During the same event where Acer unveiled a number of unnamed Android devices, they also rolled out the Iconia, which you can think of as either a dual-screened tablet, or a laptop that features a touchscreen with a virtual keyboard instead of a physical one keyboard. It’s basically similar to Toshiba’s 7-inch Libretto, but bigger. Twice bigger actually, at 14-inches per screen. The spec’s pretty heavy too: this thing runs on an Intel Core i5 processor and up to 4GBs of RAM, making it more like a Libretto on really powerful steroids.
The rest of the spec makes for a pretty solid performer: The Iconia also packs up to 750GBs of hard drive storage, VGA and HDMI output ports, Wi-fi n, 3G and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity, and a pair of 1.3MP cams. Graphics are powered by an integrated Intel chip that should help extend the battery life. It’s listed to run up to 3 hours on battery, but that’s to be expected when you’re running a notebook that rocks a pair of 14-inch screens.
The Iconia comes with Windows 7 Home Premium installed, but the bottom part—where the keyboard is—features a custom interface that supports gestures. Placing five fingers on the bottom screen brings up Acer’s Ring interface that lets you quickly switch between other functions that include multimedia controls and the virtual keyboard.
They’re still working on new apps that can use the new touch-based interface, but you can get it early if you’re interested. The Iconia is due out by mid-January for around $2,300.
Tags: Acer, Acer Iconia Touchbook, Iconia, Notebooks, Tablet PCs
