Acer Iconia W3 Is First Eight Inch Windows 8 Tablet

Acer has unveiled the first eight-inch Windows 8-powered tablet, the Acer Iconia W3, and the firm’s first phablet smartphone, the Acer Liquid S1, at Computex in Taiwan.

Microsoft confirmed earlier this year that it was working with manufacturers to produce smaller Windows 8 and Windows RT devices as it seeks to expand the platform’s tablet market share.

Acer claims that the Iconia W3 is compact enough to be used with one hand but the screen is large enough for entertainment and desktop applications. It comes preloaded with a full version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013, while it is also compatible with x86 legacy programmes.

Acer Iconia W3

The tablet is powered by an Intel Atom Z2760 processor and promises up to eight hours of battery life which can be extended by running some tasks in the background using connected standby.

It also features a microSD card slot, front and rear two megapixel cameras and a micro-HDMI port to connect to a television or external display.

“With the Iconia W3, Acer is giving those who create, read, work and play in the Windows environment a device they can hold in one hand that does it all,” said Michael Birkin, Acer Chief Marketing Officer. “With the combination of Windows 8 and a sleek 8-inch design, the W3 is a joy to use and a better way to have fun and productivity on the go.”

The Acer Iconia W3 will be released in 32GB and 64GB varities in the UK in June, with prices starting at €329 and €379.

Acer Liquid S1

The Taiwanese company has also released details about the 5.7 inch Acer Liquid S1 smartphone, which runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz processor.

Acer is targeting business users with the handset, promising a days worth of battery power, remote document access through Acer Cloud, wireless printing, multitasking features and the ability to show presentations in 720p high-definition.

The phone will be released in the UK during the third quarter of 2013 with some regions receiving a dual SIM version.

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