Has anybody owned or tried the Acer Iconica W3?

[ajst222]

Acer Iconia W3-810-1416 Tablet (64 GB) - Microsoft Store

For those of you who don't know what it is, the W3 is an 8 inch tablet that runs a full version of Windows 8. I first saw it in one of those iPad spoof commercials. It's $300 right now and I can't help but wonder how good it is. Deep down, I think I want to pick one up haha. Obviously, the specs aren't all that fantastic but it is clearly a lower end device. I wouldn't mind having it as a second "on the go" computer. I am just wondering if it is a quality computer/tablet. Knowing that Acer isn't always the best brand (from my experiences, at least), I'm not entirely confident on how good the product really will be.

 

[berty6294]

Acer Iconia W3-810-1416 Tablet (64 GB) - Microsoft Store

For those of you who don't know what it is, the W3 is an 8 inch tablet that runs a full version of Windows 8. I first saw it in one of those iPad spoof commercials. It's $300 right now and I can't help but wonder how good it is. Deep down, I think I want to pick one up haha. Obviously, the specs aren't all that fantastic but it is clearly a lower end device. I wouldn't mind having it as a second "on the go" computer. I am just wondering if it is a quality computer/tablet. Knowing that Acer isn't always the best brand (from my experiences, at least), I'm not entirely confident on how good the product really will be.

Acer is an awesome brand. I'm sure if you had any issues with them then you probably owned a $300 pc and expected the performance and durability of a $1000 pc.

I haven't owned a w3 but I have played with one a lot. the build quality is okay, you do get what you pay for. the screen is absolutely atrocious and would 100% keep me from getting it. Plus, imo, 8in is way too small to be productive with full Windows 8.

 

[ajst222]

Acer is an awesome brand. I'm sure if you had any issues with them then you probably owned a $300 pc and expected the performance and durability of a $1000 pc.

I haven't owned a w3 but I have played with one a lot. the build quality is okay, you do get what you pay for. the screen is absolutely atrocious and would 100% keep me from getting it. Plus, imo, 8in is way too small to be productive with full Windows 8.

I never said they were a bad brand it's just they sort of have a reputation for being a lower end brand. My cousin had an Acer laptop since Vista and I think he still uses it. Great computer. Is the screen really that bad? I guess I will have to take a run into Staples and take a look at one.

I personally like smaller tablets and I wish there was more of a variety for 7-8 inch screen sizes for RT devices (I don't think there are any). I know the W3 is a full Windows 8 device but it appears that is all for small screened tablets. If anyone knows of any other, let me know

 

[berty6294]

Definitely look at the screen in store. It is much worse than you could ever imagine!

Its a nice size, feels good, and has good battery life (if I remember correctly) but I would hold off. Definitely wait and see what happens this fall. There will be much more variety and many more 8 inch devices to choose from!

 

[ajst222]

Definitely look at the screen in store. It is much worse than you could ever imagine!

Its a nice size, feels good, and has good battery life (if I remember correctly) but I would hold off. Definitely wait and see what happens this fall. There will be much more variety and many more 8 inch devices to choose from!

I think 8" or so is a pretty good size for me. But I really do love the Surface RT too. I think my ideal setup would be a Windows 8 all in one desktop, a tablet like the RT, and then of course my phone.

 

[stephen_az]

Acer makes some quality stuff but the W3 is a rather embarrassing, cheap, plastic toy that sports a dim, low resolution, screen right up there with the first generation of Android copy cat tablets released the year after the first iPad. In fact, it most closely reminds me of the first generation Android tablet junk when people were just trying to shove some devices onto the market. Performance wise, it is no worse than any of the under powered Atom tablets. If you use a glorified netbook processor retread as the CPU that's the performance you should expect. At least the other Atom tablets those offer vastly superior screens though starting only at $100 more. With respect to 10.1 in options, the Asus VivoTab Smart/ME400 is much thinner and has an easy to read screen at $399 and the ThinkPad 2 (with a digitizer/pen is currently $499.00 at the Microsoft Store. If you really want the W3 definitely play with one before buying. BTW, Atom processors do generate heat and, when pushed, that is particularly obvious with the W3. Given the cramped interior space that is not too much of a surprise.

 

[ajst222]

Acer makes some quality stuff but the W3 is a rather embarrassing, cheap, plastic toy that sports a dim, low resolution, screen right up there with the first generation of Android copy cat tablets released the year after the first iPad. In fact, it most closely reminds me of the first generation Android tablet junk when people were just trying to shove some devices onto the market. Performance wise, it is no worse than any of the under powered Atom tablets. If you use a glorified netbook processor retread as the CPU that's the performance you should expect. At least the other Atom tablets those offer vastly superior screens though starting only at $100 more. With respect to 10.1 in options, the Asus VivoTab Smart/ME400 is much thinner and has an easy to read screen at $399 and the ThinkPad 2 (with a digitizer/pen is currently $499.00 at the Microsoft Store. If you really want the W3 definitely play with one before buying. BTW, Atom processors do generate heat and, when pushed, that is particularly obvious with the W3. Given the cramped interior space that is not too much of a surprise.

I'm with you. I've never been a fan of their Atom processor series and generally I try to stay away from them. They always worry me when it comes to how smoothly the device is.

 

[TeknoBlast]

I own the W3 and I agree about the screen. I only use it for media stuff, so it's really not a big deal to me. There's word that Acer is coming out with an updated W3 with an improved screen. Same device and model, but better screen. Not sure when it's releasing though.

 

[pseudoware]

I agree w/the suggestions to hold off for now. I bought the W5 (W510) when it came out; sold it last week. I decided a smaller tablet is better for me, but that experience easily eliminated the W3 from any consideration for many of the reasons already mentioned.

If that mini form factor is what you want now, there are currently better solutions available


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[thundr51]

While I have not purchased the W3 I do have a W700 and what Berty said is true. The w700 is VERY nice and has plenty of extras...of course I paid less than a grand thanks to Amazon deals, it was still very worth it.

 

[fatclue_98]

I don't know what the fuss about the screen on the W3 is. I have the 64GB model and it fares no better than my $800 17" laptop. It's quick and fluid as W8 was designed to be and it's the best non-Wacom tablet I've had that can use a typical sponge tip stylus and be dead-nuts accurate when inking on Windows Journal. That alone is worth the price of admission. BTW, the cameras are a complete joke on this device but I have a Lumia for that. Yes, the white plastic looks cheesy but it's very well put together. The buttons have excellent travel and feedback, are you listening Samsung? For 3 Benjamins, you could do a lot worse and not have a full desktop OS on board.

 

[ajst222]

Oh wow so I did go into a Staples to look at the W3. The screen was awful. I didn't look at the device any further for that reason. I did end up buying a Surface though and so far I absolutely love it.

 

[bilzkh]

Yes. Sucks.

 

[fatclue_98]

Yes. Sucks.

Nice. A very informative review. Care to elucidate? Just a little, wouldn't want you to pull something.

 

[ajst222]

Nice. A very informative review. Care to elucidate? Just a little, wouldn't want you to pull something.

I agree. Clearly not very helpful

 

[fatclue_98]

Oh wow so I did go into a Staples to look at the W3. The screen was awful. I didn't look at the device any further for that reason. I did end up buying a Surface though and so far I absolutely love it.

I take it you got the RT?

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

I've had my W3 for a week now. The screen is not the best; however, it's definitely not the worst I've seen. I'm actually quite fond of the device. It's really amazing to me to think that I'm walking around with a full PC in my back pocket. That, alone, scores pretty highly in my book. As stated in a wide variety of reviews, viewing the screen from each side of the device is somewhat painful, but it's an 8 inch tablet...how many heads does anyone plan on squeezing in for a view? Performance-wise, I have not had any issues...no lags, no freezes, etc. Even with 8.1 Preview installed, I have had no issues. In fact, it runs better than before. Storage space is a major setback, however. I have the 32 Gig version, but out of the box I only had 11 free. After installing 8.1 Preview, however, I suddenly had 14 Gigs free. Still not wonderful for a PC, but better than before. If you have any doubts, I would definitely try one out in store. But don't take all of the bad reviews as the gospel. Try it out for yourself. It's actually quite a cool device.

 

[fatclue_98]

I've had my W3 for a week now. The screen is not the best; however, it's definitely not the worst I've seen. I'm actually quite fond of the device. It's really amazing to me to think that I'm walking around with a full PC in my back pocket. That, alone, scores pretty highly in my book. As stated in a wide variety of reviews, viewing the screen from each side of the device is somewhat painful, but it's an 8 inch tablet...how many heads does anyone plan on squeezing in for a view? Performance-wise, I have not had any issues...no lags, no freezes, etc. Even with 8.1 Preview installed, I have had no issues. In fact, it runs better than before. Storage space is a major setback, however. I have the 32 Gig version, but out of the box I only had 11 free. After installing 8.1 Preview, however, I suddenly had 14 Gigs free. Still not wonderful for a PC, but better than before. If you have any doubts, I would definitely try one out in store. But don't take all of the bad reviews as the gospel. Try it out for yourself. It's actually quite a cool device.

I've been hesitant to D/L the Preview. What have you noticed as improvements or detriments.

The girls in my accounting department both picked up iPad Minis this weekend and you should have seen the looks on their faces when I was printing to our Xerox machine. If I had a way to tap into the security camera feed, I'd have a commercial ready for Microsoft. Priceless!

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

I've been hesitant to D/L the Preview. What have you noticed as improvements or detriments.

The girls in my accounting department both picked up iPad Minis this weekend and you should have seen the looks on their faces when I was printing to our Xerox machine. If I had a way to tap into the security camera feed, I'd have a commercial ready for Microsoft. Priceless!

That's hilarious! I print through our network at work too to the jealous amazement of my iPad carrying coworkers. Very cool, indeed. So far, I've noticed that the boot up speed has improved for me, the snap feature works perfectly (I think I remember reading somewhere that the W3 wasn't capable), and I'm currently using a 64Gb micro sd card in mine, even though it is supposedly only compatible with a 32. I've only had 8.1 for a few days, but we are off to a good start.
No detriments yet. Definitely running Windows 8.1 better than my RT.

 

[fatclue_98]

That's hilarious! I print through our network at work too to the jealous amazement of my iPad carrying coworkers. Very cool, indeed. So far, I've noticed that the boot up speed has improved for me, the snap feature works perfectly (I think I remember reading somewhere that the W3 wasn't capable), and I'm currently using a 64Gb micro sd card in mine, even though it is supposedly only compatible with a 32. I've only had 8.1 for a few days, but we are off to a good start.
No detriments yet. Definitely running Windows 8.1 better than my RT.

You think that's good. One of my field supervisors has an iPad and it's funny to see him lugging that thing around trying to take pictures of documentation and trying to email them. I just finished installing the drivers for a portable Brother scanner I use. Can't wait to pull that one on him next time I'm at the hospital we're working on. Like tomorrow.