Acer Iconia W3-810, Surface RT or the NEW Nexus 7

[garak0410]

I embraced the Windows Ecosystem last fall with Windows 8, Surface RT (sold the RT and now have PRO), Windows Phone 8 and my XBOX. I like my Surface Pro but the battery life makes it less than perfect for tablet consumption. I want to stay in the Microsoft Ecosystem so I looked at the Acer Iconia W3 and read and watched many reviews. A lot of people attacked the screen but many said it wasn't that bad. To have a Windows 8 tablet primarily for consumption that has a batter life of 8 hours or so is tempting. For close to the price of the Iconia W3, I could pick up a Surface RT which would be good for consumption and long batter life. Just don't have the luxury of legacy apps as I would on the smaller but more convenient W3.

Then there's the new Nexus 7. I left Android for the Windows ecosystem and really have no regrets. But this tablet looks awesome and it is cheaper. I mainly need a smaller tablet for easy "consumption" and Kindle reading. I can still have my "Windows" ecosystem by installing OneNote, SkyDrive and the new Office Mobile for 365. And perhaps one day, XBOX Music via the web and Chrome. Plus, I have a wealth of purchased apps from Android I can reinstall.

With the Nexus 7 cheaper than the "required" 64 bit version of the W3, it is almost a no brainer.

Any Windows fans find themselves in a similar quandary? I am not against a mixed ecosystem but I really like what I see in the Nexus 7.

 

[stmav]

If you like it, then go for it and enjoy it. Personally, anything associated with google will never be on a device or network of mine. But that's my preference.

 

[garak0410]

If you like it, then go for it and enjoy it. Personally, anything associated with google will never be on a device or network of mine. But that's my preference.

I hear ya...I've gotten off their gmail, Google+ and since Google Reader is gone, I virtually have no ties with them except a "google ID" for a handful of their sites (YouTube mainly.)

 

[garak0410]

I went with the Nexus 7 for now.

I will say, the Nexus 7 is a joy to read on, especially the native Feedly app. Nothing in the Windows Store (or WP8 store) comes close, so it is for sure a good reading device. I also like it that I can sit it on my Nokia charging pad and charge it that way. It is quite a speedy device, easy to hold and the screen is quite sharp. There is some glare issues for sure so I have to angel it just right.

But for $70 more, I can get an RT device for my media consumption as well. Sure, not the 7-8" range I was looking for but keeps me in the ecosystem of choice, even though RT is uncertain.

 

[Ridemyscooter86]

It depends on how much you need office or the MS ecosystem. I've used onenote, and office 365 on the ipad and if its anything like it on android, its not going to be a suitable replacement for office on windows rt. If all you really want to do is just check email, internet, media consumption, then it really doesn't matter what you get. I do like the new nexus 7, the screen is nice on it. If you need the MS ecosystem, from what I found, you can't really use office 365 without an internet connection (unless they changed things). If you want a 7-8 inch tablet, I would go with the nexus 7 or the acer iconia w3 (if you can get past the bad screen, the nexus 7's is great, though), 10", I would go with the surface RT, especially at 349$ its a great buy at the moment. Really you need to decide if can you live without office for what you need to do?

 

[TeknoBlast]

If it was me, here's my order:

• Surface RT - battery life is great, Office included (does work while offline), new low price, screen is very nice
• Acer W3 - full Windows Pro, Office included, dropped price. The screen is not the best though, but tolerable.
• Nexus 7 - haven't read on it, but heard it's nice.

Realize that when the real Windows 8.1 releases, Outlook will be offered and many great updates as well.

 

[garak0410]

It depends on how much you need office or the MS ecosystem. I've used onenote, and office 365 on the ipad and if its anything like it on android, its not going to be a suitable replacement for office on windows rt. If all you really want to do is just check email, internet, media consumption, then it really doesn't matter what you get. I do like the new nexus 7, the screen is nice on it. If you need the MS ecosystem, from what I found, you can't really use office 365 without an internet connection (unless they changed things). If you want a 7-8 inch tablet, I would go with the nexus 7 or the acer iconia w3 (if you can get past the bad screen, the nexus 7's is great, though), 10", I would go with the surface RT, especially at 349$ its a great buy at the moment. Really you need to decide if can you live without office for what you need to do?

Thanks...I decided to make the most of my Surface Pro (even with low battery life) and see what is in store for some upcoming smaller Windows tablets. As mentioned, I did have a Nexus 7 for a few days last week. Great screen and speed but I remember why I dumped Android.

 

[garak0410]

I've also considered the Lenovo Lynx as a consumption device even though it is larger. Though the Surface is a better built device, it is the same price as the RT and has full Windows. Though I heard the 2 GB isn't enough and it gets a lot of out of memory errors.