Zhesty.NET - Gadgets and Technology

We've already seen it pass through the FCC and pop-up in a family-friendly video, but today, Acer's Iconia Tab A200 has finally received official status, courtesy of an announcement obtained by Netbook News. Powered by NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, the company's latest Android slate comes with 1GB of RAM and boasts a "generous" 10.1-inch display, with 1280 x 800 resolution. Available in either Titanium Gray or Metallic Red, the slate also features a two megapixel front facing camera and, as we observed earlier, comes packed with Acer Ring -- a multitasking manager that provides shortcuts to Google Maps, screenshot functions and other apps. Acer says it began shipping Honeycomb-laced models to select countries in November, but promises that an Ice Cream Sandwich version will be available worldwide in January (along with a free update for early buyers). No word yet on pricing or current availability, but you can find more information in the full press release, after the break.

Is there any tablet that's hotter than the Transformer Prime right now? (Please, don't say the Kindle Fire.) For weeks we geeks, early adopters and people who love their tech toys have been awaiting this, and none too patiently. Make no mistake: this will be one of the slickest products we test this year and it isn't just because the original Transformer had such an inventive design. The Prime is the first device packing NVIDIA's hot-off-the-presses Tegra 3 SoC, making it the world's first quad-core tablet. This comes with promises of longer-than-ever runtime and blazing performance (five times faster than Tegra 2, to be exact), all wrapped in a package measuring just 8.3mm (0.33 inches) thick -- even skinnier than the iPad 2 or Galaxy Tab 10.1. Throw in specs like a Super IPS+ Gorilla Glass display, eight megapixel rear camera and a confirmed ICS update in the pipe and even we seen-it-all Engadget editors were drooling.

All of which means we dropped just everything when a 32GB Prime showed up on our doorstep earlier this week, and soon enough, you'll have your chance to nab one too. ASUS announced today that the WiFi-only models will be available through online sellers the week of December 19th, and in retail the week after. (No word yet on 3G versions for the US just yet.) It'll start at $499 for the 32GB model -- not bad considering five hundred bucks is the going rate for a high-end tablet with 16GB of storage. From there you can get a 64GB number for $599, while that signature keyboard dock will set you back a further $149. Worth it? Read on to find out.

We were expecting ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer Prime to hit the market sometime next month, but a new pre-order page on Newegg may have just revealed a slightly more specific date. Of course, the Tegra 3-packing tablet has already gone up for pre-order on a host of retail sites, but Newegg's listing is the first to peg December 8th for its release. Its $500 price tag also dovetails nicely with what we've previously heard, though ASUS has yet to weigh in with its official word.

Sony's second avant-garde tablet a la Android, the Tablet P, has finally made its high-fashioned self available online in the UK. The 3G-capable model has been slapped with a hefty £500 ($774) price tag, possibly explained in part by the pair of 5.5-inch touchscreens, which both tap into the same TruBlack technology used in Sony's Bravia TV range. The dual screen setup means that controls can be split to the lower half -- ideal for PlayStation-certified gaming or the occasional email barrage. If curiously curved clam shapes are doing it for you.

It's only been a few weeks since ASUS went official with it's Tegra 3-packing Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet. We knew the keyboard-dockable hybrid would available sometime this December, but now the Android 3.2 Honeycomb-running slate (later upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich) has just popped up for pre-order at various North American retailers. If you'll recall, inside of its Zenbook-esque shell you'll find a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front facer -- not to mention other goodies like a micro HDMI port and a SD card reader. Folks in the US can place their funds down for the 1.3-pound 10.1-incher with Amazon, B&H Photo, Tiger Direct and Best Buy, while those up in Canada can currently look to Future Shop for the privilege. Arriving in your choice amethyst gray or champagne gold with 32 or 64GB of storage, you'll find it priced at $500 and $600, respectively. So, if you want to ensure you're the first kid on the block with a quad-core slate, find your credit card, get Eee-xcited and hit the source link below.

And just like that, the Honeycomb begins to drizzle anew. It took Sammy a few days to sort things out after an available Android 3.2 update broke WiFi, Bluetooth and auto-rotate on some users' 10.1 slates. But now official word from the company has that planned OTA software upgrade aiming for a round two redux, rolling out with a fix in tow for affected tabs. Of course, if you were one of the few besot with crippled connectivity issues, you can download the software via the Kies desktop app and sideload it from there. So, no need to worry. Your happy tablet days are here again.