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Looking to buy

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crand22

Lurker
Hey guys, I'm looking into purchasing a new Acer Iconia A500 for school but i have a few questions first.

First, my school runs a McAfee protection software that you have to install on your computers before being able to connect to the wireless on campus. Are these android tables capable of running McAfee?

Second, my reasoning for buying a tablet is to replace my laptop. They're lighter and easier to carry around. Do you guys think this is reasonable? Or should i not count my laptop out? My main concern is writing papers. Do the tablets have any type of word processor to run other than google docs, or have USB keyboards that can attached?

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.

Also, can i upgrade the memory size? 16 gig seems small
 
crand22 said:
Hey guys, I'm looking into purchasing a new Acer Iconia A500 for school but i have a few questions first.

First, my school runs a McAfee protection software that you have to install on your computers before being able to connect to the wireless on campus. Are these android tables capable of running McAfee?
Click to expand...

This I am unsure of as i haven't used any antivirus stuff on any on my android devices.

Second, my reasoning for buying a tablet is to replace my laptop. They're lighter and easier to carry around. Do you guys think this is reasonable? Or should i not count my laptop out? My main concern is writing papers. Do the tablets have any type of word processor to run other than google docs, or have USB keyboards that can attached?

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...

For writing papers I would say you might still need your laptop. There is an app called docs to go which seems to be pretty handy but i wouldnt call it a full microsoft word replacement. And yes since the tab has a usb port you could use a usb keyboard or a bluetooth one. Just check compatibility issues first there was a thread I saw one somewhere about the different keyboards available and which ones worked and didn't.

Also, can i upgrade the memory size? 16 gig seems small
Click to expand...

It has a micro sd card slot so you could get a 32gb card giving you a total of 48gb.
 
Welcome to the forum! I don't know about any antivirus programs and the like either.

There are some Office-type programs and the Iconia comes with Docs2Go, which you might be interested in buying the full version for Office compatibility. As far as typing, typing on the screen would not be efficient for what you are trying to do. Although it has two USB ports (mini and full-sized), I'm not sure about compatibility for USB wireless keyboards. Regular USB keyboards work and you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard and use it. You can purchase mini Bluetooth keyboards such as: Targus Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard iPad Wireless Keyboard - Black

As far as replacing your laptop, you might just end up supplanting it. It just depends how much you want to use the A500.

Regarding memory, yes it has 16GB, but if you search online, you can pick up the 32GB model for about $50 more. Here's one example: Acer Iconia Tab A500-10S32u XE.H6LPN.001 Tablet - NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual-Core 1.0GHz, 1GB DDR2, 32GB Storage, 10.1 Multi-Touch Display, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Dual Webcams at TigerDirect.com
You can fill the MicroSD memory to 32GB. I have 16GB and it's quite sweet! It will also recognize a 64GB thumb drive, so you won't be limited by lack of memory. If I could do it again, I'd buy the 32GB model, as you can't add more memory to that.

Good luck and enjoy it. Using it for school, you should find it's all you need.
 
I am not sure about McAfree either as I havent installed it. You could probably go to the market but it wouldn't be a A500 problem it would be a tablet problem whether or not you can install it.

Do you have a desktop? A tablet in my mind is not a replacement for a computer. I use mine for various functions but still have my laptop (and desktop) for other functions. I suppose you could write a paper on the docs to go but I think I would prefer a regular computer.


crand22 said:
Hey guys, I'm looking into purchasing a new Acer Iconia A500 for school but i have a few questions first.

First, my school runs a McAfee protection software that you have to install on your computers before being able to connect to the wireless on campus. Are these android tables capable of running McAfee?

Second, my reasoning for buying a tablet is to replace my laptop. They're lighter and easier to carry around. Do you guys think this is reasonable? Or should i not count my laptop out? My main concern is writing papers. Do the tablets have any type of word processor to run other than google docs, or have USB keyboards that can attached?

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it.

Also, can i upgrade the memory size? 16 gig seems small
Click to expand...
 
If you are forced to have mcafee you might be out of luck. To me it sounds like you ness a windows tablet. I do not know much about them but I personally did not get the a500 for business purpose, that's what the laptop is for.


Sorry misspells young on phone
 
I bought a wirless key board from Geeks.com that has a USB dongle for it. It also has a touch pad so you don't need a mouse.Works like a charm. I haven't seen any installs for McAfee but you might check thier web site for help there. The tablet comes with Anti virus software installed already amd you can get AVG free on the Google Apps site. There are a few different Office type programs out there, some of which are quite good. As for memory. I bought mine the first day they were available and was only 16 gig available then. You can add a 32 gig in the SD slot and it is recognized. With the USB slot there you don't have to worry about HD space. I have found I use my tablet at least as often as my laptop or home pc, so it was a good investment. Portability being the number one reason.
 
I'm sure your school only enforces that rule on Windows machines. If you tell them that your device is something else, they'll just allow it. I highly doubt they blanket ban all over devices, including Apple products that don't run McAfee.

As for using any tablet as a laptop replacement.. if I could only buy one or the other, I'd go for the laptop. For the same price as a 10.1" tablet you could get a far more powerful 15.1" laptop, but if you can get both, then do it :)
 
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