14 DAY TRIAL // The introduction of the AMD Fusion series of APUs has enabled computer manufacturers to build a wide series of innovative devices which are now capable to run full-fledged operating systems, like Microsfot's Windows 7, Acer just presenting such a solution, which is part tablet part notebook, during the 2011 Mobile World Congress.
The most striking feature of the new Iconia Tab W500 is the full-sized clichet keyboard which can be attached to the device, transforming the tablet into a 10.1-inch notebook.
Furthermore, when connected, the keyboard also acts as a docking station adding an Ethernet and a USB 2.0 port to the tablet as well as a pointing device with two individual buttons.
As stated earlier, the Iconia Tab W500 is powered by an Advanced Micro Devices Fusion APU, the AMD C-50 to be more exact.
This is based on two Bobcat cores, clocked at 1GHz, which are accompanied by a Radeon HD 6250 on-die GPU capable of playing back 1080p content, including Full HD Flash videos.
Next to AMD's APU, the Iconia Tab W500 can also feature up to 2GB 0f DDR3 memory and a maximum of 32GB of storage space via an mSATA SSD, dual webcams as well as Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. A 3G modem built by Huawei is available as an optional.
All these are packed behind a 10.1-inch display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, capable of delivering 350nits of brightness at its highest setting.
The tablet weighs a full 970g and comes packed with a 3-cell battery which Acer says it should be good for up to 6 hours of Internet browsing and 3 hours of HD video playback.
The additional docking station keyboard adds another 610g to the overall weight of the device. No details regarding pricing and availability were disclosed at this time.
Note: Fellow editors Cosmin Vasile and Alex Vochin are on the floor at the 2011 Mobile World Congress and are keeping us posted with pictures and live reports on the latest product previews and launches.
