Acer Iconia W510

[LeMarchand]

Has anyone actually used one of these? Any good?

It would seem to be the nearest (affordable) option to what I need/want, but I'm a bit concerned that it will be a bit under-powered. It would be mainly used for web-browsing/light Office work and RDP. Currently using a rebadged MSI Wind with a 1.6Ghz (single core?) Atom processor (it's all that the school had free) with 2GB RAM and it does struggle (I tend to have a lot of browser tabs open).

[sted]

ive got an atom powered asus vivotab smart if thats any help? £400 in argos

[SYNACK]

I've used the 501p and that's alright with 8 on it, not instant but ran all the stuff I threw at it. Was rubbish under 7 though, the 510 is newer and has a larger ssd.

Touch screen was not super fantastic apparently, I found it fine though, keyboard was flimbsy though.

[LeMarchand]

ive got an atom powered asus vivotab smart if thats any help? £400 in argos

Somehow missed that range! Any good? The keyboard/case thing looks a bit likely to disintegrate.

I've used the 501p and that's alright with 8 on it, not instant but ran all the stuff I threw at it. Was rubbish under 7 though, the 510 is newer and has a larger ssd.

Touch screen was not super fantastic apparently, I found it fine though, keyboard was flimbsy though.

Cheers! Was worried that it might not be much of an upgrade.

[bossman]

@LeMarchand:

We trialled a couple of units and found them to be lacking in power and usablity, looking towards surface with Windows 8 pro, Dell and Lenovo have some cool units at the moment but can only get better as the hardware becomes more available,

Lenovo: Convertible Ultrabook Laptop & Tablet PC | ThinkPad Helix | 11.6" with Windows 8 (US)

Dell: Dell XPS 10 hybrid tablet review - reviews for UK IT professionals - V3.co.uk

Happy hunting!

[LeMarchand]

@bossman

The Lenovo looks great but is WAY outside my budget, as are the Dells that run W8 (not RT) .

[bossman]

@LeMarchand:

Budget is one thing and a working solution is usually another, sorry that like me you are restricted to a budget which has the impact of not providing the best solution for the job.

Good Luck in your quest

[TheScarfedOne]

Had one of the iconia tabs for testing Win8 betas on....and the SSD and RAM let it down. The Samsung ones are really nice, and I got to play with the Surface as well. Lenovo, super nice....super expensive.

[sted]

its not the fastest thing ever (windows ratings cpu 3.5 ram 4.7 graphics 3.7 gaming graphics 3.2 primary hdd 5.6) but it runs windows fine office fine only slowdown ive noticed was on card games. its full x86 win 8 not waste of space rt. cant comment on case cant find one but back does seem susceptible to scratches. screens nice. battery 'ife is less than my android tab but still a day or more.

[LeMarchand]

its not the fastest thing ever (windows ratings cpu 3.5 ram 4.7 graphics 3.7 gaming graphics 3.2 primary hdd 5.6) but it runs windows fine office fine only slowdown ive noticed was on card games. its full x86 win 8 not waste of space rt. cant comment on case cant find one but back does seem susceptible to scratches. screens nice. battery 'ife is less than my android tab but still a day or more.

Cheers for that - not looking for a "high power" machine, but need a bit more "oomph" than the current one.

[cactus]

Saw the Iconia W510 at BETT and it seemed like a good option. We are eventually looking at a 1:1 ratio and aim to start with a pilot year group once our new Wifi is installed.

If anyone else has feedback on performance, case durability, cost etc that would be appreciated.

Also, can anyone recommend an educational reseller? I have googled and searched Acer.co.uk but nothing comes up (apart from RM).

Thanks

[LeMarchand]

Micom accept EDU orders and have the 510 for a tad under £400 (ex VAT, W8 version). After MUCH deliberation, I've asked for that one so if the order goes through today, it might be here before 1/2 term so I can have a play. I didn't want the school to pay the extra £60 for the PRO version when they already have licenses, so lets hope I can just replace the OS as with a normal PC. (Or I'll have a very expensive paperweight!)

If the purchase is approved I'll post back and let you know - may be a couple of weeks, though.

P.S. Have only used Micom for odd purchases, so don't know what they're like for larger orders.

[cactus]

Thanks for the feedback. I am also looking to buy one shortly for testing purposes so I'll keep you posted on my progress.

[LeMarchand]

[QUOTE=LeMarchand;930743]If the purchase is approved I'll post back and let you know - may be a couple of weeks, though.[QUOTE]

Make that 3 weeks to a month . AO off for 2 weeks after today and I can't see her placing any orders this afternoon. Still, price may have dropped by then!

[LeMarchand]

This finally turned up today!

Alas, no time to play with it .

First thoughts: the packaging is fiendishly tight, it took an age to open the box! Inside, it's like a bento box crossed with a puzzle box - loads of little compartments hiding the various components.