The smaller end of the tablet market is getting bigger. Previously the island of misfit slates, the 7-inch class of tablets has turned into an arms race of fantastic gadgets at consumer-friendly prices. Google's Nexus 7, Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, and Barnes & Noble's Nook HD are prime examples. And, of course, Apple is expected to jump in with an iPad Mini next week.
Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Acer has a new 7-inch slate, too. The company announced the new Iconia Tab A110 on Thursday. The A110 will go on sale Oct. 30 for $230 -- $30 more than the base price of the Nexus 7, Fire HD or Nook HD. Like all three of those competing tablets, the new Iconia Tab features a 7-inch display. But, unlike those three, the A110 doesn't have a high-definition display, instead falling just short of 720p with a 1024 x 600 pixel screen.
However, the A110 will be shipping with Google's latest version of Android, 4.1 Jelly Bean. Until now, the only other 7-incher with Google's flagship OS has been the Nexus 7. Inside, the A110 is powered by Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. It comes with just 8GB but built-in storage, but there is a microSD card slot for those looking for more on-board space to store movies, music, photos and apps. There's also a built-in microHDMI port for hooking the A110 to a TV -- something the Fire HD also has.
While we would have preferred a true 720p display (or better) on the A110, the essential ingredients for a solid device all seem to be in place here -- except for that $230 price tag. Granted, that's not much more than $200 price of the competition, but it sure does feel like Acer is asking for a little bit more money for just a bit less tablet. Still, we'll reserve judgment until we can get our hand on one and do some testing.
