Acer announced on Monday a new 7-inch tablet called the Iconia B1-A71. The company says it's ideal for families looking for a cheaper, second "can I play Angry Birds on your tablet" tablet (parents know what I'm talking about), and the busy executive looking for a mobile companion without all the bulk associated with a 10-inch form factor.
"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," the company said. "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."
According to the spec list, the tablet sports a Mediatek MTK 8317T dual-core SoC clocked at 1.2 GHz, backing a 7-inch WSVGA capacitive multi-touch screen (1024 x 600). Other specs include 8 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot for an extra 32 GB of storage, 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, a front-facing 0.3MP camera, and an internal speaker.
"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 company said. "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 spec list also reveals the tablet to have 512 MB of RAM, a rechargeable 2,710 mAh battery, GPS, a microUSB port for charging and peripheral connectivity, and a 3.5-mm headset/headphone/microphone jack. The OS of choice is Google's Android "Jelly Bean" although the company doesn't specify if it's v4.1 or v4.2. Users will presumably have access to Google services like Google Maps and Google Play.
The Acer Iconia B1-A71 will be available on an unspecified date with a starting price less than $150, joining the company's three 10-inch Android, two 7-inch Android, one 11-inch Windows 8 and one 10-inch Windows 8 Hybrid tablets. We'll take a look at what this 7-inch tablet has to offer this week during CES 2013.
