The 20-minute video below might be a little long for the average YouTube video hopper but I’m sure it will have more meaning here where there appear to be quite a number of people joining us via Google searches for W510, ATIV 500T and related terms.
In the video below you’ll see start-up times for the Acer Iconia W510 (20 seconds or less,) start-up times for a big set of Windows 8 applications and speed-of-use with Windows 8 apps.
You’ll also see a bug rear it’s head because there seems to be an issue with the audio which stops working, prevents any videos from playing and requires a reboot to get working again. It might even be the cause of some system lock-ups I’ve seen too. Note that I haven’t made any attempts to look for newer drivers yet.
Applications demonstrated, mainly briefly, include:
- Windows 8 Mail,
- Tweetro+
- Internet Explorer
- Store
- Camera
- Sky News
- Nextgen Reader
- 7 Digital
- Video
- Drums
- Fruit Ninja
- Skype, which can be used as an always on VOIP application
- Amazon
I’ve been using the Acer Iconia W510 as a desktop PC again today and I must say that for basic browsing, photo editing and text input, it’s fine. You do notice that it’s slower and I have to agree with anyone that says it’s not as productive as a Core-based laptop but I can’t see anyone having issues with this when on the road; It’s way more productive and flexible than even something like the ASUS Transformer Android tablet.
Note that I’m using an external 1080p screen and wireless keyboard and mouse here today the keyboard on the W510 is a little on the small-and-cheap side for all-day working!
Coming soon: Windows 8 Desktop Apps demo. Let us know if there’s anything specific you want to see that could also be interesting for our community.
Hi Chippy
What I am wondering : is that a good replacement for an old Acer A150 netbook running XP? (N270@1.6GHz,1GB RAM)
It is much more expensive than what I paid for my netbook but it has some advantage.
I am using Geographics/Mapping softwares such as OziExplorer, Bayo CartoExploreur which requires access to large raster (image) maps. It is working pretty well on the netbook.
Best regards
Barbudor
@Barbudor,
Not sure how pertinent my Reply is but… I owned a Toshiba NB205 Intel Atom with 1 GB RAM netbook for years; the W510 is much more capable than that in every way.
Having said that the one advantage NB205 did have was power through USB port–the netbook could be in sleep mode but would still charge connected devices like my Windows Phones.
Do you need touch, always on, tablet? If not it might be worth waiting for a 11-12″ Clovertrail device.
Thanks guys
Adding tablet capabality to the unit which will replace my netbook is indeed interresting. Web browsing, media, usage on plane travel, … are example where the tablet is better than the traditional L-form of a laptop/netbook.
Also >10″ is too big in my point of view for easy travel and use-it-everywhere.
This is why originaly I chose a 9″ netbook and not a 10″ one.
I will wait still a little bit before deciding but many thanks for your opinions.
“It’s way more productive and flexible than even something like the ASUS Transformer Android tablet.”
That may be true when considering desktop mode. But when comparing Metro to iOS/Android, they are both absolutely lightyears beyond anything Metro has to offer.
As someone who has switched over to primarily tablet computing for the majority of tasks & only the desktop when necessary. I have become very well versed in all of the ecosystems. I have a few major complaints with Metro in comparison to iOS/Android. The “apps” don’t feel like apps, they feel like webpages. The entire process of using apps is painfully slow, it feels like the process is running through a layer of molasses. I won’t even get started on the lack of selection since the appstore is so new.
As someone who has been using Windows a long long time, I really think many are in denial & don’t fully realize how far behind MS really is. Hell, a few years ago I would have never imagined that I would be downloading full blown multi-gig torrents to my PHONE yet here I am doing it right now with uTorrent on Android. I really hope MS can rise to become a viable 3rd ecosystem but I have lost alot of faith in them as the dominant company they once were.