at $100 more!
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
Anyone who has the A500, how did you get it?! Every best buy ice called says they won't sell it until Monday.
[Acer Iconia A500] gordec:
First place I went to manager denied me. 2nd place manager said ok. I called the 2nd place before I went, so I would just call around.
[Acer Iconia A500] Lorimere:
Looking at both of these, here is my short take.

ACER pros: Has USB on the tablet itself, and aluminum back if you like that.

ACER cons: TF display that only supports 256K colors.

ASUS Pros: Has the IPS screen supporting better view angles and 16million colors.

The Dock of course. at 150 it is pricy, but you get 2 full USB ports, an extra battery, card reader(additional storage), and keyboard and trackpad.

Asus Cons: Have to have the dock to get the USB ports.

My personal decision is going to be the transformer, as to me (all other hardware being about the same), the screen is the most important part.
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
Sorry, 256k is nothing to sneeze at and for most, a negligible difference. If color reproduction is important for you (and bragging rights of having 16m) and you have the eyes to distinguish between the two (and not with a side-by-comparison but rather on it's own merits) then so be it but 256k for the typical user is not a con by any stretch of the imagination.
[Acer Iconia A500] Lorimere:
Not listed as a con because I think the screen will suck. This was pros and cons between the two devices. When it comes to pretty much all other hardware being equal, and the simularity in price. I think the better screen (for me) is the deciding factor.

Here at work I have friends with both the Xoom and the ipad2. Obviously I am android biased and would choose the Xoom anyway, but there is no denying that the ipad2 screen is much better. Would i really notice if they weren't side by side? a little, but not much. But if they offered the Xoom with the IPS display for the same price, who wouldn't take it?
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
I know I'd take it (;
[Acer Iconia A500] Ravynmagi:
I have an iPad and until recently a Xoom. The Xoom is a nice tablet, but I had a couple issues with it that I think are relevant to the Acer A500.

First is the screen quality. The Xoom and the A500 are not using IPS panels. Had I never owned an iPad with an IPS panel, I might think the Xoom display looked great, but I got spoiled by the quality of that IPS display and now I really notice the lesser contrast and color quality of the Xoom, along with the screen fading at angles. A500 might look better than the Xoom, but it's still not an IPS.

A non IPS display isn't a deal killer, but having that IPS display is a huge pro for me.

The second issue is weight. The Transformer is around the same weight as my iPad 1. And the A500 is about the same as the Xoom.

I am used to the weight of the iPad and am comfortable with it now. The Xoom is noticeably heavier and I was not really liking the extra bulk. Maybe in time I would adjust to the Xoom's weight. But still, the lighter the better. And so this becomes another con for the A500 for me.

Weight and screen quality are important to me. And so I am much more interested in the lighter Transformer with it's IPS display, than I am in the Xoom or A500. But also a bit torn between the Transformer and the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has the PLS display which is suppose to be even better than the IPS. And it's even a tiny bit lighter than the iPad 2, which I think is about 80 grams lighter than the iPad 1 or Transformer.

The Transformer and Galaxy Tab 10.1 both share a con in not having a USB port on the tablet. I can live with it (the pro from screen quality and weight outweigh this con easily for me).

Between the Transformer and Galaxy Tab 10.1, a pro for the Transformer is the keyboard dock. It's like a external battery, keyboard, dock, and case all in one.

A con for Samsung is their reputation for rolling out updates very slowly. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will start out as vanilla Honeycomb we hear, but TouchWiz UX will be added and then you are at the mercy of Samsung's rather slow update schedule (though I'm sure the XDA community will do a fine job working around the issue).

ASUS I have no idea who good or bad they'll be with keeping the tablet updated with the latest updates for Android. But I can't imagine they'll be too bad. The UI changes seem to be pretty basic, while TouchWiz UX is very elaborate.

So I think I've done a good job convincing myself to pick the Transformer. Though I really do love how light and thin the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is going to be. But the Transformer is available next week, has the nice keyboard dock, and is $100 cheaper. And the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is still about 6 weeks off.
[Acer Iconia A500] starplaya93:
yeah, as of now i'm pretty much decided on the transformer.

The only thing i'm worried about is build quality because i'v seen quite a few reviews mention that it's not the greatest.
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
My favorite thing about the Transformer is that ASUS has already put out a firmware update, even Motorola hasn't done that yet for the Xoom.

That gives me great hope that they will be quick with their updates.

Of course, they are also extremely good about keeping their mobos up to date as well.
[Acer Iconia A500] starplaya93:
a lot of reviews say that Asus made some very minor tweaks to the UI but the few that they did make hit the spot and actually made the device more functional. I've read two or three reviews stating that.

I'm also considering the galaxy tab but for some reason I can't help but want the transformer more... Probably because i'm getting a asus laptop and the ocd in me wants to have a matching tablet. lol
[Acer Iconia A500] SlimDan22:
One of the main reasons i got the Transformer, it already has a thread way before the Iconia

Plus i think the price will make the Transformer popular in the community, just look at the Nook Color, very inexpensive and a lot of support
[Acer Iconia A500] madsquabbles:
i'm quite sure of this. i work in printing and you'd be surprised how little people notice.

makes you wonder why so many swear over 1080p vs 720p when they can't tell a 100 dpi image vs 300 dpi image, and difference is bigger than 720 vs 1080.
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
I know I can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. I also know many other people who can do the same...
[Acer Iconia A500] Fubar65:
To the OP:

I am quite interested in this and the transformer, haven't really made up my mind yet, although I went to Best Buy today hoping to see if they had the Acer already.

Anyways, the Clear.fi looks interesting, how has it been working for you if you have been using it, and are you able to use it with your Android smartphone?

Also, how is the sound on the Acer? I saw on a video that it had Dolby speakers, but haven't seen that really described on any other sites, etc.

Thanks in advance.
[Acer Iconia A500] madsquabbles:
That's because we have better eyeballs than most people.:p

It gets frustrating trying to prove to a customer that a 72 dpi image will not print as good as a clean hi-res photo. Even after showing samples they can't see the difference:confused:

I'll probably take a look at the iconia tomorrow. Perhaps they've done a few tricks to make the display perform better than the xoom. The xoom has terrible ghosting btw.
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
That's a pretty broad statement. If you took a native 3000x3000 @ 300dpi image and down sampled it to 3000x3000 @ 72dpi you wouldn't be able to tell. Ever.

If you took a 500x500 @ 72dpi image and upscaled it to 3000x3000 - no amount of dpi change would make it look better. Color points will scale up so obviously, one would see the immediate difference.

Just like native 1080 down sampled for a 720 screen versus 720 signal upscaled on a 1080 screen. The 720 screen might not interpret native 1080 as well but that has everything to do with the hardware you're looking at, not the difference between the two resolutions.
[Acer Iconia A500] madsquabbles:
no crap, the number of pixels are the same. but a 10"x10"@300dpi will print better than a 10"x10"@72dpi. this is what I have a hard time showing to designers. explaining is one thing but even showing them the difference of a touched up low res vs a full res photo and they don't see a difference is amazing.

I have to go through this at least twice a week with customers. we once went so far as to send the customer a press proof to show them and they still couldn't see what we were talking about.

basically, pixel density is what I try to explain. it's sad when some of the guys you work with argue over 720 vs 1080 when they can't tell when a photo has been printed in low resolution (native size @ under 300dpi - though it is hard to tell at above 200 dpi)

I tried yesterday at 2 bb to see if they'd sell an Iconia early. one had no clue what I was talking about, the other said he couldn't - hell he even recommended the transformer but couldn't give me a firm date but did point me to asus' fb page about the launch. at least he was one of the few who kept up with tech.

kinda sucks they close for this holiday. would have been nice to compare the xoom and iconia side by side.
[Acer Iconia A500] gammaRascal:
There you go again making a generalization.

Yes there would be a difference between a 3000x3000 72dpi print *IF* you upscaled that image from a lower resolution native 72dpi source. That's more to the point. But, like I said (and you're obviously aware of) If you down sample a 3000x3000 300dpi to 3000x3000 72dpi, there would be no discernible difference between the two when printed. Period.

Your generalization leaves too much room for misinterpretation. A blanket statement like the quote above is technically incorrect. It's the variables that matter - just like (check out this segue) being able to see the difference between 1080 and 720 - its less about the resolution and more about the source and medium.

(bringing me to the TN vs IPS)

While I would never suggest that one is better than the other, they are different and each has their own pros and cons - for some it's visual, for others it's cost. Where one places importance is purely subjective (not everybody's eyes are the same either) and circumstantial (not everybody needs or cares to read at beyond +/- 15 degrees off 90.

I'm just saying... too much hyperbole going on.
[Acer Iconia A500] Dan76:
Just in case you haven't seen it on the other posts yet... BB just send out an email to their subscribers for the Iconia A500 and have a site up for order.
[Acer Iconia A500] gordec:
The speaker sounds good, but again it's positioned on the lower back of the tablet, so if you lay it down, it will sound muffled. I haven't tried Clear.fi yet. Will get back to you when I do.

Right now I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to USB tether my phone to it. Wifi hotspot works well but USB tether saves a little more battery and based on my past experience improves speed a little.
[Acer Iconia A500] donatom3:
When you're saying 3000 x 3000 at 72 dpi or 300 dpi are you saying 3000" x 3000" or 3000 pixels x 3000 pixels? Because you know if you're saying 3000 pixels x 3000 pixels the resolution is already set, and the only thing that affects the dpi is how large you print it. Here is a calculator for this http://tiporama.com/tools/pixels_inches.html. For example that 3000 x 3000 pixel image is 300 dpi at 10" x 10", but only 75 dpi at 40" x 40" Personally when I had my short stint in preflight for printing I found most designers didn't think about print dpi when they were designing their files, they only worried about on screen.

Now the 256k vs 16 million color thing. The major difference betwen those two is the range of colors the 16 million color display can reproduce vs 256k. In general the 256k color screen looks fine until you put it side by side with a 16million color display. 256k reproduces enough of the color range that to most people it is unnoticeable unless in direct comparison with a 16 million color display. Now a 65k color screen is much more noticeable without a direct comparison because of the color banding issues.
[Acer Iconia A500] madsquabbles:
Thank you. This is what I mean about having a hard time. We show them math and samples and they still argue.

But getting too off topic now.

Today is the first time I've used my xoom in desktop ua. Man these things are getting closer to net books! I think I may get the iconia tomorrow if I have time, or at least play with it.

Bb really isn't promoting this very much. No mention of it in the sales today.
[Acer Iconia A500] donatom3:
Yeah you can order it via their website for in store pickup. Of course I doubt you can pickup today, but atleast you could pre order if you were paranoid that they'd sell out.
[Acer Iconia A500] r34p3rex:
Were there any FCC filings for the Iconia? If it did indeed ship with a LTE radio, it must've gotten approval first
[Acer Iconia A500] anothermbdusted:
://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=1434915

put the https befor it for the link to the fcc filings
[Acer Iconia A500] TheCougar:
Haven't seen this stated anywhere in this forum but doesn't the Acer tablet have a flash for the rear camera while the Asus doesn't? Or does the Asus have a flash? it didn't look like it did from the photos.
[Acer Iconia A500] knoxploration:
Don't know about the Acer as I'm not interested in that model (got one of their high-end notebooks which was a great purchase, though), but the Asus definitely *doesn't* have a flash for either camera.
[Acer Iconia A500] jamerican413:
The Acer does have an LED flash for their rear camera.
[Acer Iconia A500] lou0611:
http://www.androidcentral.com/yes-asus-eeepad-transformer-has-gps-united-states
[Acer Iconia A500] VitaZora:
I bought the Iconia on Monday and I can say definitively that bluetooth keyboards will not work with the device. I tried both my apple and a generic keyboards and while both were recognized by the Iconia neither would actually work. That was very disappointing and the reason I took mine back to Best Buy.

I also found that, on mine anyway, that the usb port was difficult to use. It seemed to grab onto any plug and I had to basically wrench them out with a lot of forceful yanking - not good. I thought I was going to break the port at one point. Don't know if it was unique to my unit or generic to all.

The 2 other things I didn't like about it is the flimsy plastic sd card cover and the power/sleep button. The power button seemed to be unresponsive at times and almost recessed into the frame.

I could have lived with all of it though had the bluetooth keyboards worked. . . it felt good to hold my hands and has a very responsive touchscreen.
[Acer Iconia A500] anstelios:
My Palm 3245WW bluetooth keyboard works great with Iconia.

You just have to type 0000 and Enter on bt keyboard when they are trying to pair.

I m pretty sure its a similar case with the keyboards you tried. You should press the correct key on your keyboard.

Its a good thing you returned it though because it was something broken on yours for sure. Mine does not have any issues at all with the usb port or with the power button!

Its a great device! We need the dedicated thread !!!
[Acer Iconia A500] prflow:
Yesterday I bought a a500 and the android market has no tablet apps or paid apps need help
[Acer Iconia A500] VitaZora:
Yes, I tried to pair using the 0000 and enter. I am pretty familiar with pairing bluetooth keyboards so that's not the problem - so maybe it was a hardware issue with the Iconia.

It's good to hear that you had no problems with the usb port or power key. I might go back to best buy and try to pair my keyboard with the display model and try the usb port just to make sure . . .
[Acer Iconia A500] yzlvr:
Can someone check their GPS functionality with wireless off? I cannot get the GPS working on my 2nd A500. 1st has same issue...
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
It's not going to work like that.

If you set up a route or something while on Wi-Fi, then start driving, the GPS will work as long as you don't turn it off. You can't be in the middle of nowhere with no wi-fi and try to pull up directions.

No tablet or phone can do that. They have to have a data connection. Only stand alone GPS units will work the way you want the tab to.
[Acer Iconia A500] yzlvr:
Hmm, so if you do not have wifi the GPS will not work? How come my android phone does...

I am not trying to navigate, just checking google maps accuratcy. It only says accuracy is 30meters... My ipad would navigate until it ran out of map data..

Then why does it have a GPS in it?
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
Your phone has phone data.

Turn on airplane mode and try to use maps.
[Acer Iconia A500] yzlvr:
Just turned on airplane mode on my phone and the gps still worked...

I understand that it would need map data to navigate, but if you go to google maps and it locates you with wifi & gps on, then turn off wifi, it still should be able to locate you thru the gps..
[Acer Iconia A500] yzlvr:
I just tried the navigation app and at the bottom of the screen it says searching for GPS.. will not connect to GPS.
[Acer Iconia A500] Dan76:
I've been reading about people using offline map GPS apps... CoPilot is supposed to be a good one that works without a data connection. cost $$ though. Can anyone confirm offline GPS map app for Honeycomb?
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
so your wifi and 3g/edge/4g data was all off. every bit of it?
[Acer Iconia A500] yzlvr:
Airplane mode on. GPS still locked.. my 2nd a500 GPS is not working, so I think I will return it for good... customer support was no help.
[Acer Iconia A500] Zach Alt:
no, you're missing the point...

oh nevermind
[Acer Iconia A500] wynand32:
CoPilot Live is $4.99.

$4.99.....