Acer's 10.1-inch Iconia Tab A500 the cheapest Android 3.0 tablet on the block

Android 3.0 or Honeycomb-based 10.1-inch tablet from Acer called Iconia Tab A500 is now available for pre-order at Best Buy.

Acer joins other players like Motorola, Samsung and LG to offer Honeycomb tablets in an attempt to dislodge the master of the tablet world iPad 2.

Iconia like Motorola Xoom looks rather bulky in comparison to iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Iconia Tab A500 is 0.52 inches thick and weighs about 1.69 pounds while iPad 2 is 0.34-inch thick and weighs 1.32 pounds. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the thinnest of the lot sporting thickness of 0.33-inch and weighs a mere 1.31 pounds.

Iconia Tab A500 is heavier than Motorola Xoom which weighs about 1.6 pounds. Apart from that Tab A500's specifications are similar to other Android 3.0 tablets. It's screen resolution is 1280x800, has a dual-core chip and two cameras a front facing 2 MP camera and 5 MP rear-facing camera.

However what really goes for the tablet is its price. It is available for $449.99 which is lower than the entry level Wi-Fi only 16GB iPad model which starts at $499. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is priced at $499 for a 16GB version. Thus Acer Iconia Tab A500 could possibly beat other Androids as it is the cheapest of the lot.

Here is a comparison between Acer Iconia A500 and iPad 2: