Microsoft recently announced it was working with Windows 8 partners to bring small touch devices powered by Windows to the market. It is also believed that Microsoft is working on its own 7-8-inch Surface mini to compete with all the smaller-sized tablets on the market, like the iPad mini, Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. Acer has now beaten Microsoft and others to market in the smaller-sized tablet market, so it will give us a better idea of what we might see from Microsoft with the rumored Surface mini.
The new Windows 8 tablet from Acer has been leaked by Amazon. The Acer W3-810 is an 8.1-inch tablet running the full version of Windows 8. Don't get that confused with Microsoft's Surface RT, which runs a stripped-down version of the operating system. The Acer W3-810 features an 8.1-inch 1280 x 800 display, Windows 8, 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor, 32GB of internal storage, 2-megapixel front and rear camera, micro- USB port, and a micro-HDMI port. The tablet is listed as weighing 1.1 lbs and provides up to eight hours of continuous use.
The Verge reports that Amazon has the tablet listed at $379.99, which puts it in iPad mini and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 territory (Amazon has already removed the link). The difference is that while this tablet is small, it is running the full desktop version of Windows 8 and not a stripped- down mobile operating system. There is no word on when this tablet will ship, but it certainly appears that Microsoft is getting ready to go another round with new Windows 8 tablets in smaller sizes, to try and appeal to more consumers. Microsoft's own Surface Pro tablet running Windows 8 Professional is $899 for the 64GB model and the Surface RT is $499 for 32GB model. If you're looking for a smaller full-fledged Windows 8 tablet that's not going to break the bank, the Acer W3-810 looks like a very good choice to consider.
