Budget, meet Acer and its new $129.99, 7-inch Iconia B1 entry-level tablet
With CES 2014 about to take place in Las Vegas in just a few short days, the barrage of the pre-show announcements has started. Acer is the latest one with something new up its sleeve, something that ought to keep the droves of new tablet buyers happy, especially those on a budget. So without any further ado, say hello to Acer's latest generation Iconia B1.
The new slate commands a pretty attractive $129.99 suggested retail price for North America, and without skimping on the specs sheet too much. In other words, the new B1 keeps true to its ancestry, striving to strike a balance between an awesome price tag and above average performance. To that end, the tablet is powered by an unnamed 1.3GHz dual-core chipset, likely one from MediaTek, if last year's model is any indication. We're unaware of the exact pixel count on the 7-inch OGS (One Glass Solution) display, though, so we can't quite tell how well the silicon, along with the healthy 1GB of RAM, will handle tasks thrown at it. Speaking of memory, the internal storage sits at 16GB with an option for microSD expansion for up to additional 32GB more. The only camera to be found on the new tablet is the front-facing shooter (again, of unknown resolution) with nothing but the Acer logo sticking out from its back. Battery capacity is also unspecified, though the Taiwanese company is promising up to 5 hours of continuous use.
The new Acer Iconia B1 comes packing Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, and is expected to officially launch stateside sometime in mid-January in gray- and red-colored versions.
In terms of design, the tablet is not bad to look at, though we sure disagree with Acer's notion of 'narrow bezel' as the device packs quite the fatty frame. The existence of a front speaker is made obvious by the dotted bottom front bezel, though don't get fooled – this is a mono speaker and more than half those holes are purely decorative. All in all, this looks to be an adequate design considering the attractive price point.
LAS VEGAS, (January 3, 2014) - Acer today unveiled the third generation of the Acer Iconia B1 with a slimmer and enhanced design, better sound and increased performance at just $129.99. The tablet is ideal for new users or families looking for an additional tablet for their children.
The thin design and narrow bezel of the 7-inch Iconia B1 makes it perfect for e-reading, web browsing, playing games and watching videos. The new back cover provides a comfortable touch with a silky finish and textured pattern, with two color options on the front bezel in grey and red.
The new Iconia B1 features a 10-point touch display encased in a slim bezel and supported by One Glass Solution technology, which makes the display thinner and brighter. One Glass Solution also gives the user a closer touch experience with objects on screen. In addition, both speaker and microphone are placed on the front to provide higher volume, more immersive sound for music and video enjoyment, and clearer voice quality for video calls.
The Iconia B1 is equipped with a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of memory(1) for fast and smooth gaming, web browsing and video. Users may expand the storage capacity by 32GB via microSD(1). The Iconia B1 provides up to 5 hours of battery life(2) and features the Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system.
To top off the tablet experience, the new Iconia B1 comes with a front-facing camera to engage in live chats with friends. The camera is on the top right corner and works also when in landscape mode, allowing friends and family to get into the picture during a video chat.
Accessories for extra productivity and protection
Acer offers a protection case (sold separately) for the Iconia B1 in multiple colors, which guards against scratches and and acts as a stand to let users read, type or play.
Availability and Pricing
The Iconia B1-720 (WiFi w/16GB storage)(1) version will be available in North America mid-January at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $129.99 USD and CAD.
About Acer
Established in 1976, Acer is an information and communication technology company dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale and support of innovative products that enhance people's lives. Acer's green supply chain delivers environmentally friendly PCs, displays, projectors, servers, tablets and smartphones - tools our customers need to explore beyond limits and experience more. Ranked No. 3 for notebooks globally (IDC 2012), Acer employs 8,000 people, and 2012 revenues reached US$14.7 billion. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.
(c) 2014 Acer America. All rights reserved. Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Inc. Other trademarks, registered trademarks, and/or service marks, indicated or otherwise, are the property of their respective owners. All brands and product names mentioned herein include trademarks of their respective companies and are used solely to describe or identify the products. Prices listed are manufacturer suggested retail prices and may vary by location. Applicable sales tax extra.
1. Accessible capacity varies: (MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes). User-available storage subject to change based on system software and application usage.
2. Actual battery life varies by model, configuration, applications, power management settings, operating conditions, and utilized features. A battery's maximum capacity decreases with time and use.
The thin design and narrow bezel of the 7-inch Iconia B1 makes it perfect for e-reading, web browsing, playing games and watching videos. The new back cover provides a comfortable touch with a silky finish and textured pattern, with two color options on the front bezel in grey and red.
The new Iconia B1 features a 10-point touch display encased in a slim bezel and supported by One Glass Solution technology, which makes the display thinner and brighter. One Glass Solution also gives the user a closer touch experience with objects on screen. In addition, both speaker and microphone are placed on the front to provide higher volume, more immersive sound for music and video enjoyment, and clearer voice quality for video calls.
The Iconia B1 is equipped with a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of memory(1) for fast and smooth gaming, web browsing and video. Users may expand the storage capacity by 32GB via microSD(1). The Iconia B1 provides up to 5 hours of battery life(2) and features the Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean operating system.
To top off the tablet experience, the new Iconia B1 comes with a front-facing camera to engage in live chats with friends. The camera is on the top right corner and works also when in landscape mode, allowing friends and family to get into the picture during a video chat.
Accessories for extra productivity and protection
Acer offers a protection case (sold separately) for the Iconia B1 in multiple colors, which guards against scratches and and acts as a stand to let users read, type or play.
Availability and Pricing
The Iconia B1-720 (WiFi w/16GB storage)(1) version will be available in North America mid-January at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $129.99 USD and CAD.
About Acer
Established in 1976, Acer is an information and communication technology company dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale and support of innovative products that enhance people's lives. Acer's green supply chain delivers environmentally friendly PCs, displays, projectors, servers, tablets and smartphones - tools our customers need to explore beyond limits and experience more. Ranked No. 3 for notebooks globally (IDC 2012), Acer employs 8,000 people, and 2012 revenues reached US$14.7 billion. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.
(c) 2014 Acer America. All rights reserved. Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Inc. Other trademarks, registered trademarks, and/or service marks, indicated or otherwise, are the property of their respective owners. All brands and product names mentioned herein include trademarks of their respective companies and are used solely to describe or identify the products. Prices listed are manufacturer suggested retail prices and may vary by location. Applicable sales tax extra.
1. Accessible capacity varies: (MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes). User-available storage subject to change based on system software and application usage.
2. Actual battery life varies by model, configuration, applications, power management settings, operating conditions, and utilized features. A battery's maximum capacity decreases with time and use.
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