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Is this is an occasional tablet for the disposable age? With a fast processor, it does everything you might expect it to do fast enough, but a poor screen and battery consign it to the reserve list.
We liked
We do rather like Acer's slight face-lift to the vanilla Android 4.1.2 interface. The taskbar is a nice touch and the general navigation and browsing of the Acer Iconia B1 is unexpectedly smooth and easy to live with.
It's also worth pointing out that the Acer Iconia B1 does have a microSD card slot, which some owners of the Google Nexus 7 will covet. For casual users, there's really nothing lacking in the Acer Iconia B1, though power users will likely hate its screen.
We disliked
We're not fans of the lop-sided bezels, but our biggest complaints have to be the screen's viewing angles and lack of touch sensitivity.
Even moving the Acer Iconia B1 slightly during browsing or video not only drains, but completely destroys contrast and colour.
Having to touch an app three times before it launches isn't much fun, and the less said about the terrible mono sound, the better.
It also lacks a rear camera and the battery is dreadfully short. So short, in fact, that the Acer Iconia B1 is just not fit to travel.
Verdict
Those wanting a tablet to carry with them, and perhaps get completely addicted to, should look away now. The Acer Iconia B1's poor screen, battery life and speaker ensure that it's not going to do much of a job as a full-timer.
But we can see it working well as an occasional email checker, note-taking gadget, a kitchen recipe holder, a voice recorder for meetings, or a device for catching up on the morning news, though we'd worry if it strayed too far from a desk drawer.
Hugely restrictive viewing angles also rule it out for sharing, too, so we're struggling to think of a reason to buy unless you're given a voucher for Acer tablets with a 7-inch screen and poor battery life.
Bbut for all the niggles and low-quality components, the Acer Iconia B1 has enough zip about it to get on with browsing without any major fuss - but there are far, far too many other options to consider to give this our recommendation.
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