Acer just rolled out in the U.S. and other global markets the Acer Iconia W3, the first 8.1-inch Windows 8 tablet. This makes the gadget the smallest PC, bringing the full PC and entertainment features in a small device.

In the U.S., the new Acer tablet is available for pre-orders at major retailers such as Office Depot, Amazon, Staples, Walmart, OfficeMax, MicrosoftStore.com and Microsoft Retail Stores, priced at $379 for the 32-GB model and $429 for the 64GB model.

Besides its large screen, here are 5 other good reasons to buy this device from the Taiwan-based tech giant.

  • Hardware - The device features an Intel Atom 1.5GHz Z2760 processor and 2GB memory, sufficient to keep its OS, Windows 8, rolling relatively hard. Other pluses included wireless connectivity options such as WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0+EDR.
  • Display - The 8.1-inch screen has a 1200x800 pixel resolution. Tech Web site Slashgear pointed out that the screen is not exactly perfect for wide viewing angles, but yields a good single-user viewing experience.
  • Long battery life - The tablet runs up to more than seven hours of regular use. Slashgear concludes that the Intel processor makes good on its efforts to keep low-powered tasks in the low-powered class.
  • Camera and memory - It features 2 megapixel cameras that take relatively one-time shots worthy of basic shares. It also has microSD memory card and a whopping 31GB space left because the largest app size in the tablet is the Microsoft Travel app that uses only 375MB.
  • Keyboard and protective case - Both are ready to work specifically with the Acer iconia W3. The protective case connects to the tablet with a plastic snap and keeps the unit safe using fake white leather. The keyboard features a set of intends on its left and right that work with the keyboard to keep it in place when not using the tablet of keyboard.

Slashgear noted that it is difficult to match the Acer Iconia W3 tablet as a competitor with other similar devices since it basically stands alone in that field. "While we've yet to see any company bring the full-powered mini-tablet with high-definition display to Windows 8 that we desire - or at least desire to see - Acer currently leads the pack with this machine," the Web site said.

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