In this world where new technology is being produced and discarded at a rapid pace, Acer has some time back come out with a tablet named as Iconia Tab A500, a product which really stands apart from the rest for many different things it allows the users to do.
The makers call this Android 3.0 based tablet a ‘touchbook’ simply because there is no keyboard in the device. It has a screen on the normal place with another one where the usual keyboard is placed in other devices.
The virtual keyboard in Iconia allows users to do things that would otherwise have been difficult with the physical keyboard. The moment users place their palms on the lower screen as if they are going to type, the device understands it and displays the keyboard, a full size complete QWERTY keyboard.
The keyboard supports several languages. Users just have to select the language and the appropriate keys would be automatically displayed on it. Then there is predictive text, which displays the font on the keys you intend to type in.
Apple captured the world’s imagination by bringing in gesture controls which works the way humans naturally interacted with each other and things in the real world, such as the “pinch and zoom” function.
The Acer Iconia touchbook goes one step further and lets users open sites, launch apps, view the desktop and more with a predefined gesture. Users can even lock the computer using a gesture.
All the social media is also in one place with the help of SocialJogger, which enables users to check Facebook, Flickr and YouTube updates from it in one glance.
Since there are two screens, the bottom screen can be used to display different set of information or both the screens can be placed so as to make both one big flat screen -the result is less scrolling and more convenience for the users. Users can even use these two screens to view one large spreadsheet in one go.
Acer Iconia is projected to sell one millions devices by May 2011. In fact, Acer is finding it difficult to keep up with the demand for the tablet.
Till now, Apple’s iPad is the clear market leader, despite the fact that it was released long ago. Though nobody expects, but it is interesting to see if Iconia comes close to the iPad.