It’s Press day at CES, which means plenty of news coming out of Las Vegas all day long. The latest is coming from Acer. Today, they announced the Iconia B1 tablet which has been in the news a lot lately. In fact, a prototype of the device was even reviewed in the past week. According to the press release the name of the device is the Acer Iconia B1-A71. It’ll be a 7-inch tablet to compete with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire.
Specs
- 7-inch WSVGA display with a 1024×600 resolution
- 8GB internal storage; Expandable via micro SD card slot
- 512MB RAM
- Mediatek dual-core 1.2GHz processor (MTK 8317T)
- Android Jelly Bean OS (not specified, but I’d assume Android 4.1)
- 0.3MP front-facing camera
- Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0
- GPS
- 2,710mAh battery
- Dimensions: 197.4mm x 128.5mm x 11.3mm
- Weighs 320g
Some of the specs look pretty good, but the RAM and display don’t look as great as the Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire. But for being a tablet under $150, It should still do okay. It is expandable to 40GB total storage (8GB built-in storage, plus 32GB micro SD storage space), which is better than most tablets. Even with only 512MB of RAM, it should still be able to do just about anything you throw at the device.
Pricing and Availability
There isn’t an exact number for the price, but Acer says that’ll cost “less than $150” which is a good target. So far only those cheap Chinese knockoffs are under $150 and they aren’t as well spec’d as this Iconia B1. And it’ll be launching later this year.
What do you think of this Iconia B1 tablet? Is it going to be your next or your first tablet? Let us know in the comments below. We also have the complete press release below for more information.
Acer Tablet Family Welcomes New Arrival For New Users
Editor’s Summary:
Acer expands tablet portfolio with its 7″ Acer Iconia B1-A71
Ideal for new users or families opting for a 2nd tablet for their children
Also easy to carry, read and explore, and powerful enough for fast media consumption – it is an excellent mobile companion for the busy executiveTAIPEI (Jan. 7, 2013) – Acer today announced the Iconia B1-A71 tablet targeted at young or new users or families looking for an additional tablet for their children. The Iconia B1 is also ideal for busy individuals seeking a convenient mobile companion. At 7 inches – the same size as a standard book page – the display is comfortable for e-reading, web browsing, playing games and watching videos.
Super Portable: The Iconia B1 is easy to hold and use in one hand, a triangular corner grip on the lower left side improves single-hand usage even more. It’s also easy to tote around in a bag or jacket at a feather-light 320 grams, making it one of the lightest 7-inch tablets in the market.
Highly Responsive Fun: To take your experience to the next level, this tablet combines a 1.2GHz dual-core processor for fast and smooth gaming, web browsing and video watching
with Android’s Jelly Bean operating system to get quickly precise answers to your search
queries and seamless browsing. For many search queries performed through VoiceSearch, you can now hear a spoken answer quickly.Fast and Free Media: Over 500 free online magazines from hundreds of publishers and top web sites are always at your fingertips thanks to Google Currents. The recently updated smart mobile app allows you to discover, read, and share your favorite new outlets, blogs and online magazine on the 7-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) capacitive display – even when offline. If you are into playing, you have more than 700,000 games and apps from the Play Store to choose from.
News releaseCapture and Share More: To top off the rich experience, the Iconia B1 comes with a frontfacing camera to engage in live chats with your friends. The camera is on the top right corner and works also when in landscape mode, allowing your friends to get into the picture during a video chat.
The Iconia B1 is an affordable entry level device to the wide family of Acer products and is designed for the everyday usage of Modern Day Explorers – in this case young explorers or busy mobile explorers. The Iconia B1 is, like its Acer family products, a device which provides the most premium experience at its price point. Available as 8GB version with the option to expand via microSDâ„¢ slot, the Iconia B1 is the ideal easy companion for tablet newbies or children while adults use their own.
The new Iconia B1 expands the Acer tablet family now offering three 10-inch Android, two 7-inch Android, one 11″ Windows 8 and one 10-inch Windows 8 Hybrid Tablets.
Pricing, Availability and Warranty
The Acer Iconia B1-A71 will be available with a starting price less than $150.Acer Iconia B1-A71 features and specs:
-Android Jelly Bean operating system
– Mediatek dual-core 1.2GHz processor (MTK 8317T)
-7-inch diagonal WSVGA capacitive multitouch screen with 1,024 x 600 resolution display
-8GB(1) of internal storage and 512MB DDR3 memory
-Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n -Bluetooth® wireless technology 4.0 -GPS
-3.5mm headset/headphone/microphone jack
-internal speaker
-microSDâ„¢ expansion slot with up to 32GB support
-front-facing 0.3-megapixel webcam
-Rechargeable 2,710 mAh battery
-micro-USB (charging and PC connect) with USB 2.0
-Dimensions: 197.4 mm x 128.5 mm x 11.3 mm
-Weight: 320 g