Acer launches $380 Iconia W3: World’s first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet

We love it when the rumor mill is right. After plenty of speculation and leaks courtesy of Amazon and Acer Russia, the first 10 inch tablets running a full version of Windows 8 has arrived in the form of the Acer Iconia W3. It’ll be available starting June 4 and comes with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 pre-loaded. What makes the Iconia W3 such a big deal? For starters, Acer has taken the attitude of “Screw Windows RT” and put a fully functional version of Windows 8 on this little tablet.

This means it’ll run all of the legacy x86 applications that run on every other version of Windows. Acer paired the 8-inch tablet with an optional (grrr) Bluetooth keyboard/case that is about the same size as the one you would find on a 13.3-inch notebook, which means you’ll actually be able to type on it without scrunching your hands into awkward positions. However, if you need to type on the go, Acer has also made the virtual keyboard thumb-typing-friendly.

The display on the Iconia W3 measures 8.1 inches and has a 1200 x 800 resolution. It’s not the retina-like or even the full HD display we were hoping for, but it’ll still give you plenty of pixels to work with. Like most tablets, the Iconia W3 includes 2-megapixel front and rear cameras. As far as connectivity, the 7 inch tablet includes Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11b/g/n wireless, a micro-HDMI port, a microUSB port, and the aforementioned microSD card slot. Acer tells us the Iconia W3′s MSRP will be $380, but that we’ll likely see it lower than that when presales begin in U.S. stores, such as Amazon, MicrosoftStore.com, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Walmart, and Microsoft retail stores on Tuesday, June 4. df2Dsda2

If you’re not crazy about Windows RT but are looking for a lightweight Windows 8 inch tablet, Acer may have just what you’re seeking. Combining the desktop and mobile experience, Acer’s newly announced Iconia W3 is the first 8-inch tablet to come with the full version of Windows 8. Acer even throws in a copy of Microsoft Office for the $379 price tag.

Targeting the back-to-school crowd as well as mobile professionals, Acer boasts that the Iconia W3 is compatible with an optional full-sized keyboard. The company also promises that its tablet will last for eight hours on a charge. While the $379 price is $50 more than the iPad mini, Acer says retailers will likely sell the device for less than the MSRP.

Although Acer just announced its new Windows 8 tablet at Computex, the news may not come as a surprise for some. Near the end of May Acer’s Finnish website briefly posted a product page for the Iconia W3 tablets for sale before quickly taking it down.The Acer Iconia W3 will be available for presale beginning June 4 via retailers including Amazon, Office Depot, Microsoft Retailers, MicrosoftStore.com, OfficeMax, Staples and Walmart. .