Looks like Acer is stepping up its game and moving in on the lower end 7″ tablet market, quietly releasing the B1-A71 7″ Android tablet at Dick Smith. Alex D has pointed us towards the latest Dick Smith catalogue which went live yesterday, where the 7″ tablet is being advertised at $199 with Jelly Bean(Android 4.1) on-board.
Whilst it’s not going to blow the Nexus 7 out of the water, especially in terms of delivery of software upgrades the tablet does have expandable memory via microSD card slot and that is certainly something that a number of people have cited as a reason to skip the Nexus 7, although this is about the only plus over the Nexus 7 that I can see with all other aspects falling a little short of the popular Nexus device.
Acer B1-A71 Specs :
- 7″ LCD @ 1024×600
- 1.2GHz MTK 8317 Dual Core CPU
- 512MB RAM
- 8GB of internal Storage with microSD Card Slot supporting up to 32GB
- 0.3MP HD Camera(Front Facing)
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Li-Ion Battery
– There are more specs for the B1-A71 over at GSM Arena but I’ve reached out to Acer to confirm the specs on the model being sold in Australia
If you really just want something for media consumption with expandable memory but from a more reputable name then this could be one for you, the sale runs through until the 4th of February and you can check it out on the Dick Smith Website or head on into a store.
This is garbage! $199, are you kidding me, terribly overpriced for what it is. You can buy similarly specced Chinese Android tablets for half the price if you search online. I have the Nexus 7 and the user experience is fantastic, mostly thanks to the Tegra 3 and fantastic battery life. The screen is also better res although I have to admit that the N7 screen (particularly the colour reproduction) is a compromise. Would still have to be miles better than this Acer though…
i have a new ipad and im happy on it but my sons coming 6th bday is asking for a mini ipad but i feel like is too expensive just to have him only for a game…do you think this is worth to give him for a present? pls help…thanks!!!
If you’re just buying it as a game machine there are far better options. $200 may sound cheap, but the specs on this make it overpriced in my opinion.
Considering this is a 6 year old, I’d be looking at the Kogan Agora mini 8″ dual core tablet. Not something I would get for myself, but it will do everything a 6 year old wants, and starts at $119.
and it will have a battery life that will match the attention span of a 6 yo as well. LOL. these are cheap and very power chewing. but they could still meets your needs.
A 6 year old needs fresh air Liz, not a games console… and if you need a bit of a hand to decide on whether to by him a $399 present at the age of 6, might pay for you to get a bit of fresh air yourself.. 🙂
I can’t see why you would buy this? Given the 16GB N7 is only $250, the extra $50 is worth it just for the extra resolution, esp if you are using it as a media device!
That doesn’t factor in that you can get a decent condition N7 2nd hand for <$200 too.
$250 + $20 shipping to be precise. Now that is a $70 difference. 2nd hand N7 especially the now obsolete 8GB version is certainly a bargain though.