Acer Launches Iconia W4: First Usable Windows Mini-Tab?

Acer was the first device maker to come up with an 8-inch tablet called Iconia W3 that has Windows 8 in its crippled RT version as its operating system (OS). But, due to the below average screen, bulky appearance and expensive pricing, it remained largely unpopular.

The Taiwanese company has brought out a successor to W3 named the Iconia W4 that promises to chunk out the drawbacks of the predecessor. It comes with Windows 8.1, the latest version of Windows available, reports Anupam Saxena of Times Of India.

Design, Build and Display

Acer Iconia W4 weighing 415 grams looks heavy and bulky when compared to the iPad mini or any Android tablet. The 8-inch display panel is raised to a little extent on the frame. A hardware button is provided just below the display to help you access the Windows Start screen at the tap of a button. The Power or screen-lock key is located at the top edge.

The 2MP front-facing camera is placed at the top in portrait mode while the 5MP camera is provided at the rear. The rear camera does not come with an LED flash so it's not possible to click acceptable pictures in low light conditions.

Acer Iconia W4 has an 8-inch LED multi-touch display (1280 x 800 pixels). The manufacturer has taken in user’s feedback and has improved the screen. Colours look bright and viewing angles are good too. Text and graphics look sharp and crisp as well. But, the only drawback with Iconia W4 is that the display is very reflective and not suitable for outdoor use. The tablet sports a 5-point multi-touch control too.

Hardware and Performance

Under the hood, Acer Iconia W4 is powered by a 1.33GHz quad-core processor from Intel coupled with 2 gigabyte of RAM. For graphic support, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD GPU is made use of.

It was reported that the tablet performed well in daily tasks like web browsing, playing casual games, using Office, and watching HD videos. The tablet can handle games like Jetpack Joyride and Angry Birds, which can be downloaded from the Windows Store.

For casual use, the tablet delivers about 7 hours of battery backup with the screen on full brightness and when connected to Wi-Fi. It can be charged with any micro-USB charger. A 64GB variant of the tablet provided about 40GB space expanded up to 64GB via a microSD card.

Software

The tablet presents a good Windows 8.1 experience. You can run all applications like Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop or Tally on a regular Windows PC or notebook. Iconia W4 also has Office Home and Student 2013 edition pre-installed. Apps like Acer Docs, Acer Media, Nero BackItUp, Evernote Touch, Amazon, Kindle, newsXpresso, TuneIn radio and Skype are already installed for the user.

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Nokia To Launch The Biggest-Screen Lumia 625 Tomorrow

Nokia is all set to unveil its biggest-ever-screen Smartphone in the Lumia series powered by Windows Phone 8. Dubbed as Lumia 625, the phone will come with a 4.7 inch screen, even bigger than its flagship Lumia 920.

The Finnish manufacturer is expected to announce the news tomorrow, but a Finland website has already leaked specifications of this upcoming device. However, the specs doesn’t prove justice to the big screen, rather it’s disappointing. The IPS LCD screen is stuck at 480x800 resolution and the powerhouse features a 1.2 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor and a bleak 512 MB of RAM.

The camera department is ruled by a 5 megapixel primary shooter and a VGA front shooter. The internal memory of the device is 8GB, a norm in the mid range Lumia’s, which can further be expanded to 64 GB with a MicroSD card

Unlike the earlier Lumias, Lumia 625 will sport FM Radio function and the whole package is powered by a 2000 mAh battery. The device, just like Lumia 620 will also have interchangeable shells, which comes in a variety of colors including green, orange, yellow, black and white.

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Samsung Launches Tablet Running Both Android And Windows 8 In India

South Korean electronics major Samsung has unveiled nine new products that are likely to hit the Indian market over the next few months.

Keeping in line with its aim to consolidate its presence and increase its revenue base by over 30 per cent in India, Samsung has been on a major product launch spree.

The Ativ Q tablet that runs both Android and Windows 8 were among the range of products launched at the Samsung Premiere 2013 event, held in London recently.

"Not only will you get access to Android apps via Google Play, but you will also be able to transfer files or share folders and files from Windows 8 to Android," Samsung said about the tablet.

With a global strategy to cash in on the popularity of its Galaxy S4 series, Samsung also unveiled a water-resistant version of the company's flagship handset called Galaxy S4 Active.

Also launched at the event was Galaxy S4 Zoom, a smart-phone with a 16 megapixel camera and a 10x optical zoom. It uses Google's Android operating system, and contains optical stabilization to help photographers.

"As communication continues to become increasingly visual in nature, people wish to capture and share their moments in the highest quality possible, but often do not have the space or inclination to carry a dedicated camera for this purpose," said Samsung mobile head JK Shin.

Other devices announced by Samsung at the event included the successor to the Series 9 laptop, the Ativ Book 9 Plus, featuring a similar display, but have a touchscreen and claims to have 12 hours of battery life weighing just 1.39 kg.

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