Tablet service (secret) codes Acer Iconia Tab A500

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 can be called a tablet that has not lost its popularity to this day. Interesting design, not bad specifications and its other advantages stand out favorably against the background of most similar devices, but many do not know what its main advantages and features are, and whether it is actually worth buying it today.

Design

First of all, it is worth noting the fact that the design of the Acer Iconia Tab A500 looks quite strange compared to devices from Apple companies and Samsung, as they have a more original and thin design. Many users note that the device is quite heavy and massive, and at the same time does not differ in any thoughtful design forms. In other words, during the development of the Acer Iconia Tab A500, the company was more concerned about how to ensure the optimal screen diagonal at that time, as well as take into account the various features of the platform used. Thus, the end result was a fairly massive tablet equipped with a metal body.

Peculiarities

Dimensions, as well as a unique design, can hardly be called obvious shortcomings of the Acer Iconia Tab A500, but rather they are worth highlighting as features of this model. If we talk about a specific device that has similar technical characteristics and functionality, then one could argue that the use of such dimensions is an undoubted disadvantage of this device. But in fact, the tablet market today is simply filled with a variety of models, so users independently choose what to give their preference to - lightweight plastic devices or a thick one equipped with a reliable metal case. In particular, thanks to such a reliable design, owners will need the Acer Iconia Tab A500 less often, which is already important. Thus, there is only an additional choice in terms of the reliability of the purchased equipment, and this is quite good.

Practicality

Due to what is used metal case, Acer Iconia Tab A500 practically does not become dirty during its operation. Among other things, the metal surface is equipped with specialized laser engraving, which provides effective protection against all kinds of abrasions and scratches. Of course, such defects still appear during the operation of this equipment, but they cannot be seen on the case with the naked eye. The screen in this case gets dirty just like any other large displays, although, again, the reliable design prevents frequent repairs Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablets.

According to reviews, in terms of assembly, users note the only disadvantage of this design is the presence of a fairly large gap located between the upper end of the case and protective glass. The size of this gap is approximately 1.5 mm, as a result of which this gap is quite actively clogged with dust, as well as a variety of small particles. Of course, if you don’t look closely, nothing will be noticeable, but even the very presence of this gap, which distinguishes the tablet (10 inches), is unacceptable for many.

Dimensions

The tablet's dimensions are as impressive as its weight, as it is an order of magnitude larger and heavier than its direct competitors. Its dimensions are 260x177x13.3 mm, while it weighs this device 730 grams. For comparison, released at the same time Apple iPad 2 weighs only 601 grams.

How important is it?

It is quite inconvenient to hold this device in one hand for a long time, as the hand quickly gets tired. Holding the device with both hands at the same time becomes much more comfortable, but in fact, over time, inconveniences begin to appear if the device is held suspended while reading or watching a long video. Thus, many users say that it is better to use a specialized case that comes with this tablet (10 inches), since it will allow you to place the device on a suitable surface and easily view any files of interest.

Another option is to keep the device on your lap at all times if, for example, you want to watch a certain movie during a flight. It is for this reason that weight turns into a disadvantage over time, since it limits the operating capabilities of the Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablet.

Control

Of course, the main control element in this case is the display itself, which responds perfectly to touch and there are no problems here. Among other things, the tablet has specialized volume keys, a screen on/off button, and a separate switch that can be used to eliminate the possibility of automatic display orientation. This button is a fairly convenient innovation, as noted by many users. Situations often occur that when holding the tablet in your hands, in the event of a slight deviation, the picture begins to turn upside down. Many users disable the auto-rotate feature completely, but again, it is necessary in a number of situations. It is for this reason that you need to constantly endure random upheavals or completely disable this function.

This function is not enabled in the Acer Iconia Tab A500, it is simply activated constantly, but can be periodically disabled using this button. Of course, given the weight and dimensions of this device, users are unlikely to use it suspended often enough, as a result of which this function is, in principle, not very popular.

Display

In the Acer Iconia Tab A500, the display characteristics are quite good. The screen diagonal is 10.1 inches, and its resolution reaches 1280x800 pixels. The physical dimensions of this display are 136x218.

It is worth noting that, in principle, this device is relatively good, since it has a certain reserve of brightness (although even in the daytime you will have difficulty viewing the image in direct sunlight), fairly calm color rendition, and not juicy, and at the same time not too dull colors. In principle, this display does not stand out in anything special, that is, it is no worse than similar options, but does not have any distinctive advantages. User opinions on this issue are divided. For some, this level is enough, while others expected more from a tablet. The viewing angles of this display are the maximum possible.

Cameras

The device, like standard tablets, has two cameras - the main one and the front one. In this case, the front camera has 2 MP, while the main one has 5 MP, as well as a built-in flash. Thus, you just need to take out and open the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (cases designed for the tablet allow you to do this) and start taking photos or making video calls. In principle, the capabilities of the cameras are quite standard, that is, they provide the owner with a fairly large number of possibilities, and at the same time they can hardly be called less effective compared to cameras in similar devices. Most users are quite satisfied with the quality of the photos.

It is worth noting the fact that after the Acer Iconia Tab A500 16Gb appeared, practically no one needed its front camera, and, most likely, the developer initially focused this device on future user requests. Today, when video calls have become very, very common even among owners mobile devices, such front cameras used very often.

Battery

This tablet is equipped with a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3260 mAh. For every Acer Iconia Tab A500 Charger attached.

The tablet can work for five hours, but if you constantly watch videos, the charge will last no more than four hours. It is worth noting the fact that 5 hours of device operation is the result obtained with the Wi-Fi module always on, as well as fairly active (but not constant) viewing of various videos.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that if you use the “airplane” mode and at the same time set the brightness to approximately 20%, you can increase the total operating time of the equipment to six hours while constantly watching videos, that is, its charge is approximately enough to watch three full-length films.

Performance

This tablet uses a specialized dual-core processor with clock frequency 1 GHz, while the platform at its base is NVIDIA Tegra 2. Many people do not speak very flatteringly about the various features of this platform, and, in particular, many note the support for decoding modern videos in FullHD format. The thing is that in practice this platform is not very well suited for full playback of video in HD format, and this device is no exception. Thus, if you try to watch videos in 1080p quality, be prepared for the fact that while watching the video there will be some delays or even certain frames will drop out. Of course, not all users are ready to put up with such a situation. Many people express their dissatisfaction with this technical solution.

When switching the video to 720p quality, the situation becomes more decent, since all sorts of “brakes” in the picture are lost, but some users say that a certain sound delay may remain. It is worth noting the fact that we are talking not only about playing video using a standard player, but also about using additional software.

In this regard, this tablet can be used to watch all kinds of movies in average quality, while watching videos in HD format remains unavailable for it. Of course, if you consider the price offered for the Acer Iconia Tab A500 (about 14,000 rubles), then this drawback is not so critical, and in principle tablets can hardly be called a device for fully watching movies in the best quality.

Memory

The device has 1 GB of RAM, as well as 16 or 32 GB of internal memory, designed to store various information. Among other things, there is also a separate slot into which you can insert additional card microSD memory, securing it with a special plastic plug. Many people believe that this plug is unreliable, but, according to user reviews, it can last quite a long time.

Introduction

Sorry, I had the device in my hands for a long time, but never got around to reviewing it. And yet, I want to talk a little about the Acer Iconia Tab A500, so there will be a short operating experience with the important features and “tricks” of the tablet.

Let's start with a short digression, which concerns the names of Acer products. And although the Taiwanese office is unlikely to pay attention to my next cry from the heart regarding the intricacy of letters in the names of products, and the Russian office can do little, I will still grumble. While I was typing the title of the article – Acer – Iconia – Tab – A – 500 – my hands were tired. Because the company really likes to give its devices “concise” and “understandable” names: Acer Iconia Tab A500, Acer Iconia Smart, Acer TravelMate 8372TG and so on. Why not just call the tablets Acer A500 and W500, for example, is a mystery to me. Obviously, the letters of the alphabet are quite enough to outline all product lines from Acer and even subclasses.

However, Acer adds the prefix Iconia to the names, and then Tab, just to be sure. In general, the problem of names has existed for several years and is typical for almost all manufacturers, not just Acer. But there were times when there were Nokia phones with simple and understandable digital indices, and everyone knew for sure that if Nokia starts with a one, it is an inexpensive device (1100), and if it starts with an eight, it is very expensive (8800). But that’s a completely different story, and now let’s return to our tablet, or rather the tablet, if we follow the logical abbreviation from Tab.

Design, case materials, assembly

Against the backdrop of thin tablets from Apple and Samsung and the “original” design of the HTC Flyer, the toy from Acer looks strange. Firstly, because the A500 is massive and heavy, and secondly, it seems to me that there is no design thought or torment here, the tablet was simply created based on the screen diagonal and the platform used. The result was a massive contraption with a metal body.

Dimensions and simple design are not disadvantages of the tablet, but simply its features. If we were talking about a device that is the only one with similar functionality, then it would be worth saying that it is fairly large and simple appearance- disadvantages, but there are now a huge number of models on the tablet market, and the user is free to choose between thin, light and plastic or thick, heavy and metal. It's just an additional choice for us users, and it's great to have it.

Due to the use of a metal “back”, the tablet hardly gets dirty, and besides, the metal surface is laser engraved (thin, frequent stripes), so that no scratches or abrasions, even if they occur, are visible on the case. The screen gets dirty, just like any other large touch display.

Regarding the assembly, I have one complaint; in my sample there was a very large gap between the protective glass of the screen and the top end. “Large” is about one and a half millimeters. Naturally, dust and small particles quickly filled into this gap. If you don’t look closely, you won’t see any of this, but I don’t like the very fact that there is such a gap. Although, maybe these are problems exclusively with my sample.

Video review by Igor Soprun:

Dimensions

The dimensions of the tablet are impressive, as is the weight:

• Acer Tab A500– 260 x 177 x 13.3 mm, 730 grams
• Apple iPad 2– 241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8 mm, 601 grams
• LG Optimus Pad– 243.8 x 150 x 12.7 mm, 621 grams
• Motorola XOOM– 249.1 x 167.8 x 12.9 mm, 730 grams

Holding the A500 with one hand for more than a couple of minutes is uncomfortable and your hand gets tired. Using two hands is more comfortable, but, in my opinion, reading from it or watching a two-hour video while holding the device suspended is still inconvenient. So there remains the option of using the included case, in which the tablet can be placed on the table and watch video from it. Or keep the “toy” on your lap if you decide to watch a movie during the flight. That is why the weight of the tablet cannot be called its feature. This is a clear drawback that limits the possibilities for using the model.

Control

The main control element is the display, it responds perfectly to touches, there are no problems with it. In addition, the tablet has hardware keys for volume, screen on/off, and a switch so that the tablet does not automatically change the display orientation. This is a convenient button, because it happens that when you hold the tablet in your hands and tilt it a little, the picture on it turns upside down. I would like to disable the auto-rotate function, but sometimes it is needed. So you either have to endure occasional random auto-flips or not use this function.

With a switch such as the Acer Tab A500, this problem does not arise. One thing is offensive: with a weight of 730 grams, you will almost never use the tablet when it is in weight, and when it is lying on your lap or standing on a table, the chances that the auto-flip screen function will work are zero.

Display

The tablet has a capacitive touch LCD display with a diagonal of 10.1" and a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The physical dimensions of the screen are 136x218 mm. The screen is not bad, it has a reserve of brightness (although in the daytime in the sun the picture is still barely visible), the color rendition is calm, the colors are not rich , but not too dim. If I had to describe the tablet’s screen in one word, I would say “ordinary.” When you use the Acer Tab A500, you simply don’t notice either the pros or cons of the screen.

Cameras

The tablet has two cameras, 2 MP front and 5 MP rear with flash. During the month during which I used the tablet, I did not use a single camera. Perhaps when Skype makes a version of the client that will support the video calling function on any smartphone and tablet with a camera, and not just those that are on the list of supported ones, the camera in the tablet will become more useful. In the meantime, it seems to me that this is a completely unnecessary element in Android tablets.

Battery

The tablet has a non-removable Li-Ion battery capacity 3260 mAh. The A500 charge lasted me an average of 5 hours of use. If you watch the video, the time is reduced to 4 hours. At the same time, Wi-Fi on the tablet was constantly turned on, including while watching a video. These are averages.

Just for fun, I conducted a small experiment and checked in what mode the tablet should work so that its charge would be “enough” to watch three movies, that’s about 6 hours. It turned out to be simple: if you turn on the “airplane” mode and set the brightness level to about 20%, the tablet lasts for about 6 hours.

Platform, speed

The tablet works on the base dual core processor with a frequency of 1 GHz, on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 platform. We all remember the specifications of this platform, in particular support for FullHD video decoding

In practice, tablets with Tegra on board are still not very good at playing HD video, and the Acer Tab A500 is no exception. Videos in 1080p (1920x1080 pixels) are shown on the tablet with delays and frame drops. With 720p it’s better, the picture almost doesn’t slow down, but the sound delay in my sample was simply terrible (more than 10 seconds). In this case, we are not only talking about playing videos in a standard player, I tried playing videos in RockPlayer and MoboPlayer - the situation is the same.

That is, on a tablet you can watch various rips in average quality without any problems, but HD video is not. Otherwise, there are no problems with the speed of operation. The device has 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB (there is a version with 32 GB) of memory for data storage. There is also a slot for a microSD memory card, which is closed with a plastic plug, which, in turn, was very loosely attached to the case on my sample. There is a feeling that if you use a card reader and constantly open and close this plug, sooner or later it will simply fall off.

Interfaces

The tablet has Wi-Fi modules(IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) and Bluetooth (2.1). A 3.5 mm headphone jack, an HDMI output, microUSB for connecting to a computer, a separate charging connector (the tablet cannot be charged via microUSB), as well as a proprietary connector on the bottom end.

And the Acer Iconia Tab A500 has a regular USB connector, which, in my opinion, is cool. I tried connecting to the tablet HDD With external power supply(detected and works), a couple of flash drives (work), your Logitech Illuminated keyboard (works immediately after connection, while virtual keyboard hiding). In addition, you can connect a camera to the tablet, in this case a utility is launched, with the help of which all pictures from the camera can be transferred to the device at once (tested with a Canon EOS 1000D - it works).

Software

Everything here is standard, and I really don’t know what to add. IN current version Android system 3.1 for tablets has already become quite functional, my Acer Tab A500 did not glitch, did not reboot or freeze. The set of software in the tablet is standard, there are a couple additional programs, but, for my taste, these are far from the best representatives of the genre, and I replaced them with other applications.

Conclusion

The cost of the 16 GB version of the Acer Iconia Tab A500 in Russia averages 14,000 rubles. You can find it for 13,500, the “white” price is 14,990. It is the low cost of the tablet that is the main argument for choosing this model. If the noticeable weight and dimensions, in particular thickness, do not bother you, then when choosing a tablet with big screen The Tab A500 is worth considering first. This device, of course, has its drawbacks, but it is still a solid workhorse for those who have already found a use for tablets.

Artem Lutfullin ()