Acer announce the budget friendly Iconia B1-A71 7″ tablet

Acer have been making tablets for a few years now and their most recent announcement at CES will be their third generation 7″ tablet.

With each successive generation there is a worrying trend. Lowering prices. Their previous tablet the Iconia A110 was priced to compete with the Nexus 7 and I felt it fell down on quality rather than price. With their latest tablet the Iconia B1-A71 they seemed to have dropped the price again. This time it looks like it will be under £100 when it reaches us in the UK.

Spec wise it is pretty much as you’d expect:

• 1.2GHz dual-core processor
• feather-light 320 grams
• 7-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600)
• 8GB Internal memory
• MicroSD slot
• 2,710 mAh battery
• Jelly Bean

As regards price and availability Acer have said that the Acer Iconia B1-A71 is expected to be available in Europe, Middle East and Africa mid-January with a starting price of €119

Here is the press release:

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 7, 2013) – Acer today announced the Iconia B1-A71 tablet targeted at young or new users or families looking for an additional tablet for their children. The Iconia B1 is also ideal for busy individuals seeking a convenient mobile companion. At 7 inches – the same size as a standard book page – the display is comfortable for e-reading, web browsing, playing games and watching videos.

Super Portable: The Iconia B1 is easy to hold and use in one hand, a triangular corner grip on the lower left side improves single-hand usage even more. It’s also easy to tote around in a bag or jacket at a feather-light 320 grams, making it one of the lightest 7-inch tablets in the market.

Highly Responsive Fun: To take your experience to the next level, this tablet combines a 1.2GHz dual-core processor for fast and smooth gaming, web browsing and video watching with Android’s Jelly Bean operating system to get quickly precise answers to your search queries and seamless browsing. For many search queries performed through VoiceSearch, you can now hear a spoken answer quickly.

Fast and Free Media: Over 500 free online magazines from hundreds of publishers and top web sites are always at your fingertips thanks to Google Currents. The recently updated smart mobile app allows you to discover, read, and share your favorite new outlets, blogs and online magazine on the 7-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) capacitive display – even when offline. If you are into playing, you have more than 700,000 games and apps from the Play Store to choose from.

Capture and Share More: To top off the rich experience, the Iconia B1 comes with a front-facing camera to engage in live chats with your friends. The camera is on the top right corner and works also when in landscape mode, allowing your friends to get into the picture during a video chat.

The Iconia B1 is an affordable entry level device to the wide family of Acer products and is designed for the everyday usage of Modern Day Explorers – in this case young explorers or busy mobile explorers. The Iconia B1 is, like its Acer family products, a device which provides the most premium experience at its price point. Available as 8GB version with the option to expand via microSD™ slot, the Iconia B1 is the ideal easy companion for tablet newbies or children while adults use their own.

The new Iconia B1 expands the Acer tablet family now offering three 10-inch Android, two 7-inch Android, one 11” Windows 8 and one 10-inch Windows 8 Hybrid Tablets.

Pricing, Availability and Warranty
The Acer Iconia B1-A71 is expected to be available in Europe, Middle East and Africa mid-January with a starting price of €119(1).

Acer Iconia B1-A71 features and specs:
-Android Jelly Bean operating system
– Mediatek dual-core 1.2GHz processor (MTK 8317T)
-7-inch diagonal WSVGA capacitive multitouch screen with 1,024 x 600 resolution display
-8GB(2) of internal storage
-Wireless connectivity:
-Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
-Bluetooth® wireless technology 4.0
-GPS
-3.5mm headset/headphone/microphone jack
-internal speaker
-microSD™ expansion slot with up to 32GB support
-front-facing 0.3-megapixel webcam
-Rechargeable 2,710 mAh battery
-micro-USB (charging and PC connect) with USB 2.0
-Dimensions: 197.4 mm x 128.5 mm x 11.3 mm
-Weight: 320 g