Acer on Friday released its Iconia Tab A100 in the U.S., the first 7-inch tablet shipping with Android 3.2.
The A100 is available in U.S. stores now and will be coming to Canada next month. A 16GB version sells for $349.99 and the 8GB will set you back $329.99; both are expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD. The devices are thus far only equipped with Wi-Fi; there are no plans to be picked up by a U.S. 3G carrier. For that, you'll need the Iconia A501, which will be released on AT&T.
The Iconia Tab A100 includes a 7-inch touch screen display with a 1,024-by-600 resolution. It comes in at 7.7-by-4.6-by-0.5-inch (HWD) and 13.9 ounces. There are two cameras: a 2-megapixel front-facing one and a 5-megapixel camera on the back.
The A100 runs a 1-GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core chipset.
Given that this is the first tablet with Android Honeycomb 3.2, it runs more of Android's 200,000 apps than rival tablets. One of the main features of the updated OS is Zoom Mode, which will optimize non-tablet apps for the larger device's screen. A July SDK update made it easier for users and developers to adjust the OS to the different screen sizes. A button in the system bar now allows users to select between two app-viewing options: stretch to fill screen and zoom to fill screen.
Prior to its release, however, Scott Main, lead tech writer for developer.android.com, asked developers with apps that already resize well to tablets to disable the screen compatability option because the new option might actually make certain apps look worse.
In reviewing the A100, PCMag said it was "one of our favorite tablets so far. It's great for watching movies, video chatting, surfing the Web and playing with apps, until its teeny-tiny battery runs out."
For more, see PCMag's full review of the Acer Iconia Tab A100 and the slideshow below.