First Acer Iconia W700 Forum Thread!

[ryan.kruger]

So February 9th is fast approaching, and I've sold my 3rd Generation iPad to help fund my unhealthy addiction to all things tech.

If anybody reading this has seen other posts of mine, I work for Apple - love their products, but I just decided to see what else was out there... Enter the Surface.

This unit got my interest - but at a price point I can't really justify, knowing I would have to purchase a keyboard, case, screen protectors, etc... I would ballpark the pricing out at around $1250 all things said and done.

Lately, however, I've been throwing around the idea of purchasing an Acer Iconia W700-6691 (64GB Internal SSD). It comes with a case, dock, Bluetooth keyboard... at $899.

I like that it has 1920x1080 resolution, but also that the screen is an inch bigger. I don't care that it's .5 lbs heavier than the iPad, maybe I'll get more muscle definition.

I know that there have been issues with the Wi-Fi, and I've seen various fixes here and there - but if anyone else who has one would like to help tip the scale, I would appreciate it!

(and about the thread title, I AM the first to post in this sub-forum, so )

 

[edchng]

Hi Ryan,

Why February 9th, is there something significant like a refresh? Because from what I know, the W700 is already out.

Heard that there will be something coming in terms of a processor refresh, where Acer will be using a new version of the Intel i5 that's only 7w instead of the normal 17w, allowing the chassis of the tablet to be 20% thinner and lighter. I wonder if you or anyone else here knows anything about that?

Ed

 

[ryan.kruger]

Sorry Ed, I actually meant the Surface release date.

I'm kind of imagining the refresh of the series to happen around MWC though. I wonder what the next series of tablets will be like, and importantly, their price point.

You may have single handedly made my decision more difficult... Bahh! I don't want to wait

 

[edchng]

AnandTech - Intel Brings Core Down to 7W, Introduces a New Power Rating to Get There: Y-Series SKUs Demystified

Here's the link to the article that covers Acer going for the new 7w processors. That guy was already holding a refreshed w700 with the new chips! Seems like Acer has some kind of special agreement with Intel.

But yes I am torn too. I am from Singapore and products generally take longer to reach the Far East than America/Europe. I don't want to wait either, I hate having to carry a both laptop and an iPad everywhere. But am wondering if it'd be worth waiting for this refresh since Acer tends to price its stuff aggressively and the refreshed w700 should be around the same (if not the same) price. One of the worst geek-feelings is to buy a product only to see a refreshed/new model coming out 2 weeks later.

Also interestingly, haven't been able to find any official confirmation from Acer about the refresh.

 

[edchng]

You know what, if it helps your decision, I think I'm just going to take the plunge and get the W700 now. Firstly, I think the "new chip" may not be all that it's hyped to be. Acer hasn't even made an official confirmation till now, and if the chip's only going to be for Acer it feels very experimental - i.e. Intel testing it the low-voltage thing out with their current chips while preparing for the proper low-voltage Haswell processors which are only due Q4 2013. Secondly, if only Acer is getting this chip, it feels like there are bound to be problems with either the chips themselves or with supply. Thirdly, the 7-watt specification is on a "best case scenario basis". This means if you're running lots of crap on the tablet there won't be much difference. Lastly I don't even know when they're coming.

Therefore, based on these flimsy justifications, I've decided to go all-in on the w700. lol.

 

[ryan.kruger]

Well Ed, I think I'm in the same boat as you. I'm going to order mine tomorrow. Which model are you going with?

 

[phantom404]

Hey Guys. Just got the W700 - 6691 64 GB SSD about a week ago and decided to come on here and make a first post in the forum but someone beat me to it

I previously had the Asus Vivo RT and while it was a great device I felt like I needed the full version of windows 8 in order to be fully satisfied. Overall its an awesome device. Right when it booted up the asus update program said there was an update for the wifi driver. I haven't noticed any wifi problems yet. The screen and resolution is great but the desktop is almost too small. There is about 30 GB free starting out. There are no restore partitions, only the usual recovery points. It does however come with a couple restore dvds. Also came with the dock, case and keyboard.

I also bought a 500 USB 3 device and was able to throw a couple games on it including DOTA2 and World of Warcraft. Both games ran fine. Had to turn the settings down some on WoW but it was still playable. Overall I'm very satisfied. Was able to throw visual studio 2012 on it without a problem.

If you guys have any questions let me know and ill try and answer them. Forgot to mention windows 8 on a tablet is hands down the best imo. On a desktop not so much but otherwise i would give it an A+.

 

[ryan.kruger]

Thanks for that post phantom, I'll actually be getting the same model, and eventually will switch for a 256GB mSATA drive. You don't notice any hiccups or anything? Build quality is nice? I've read all of the reviews on Engadget and cnet and... Everywhere. Just want a forum-goer's opinion on the build quality.

 

[phantom404]

Build quality seems to be pretty good. There are no creeks or anything when holding the device or moving it around. Even though its a bit heavier then the vivo rt, the weight seems to be distributed nicely.

The only thing im not keen on is there is some backlight bleeding I can see during startup but can't notice it afterwards.

 

[ryan.kruger]

Okay, that I can live with. It would be nice if I could see one of these before I order mine.

Where did you get your 6691?

 

[phantom404]

I got mine from Tigerdirect.com

 

[ryan.kruger]

Thought so, that's where I'm getting mine.

 

[edchng]

I got a W700, 128gb SSD version. It happened also to be on sale at the store I was at so I got it for S$1198 (around US$965). I must say, my initial thought is that it is not a perfect solution at all, and many things feel like a compromise. It's either a tablet that's a bit too big, and at the same time a laptop that's a bit too small (however you wanna look at it. perspectives and all). Touch feedback in desktop mode is not always great, things can be too small. Beautiful screen though.

To me the iPad does what it does perfectly, but nothing more. I tried using the iPad for work and always am able to find one thing or other I cannot do that pisses me off. As an always-on content consumption device it's great. At the same time, I am quite sick of always having to carry a laptop, my iPad and my Kindle (first world problems i know), and I commute rather than drive that's why it's an issue. To me that's why I still feel this will be a great machine for me. It is a jack of all trades and does all I need it to do fairly decently. Now I only need the W700 and my Kindle, lots more room in my bag then and my shoulders thank me too.

BTW: i got a desktop at home which I use most often, and I guess that's why I am able to accept a machine that compromises a bit of everything in exchange for a good deal of convergence. IMO if you're looking for your one and only work computer, you'd be better off with a proper laptop that's at least 13-inch.

Hope my own experience helps you all with your decisions!

 

[ryan.kruger]

Thanks for that!I ordered the 64GB i5 last night from tigerdirect.com - I'll post a full review as well.

My desktop at home, I made, and this will certainly not replace my i7 dual monitor home setup. Just a supplement for work/school, like you stated.

I do think a bit of light gaming may be in order too

 

[phantom404]

Look forward to hearing your review Ryan!

 

[Brevet05]

I received my W700-6607 (base model) about three weeks ago. It is a replacement for my Acer A500 Android tablet that I've had for about 18 months, and my HP TouchSmart tm2 convertible that's approaching 3 years. I decided on the W700 rather than wait for the Surface largely because I really have had a great experience with my Acer A500. The only downfall for that device was that I simply can't do real content creation on the A500. Since I teach from my tablet, I love being able to edit on the fly, so the ability to do that on a tablet is worth the weight and size increase. If someone markets a full Windows 8 tablet in a smaller form factor, I'll probably look hard at that, but this machine is a marvel in its own right.

Having read many posts about the hassles of the Metro-style UI, I was prepared not to spend much time using it, but I find myself really liking the speed and flexibility of the interface. I think the live tiles are a really nice feature; it takes only seconds to get a quick update on several at once.

The battery life hasn't been an issue. I use it throughout the day and charge it at night, and haven't yet run out of juice, even with watching video, listening to streaming music, etc. Microsoft apparently has a full touch interface for Office 2013, but I'm still working with 2010, so there are a number of times when a mouse is essential. I suspect that's the case across the board with legacy software, and I hope my university adopts 2013 soon.

Like many, I'm a little nervous about not having an SD slot, but unless you have a constant need (like a mouse) for the USB port, you can easily use a USB microSD reader that can stay in place. My biggest irritation is that the US model doesn't have a keyboard case like the Canadian/Australian models seem to have. I've been searching for that since I got the machine.

 

[ryan.kruger]

Just got mine today, give me a couple days and I'll make a full post.

 

[ryan.kruger]

Just a bump before the synopsis, this thing rules. I'm not even concerned about looking at the surface pro.

 

[Brevet05]

Spent a good portion of the day with Acer tech support yesterday, getting my W700 back to factory specs. I had a bad spot on the touchscreen of the first one, so it went back, but the positives were so good on the machine that I never really considered not simply replacing it. I'm typing this on my new W700, and it is sweet indeed.

I will admit that I had a challenge using Office 2010 with the legacy desktop's tiny appearance, even boosted to 125%. However, I made the jump to Office 2013, and it's night and day. Gone are the cramped menus, replaced with a far more touch friendly layout, and with seamless integration with Skydrive. Nice!

 

[phantom404]

Spent a good portion of the day with Acer tech support yesterday, getting my W700 back to factory specs. I had a bad spot on the touchscreen of the first one, so it went back, but the positives were so good on the machine that I never really considered not simply replacing it. I'm typing this on my new W700, and it is sweet indeed.

I will admit that I had a challenge using Office 2010 with the legacy desktop's tiny appearance, even boosted to 125%. However, I made the jump to Office 2013, and it's night and day. Gone are the cramped menus, replaced with a far more touch friendly layout, and with seamless integration with Skydrive. Nice!

Did you have to get an external dvd drive? I had to factory reset mine once becasue I did something stupid and kept getting an error popping up on he desktop everytime it started up. I had an external dvd drive already so I was able to do with no problems.

I agree, Office 2013 makes a huge difference on a tablet, especially when you have no mouse or keyboard by you.