Design and Exterior:
Though the device is made of a polymer with a matte finish that is resistant to dust and fingerprints, it gives you the look of a premium aluminium built. It definitely looks good with its rounded edges, and appears to be solidly built with no messy moving parts. Once docked with the key board, Iconia W510 can be opened to more than 270°. It has the dimensions of 10.25" x 6.6" x 0.4". It weighs around 1.30 kg together. The tablet alone has 0.6 kg and the separate key pad with additional battery weighs 0.7 kg. The keys on the key board are spaced with 3mm space between two adjacent keys, decreasing the chances of inaccuracy. The matte finished touch pad looks nice, though there are no specific distinction between the right and the left buttons. The touch pad has 3" width and 2" height. The screen has an 8 MP camera with LED flash at the rear and a 2 MP front camera on the top. On the right side, just under the little volume rocker, there is a micro HDMI port for hooking up to your monitor or telly, microUSB for connecting peripherals and storage, and MicroSD to expand internal memory and read cards from other mobile devices.
Display:
The W510 tablet has a 10.1" IPS panel with a 5-point capacitive touchscreen. It has an HD pixel dimension of 1366×768. The screen is not very bright even with the brightest setting and coupled with its glossy finish, it is difficult to view outdoors and in bright environments. The device lacks good viewing angles, though no body will be expecting such a small device to come packed with high class viewing angles. The major drawback of the screen of Iconia W510 is that it supports only 5 point touch screen, whereas the other standard tablets have 10 point touch facility. But another feature of Acer is able to diminish this drawback. The Ring Software of Acer, which launches when you touch all five fingers to the screen simultaneously, gives you a fairly handy quick-launch circle that lets you access photos, videos, documents, favourite apps and basic device settings with a single touch. It also makes you able to control the playback and volume, which would require an extra swipe and press to reach in Windows 8.
CPU and Performance:
The W510 is powered by a dual-core Hyper threaded Intel Atom Z2760 CPU clocked at 1.8 GHz, also known as Clover Trail. This is a 32-bit CPU, which places certain constraints such as only 32-bit version of Windows 8 can be installed. Considering its ARM competitor, Intel has won in giving the processor good performance with a long battery life at a comparatively cheaper prize. It also supports Intel's special standby mode where it is practically off, but can still receive emails and even other alerts such as incoming Skype calls. The Iconia W15 boots up in 20 seconds after the power button has been turned on. Another drawback of the device's performance is that most of the 3D games run so sluggish even with the lowest resolution and details. Other than that, the tablet runs at a pretty speedy pace, even with the anti virus running in the background.
Operating System:
Iconia W510 uses Windows 8 as its operating system. Just like in any other touch screen device, it runs smoothly in Iconia W510 also. Swiping across the screen, resizing, and shuffling between applications etc. are running very smoothly.
Camera:
Just like any other Windows 8 Tablet, Iconia W510 also appears with twin cameras. The device has both rear and front HD ‘CrystalEye’ cameras. The rear camera offers 8MP, whereas the front facing camera offers 2MP. The rear camera has LED flash light too. Both the cameras are capable of 1080p video.
Internet and Connectivity:
The tablet's wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. The device has only one port for both charging and USB.
Storage:
Though the device features 64GB SSD, only 20GB will be available for the users. So, it should be supported with the microSD card. The tablet has 2GB RAM. A 32 GB version is also available.
Battery:
This would be the only tablet available which has no room for complaint about its battery. The battery of the tablet along with that of the key board provide a very lengthy life to the performance of the device. The device has Dual 2-cell 3540mAh batteries. Together they give 18 hours of battery life, whereas the tablet alone gives nearly 9 hours.
Price:
The Acer Iconia W510 will be available with a prize tag of 27,000/- for the 32GB version and 29,000/- Indian rupees for the 64GB version. Taking in to consideration the heavier prize tag, we can't blame those who say that the device could have come with a better package of features.
Verdict:
The Iconia W510 is a well built and well thought device. The battery life promised by the device is extraordinarily convenient. On the con side, the key board itself will not be suitable for everyone. The touch pad is sturdy with its extra stiffness. There is no Wacom stylus either. But if you are a user with an ugly key pad for your tablet and would like to have a decent Windows 8 tablet with a comparatively better key pad, then Acer's Iconia W510 is your go.
Pros:
Great battery life.
The full compatibility of Windows 8.
So very portable.
Great media consumption.
Well built.
Premium looks.
Cons:
No separate port for USB.
Only 5 pointed multi touch.
Heavy top takes off the balance while kept on lap or cushion.
No scope for 3D games.
