Acer - Iconia Tab 8 - 8" - Intel Atom - 16GB - White

I was looking for a tablet that wasn't too expensive but that was good. I love this tablet, it's light not too big but also not too small. I don't have to be squinting to read emails. I can watch videos and movies and play games on it better than in my phone. Battery time is also pretty good. Love it!!!

I like this tablet for the most part. Battery life could be better. I really like the Micro HDMI to Regular HDMI, with allows you to use your tablet on your TV for playing game or watching Netflix.

This review is based on the purchasing price and how it performed to how I use it. I picked this up about a month ago when Best Buy offered a $40 gift card with purchase. Effectively the net cost is $99.95. Based on cost and performance so far, I feel that it is a very good valued 8” tablet and would recommend it. I used it mainly for web surfing and streaming video (YouTube, TVB Americas, etc and no Netflix.) Though the screen resolution is 1280 x 800, it is clear and quite bright (see photo). I normally set the brightness at no more than 15% (bright enough indoor) and battery lasted around 7 hrs almost every charge. Full charge from 5% takes about 3 hours. The touch pad is usually accurate and fast enough. Video has no lag. As for tablet where speakers are usually the weaker components, sound and music are adequate. One very useful feature is the micro HDMI port. I can connect the Tab 8 to my Panny plasma and enjoy big screen video instead. I made these comparisons and found that the picture quality from the Tab 8 HDMI port is very close to the Sony. 1) YouTube HD video fed to plasma from a Sony S590 3D Blu ray player 2) The same HD video fed to plasma via the micro HDMI port of the Tab 8. The video is played using the YouTube app (not through YouTube.com) And the video quality on the 8” screen is not bad either. I have used the back camera but I really don’t care for it since I use SLR cameras. It worked good both still and video. Bar code reader worked good. I guess the bad part is that the pre-loaded apps cannot be removed. The speakers are located at edge opposite to the front camera. Usually video is watched with tablet in landscape orientation like a HDTV, this makes the speakers totally off to either right or left, making any stereo sound effect useless.

I was looking for a tablet for my 6 and 8 year old kids when I stumbled across this product. After a long discussion with the salesperson, and some research on cnet, I decided to get this. Actually, I bought two of them. They seem well built and they run the most up to date OS. The screen is vibrant and clear, with good contrast. They are fast and responsive. Why not 5 stars? They are full of bloatware that cannot be easily removed. The interface is not as good as the Galaxy Tab. 4 1/2 stars - sure. I do think it is a great buy.

In the tough market of tablets, this Acer Iconia holds its own. I purchased it to watch movies and light gaming but I've been impressed by its performance and reliability. Much of it can probably be attributed to the stable Kit Kat OS it has but I have enjoyed it. Watching movies with VLC player has no lag even for larger files. Hooks up to the tv via hdmi so that is definitely a plus. Also has a micro SD card slot which I used as well. The screen is beautiful. The picture-taking ability is not quite up to par but I don't take pics with my tablet anyway. The speaker(s) are not very loud but when using headphones, it is more than enough. For its price point, it is quite a bargain. I was able to find one for $99 and although I've seen it at $140, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I recommended it for everyone unless you are into very graphics- intensive gaming.

Pros - Speed, Performance, Display, SD card slot for add on memory and a mini USB port (never tried) Cons - Power Pin is a bit awkward, does't go in smoothly like any other tablet or phones.

I was skeptical of purchasing 3 of these tablets at Christmas. I always thought of Acer as a more budget brand of computers. I was wrong! The specs on these A1-840 tablets are the same or in many cases better than the other brands more expensive models. The build quality is top notch. It has a solid feel to it, not all cheap and plastic. The screen looks amazing. Colors are brilliant and bright at any angle. It runs fast and doesn't stall or lock up. Seriously nice tablet at a great price point. This is the best bang for your buck.

Nice size, speed and screen resolution. Great for music, videos, games or your favorite reading material.