I’m not a techblogger, so I may not be able to point out
important technical aspects of the Acer Iconia W3, but if you’re a teacher like
me, perhaps you’ll find this post helpful.
I first saw Acer Iconia W3 in a technology news (can't remember if it's in Flipboard or other news apps in my phone) that I was
reading. It was launched in Computex and it caught my attention particularly
because it claims to be a cost efficient hybrid machine (i.e. laptop+tablet).
When I read its specifications, I immediately concluded that it will be useful
for teaching.
Aside from sporting a Windows 8 Operating System, what
really caught my attention is the bundled Microsoft Office 2013, i.e. it has a
Word, Excel, and Powerpoint—three of the most important productivity
applications in the teaching profession.
Whenever I tinker with tablets in malls, e.g. iPad Mini and Android
tablets, I always find them not so functional because they lack productivity
applications. While it is true that you may install free office applications to
Android devices, such as Kingsoft, it still doesn’t function the way I expect
it to be. Apple, of course, has very good office applications, but they are
just so pricey.
To continue, another strong feature of the Iconia is its
ability to connect with projectors and other screens through the micro-hdmi
port. However, it is just annoying to find out the malls do not sell a
Micro-HDMI to VGA cable (I scoured SM North’s Cyberzone to no avail!...oh…and
yeah...not even the “powerful” CDR-King has it! Imagine?!). Good thing there’s
a Sulit.com seller, and I got the cable for PHP 800 (See pictures below)
Finally, another very impressive feature of the Iconia is
its battery life. I start my class at 9:00 AM (one class is equal to 1 ½ hours)
and end at 6:00 PM. While it’s not entirely lecture, I also do not need to
charge any time of the day (provided that I start the day with a 100% battery
life). When my day ends, the Iconia still has an average of 25% battery life!
In conclusion, the Acer Iconia W3 is delivering what it is
supposed to deliver. I can present my lectures through it and do some
occasional writing as well as other school works, plus of course, recording grades in
Excel. It works the way I thought it would. Moreover, it has saved so much
space and weight in my backpack!
I wouldn’t be posting the specs of this device as they are
available in any other tech website. I’ll just post pictures of how I use it in
class to give an idea to other teachers who might be interested to buy it. I’ll
also post the link of the Sulit.com vendor who sells the very important Micro-HDMI to VGA cable.
How to Connect the Iconia to an LCD Projector:
1. You'll need a Micro-HDMI to VGA Cable, which is something very difficult to find because stores in malls don't have them. I purchased mine from
Mr. Johnny B.
2. This cable will be connected to a regular VGA cable (PHP 50.00 in CD-R KING)
The pictures below show how I use my Iconia in FEU Cavite. Fortunately, all classrooms in FEU has a mounted LCD projectors, so it's really a breeze to use the Iconia for lectures and other teaching activities.
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LCD Projectors are mounted in all classrooms of FEU Cavite
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Beside the whiteboard is a switch where the VGA cable is connected to display the image through the projector
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LEFT: On/Off switch of the LCD & 220V plug. RIGHT: VGA Port for the LCD Projector
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The Iconia with the Micro-HDMI Port. I'm also using my girlfriend's gift to me, a Logitech clicker w/laser pointer so that I won't need to go back and forth to the teacher's table when I'm delivering lectures.
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Screenshot of the Powerpoint 2013. It's good that powerpoint has upgraded to this, on the left is what is shown on the screen, the smaller view on the right is a preview of the next slide.
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DYNAMIC DUO: Logitech Wireless Presenter and Acer Iconia W3. Teaching has become more fun because of these tools!
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(DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a paid advertisement. But if ACER will give me credits or gift certificates, I will gladly accept them. =) )
