I was never the lucky type when it comes to raffles and other games of luck. My officemates can testify to that – we once had a gimmick within our department where we get to draw lots from a bowl of rolled papers with goodies written on them like Starbucks credits, Salon GCs, and even a Powerbank. Now the catch is, out of the 22 lots, 3 of them are “Try Agains” and guess what; I got to pick 2 of the 3. How unlucky can I get?
Now this isn’t a recent thing. I also remember several instances when I was a kid where I don’t get what I wished for, or I get picked when I would have preferred otherwise – like when the teacher calls out your name when you were chanting to yourself: “please don’t call me first! Please don’t call me first!”
Apparently, it’s a different story when you’re not relying on luck alone. I joined the #AcerYugatechQuizNight last December in the hopes of winning an Acer Iconia Tab 8. I don’t have a tablet of my own so my fingers were crossed for several days in the hopes of winning this one.
I wouldn’t say though that I didn’t need any kind of help from Lady Luck. I had no idea what the categories will be so I can just wish that the questions are going to be from my areas of interest. Good thing though that I was lucky enough to be teammates with some of the smartest, coolest (and loudest..lol) bloggers I know – the GooglyGooeysTippy and Pong, and Vivian and Camille of TheSoshalNetwork! Now at least if we didn’t win, I knew that the whole thing would be so much fun!
First category was General Knowledge. Good enough, I thought. We were leading in the first category and soon, it was a barrage of questions from categories where at least one of us was familiar with! We were on a roll! Now we got a bit worried because we got lower scores than usual in the Music and Sports categories, and also when the organizers decided to make the last round 2 points per correct answer (our win would have been guaranteed otherwise). In the end, our loud, enthusiastic, and competitive group got the highest score! I couldn’t believe it myself but we really did! 😀
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| I have got to say that Acer is the most generous that I’ve encountered so far when it comes to blogger take-homes. Aside from my Iconia Tab 8, I also had an Acer-NBA backpack, a notebook, and a USB! |
I excitedly unboxed my prize as soon as I got home. It was such a beauty! Here are my first impressions:
Not too small, not too big. Juuust right.
The Acer Iconia Tab 8 has just the right height and width to make it handy enough to carry around comfortably. It was easy for me to hold its 8.5 x 5.5 inch body with just one hand, or even two when I’m playing games (which I do a lot, by the way).
Chic and Stylish
The Iconia Tab 8 may be a budget tablet, but this didn’t keep it from getting upstaged in the design department. With its slim build, smooth aluminum back, and curved edges, this baby’s looks is comparable to the higher-end tablets that I know.
Right in the Light, Lesser when Darker
Admittedly, I wasn’t very satisfied with the camera quality (although it is what you would expect from a 5 megapixel rear camera, or a 2 megapixel front camera). Pictures taken from a few feet from the subject and in low-light conditions tend to become grainy and less sharp. However, a good lighting does the trick, and close-up pictures become detailed. Here are a few samples of pictures I’ve taken using Acer Iconia Tab 8:
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| Not bad, right? |
Yay for Display!
A 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution for a budget tablet is not bad at all! I’m primarily using the unit to read eBooks and play games at the moment, and I have no complaints at all with the vividness and resolution provided by the screen. It’s also decent enough even for HD videos.
As my first tablet, I can already tell that the Acer Iconia Tab 8 is going to be a lifesaver. Gone are the days when I have to carry my laptop with me all the time to do my blog-stuff. Thank you Acer and Yugatech, for the Christmas present!
