AT&T (NYSE:T) is coming on strong in the Android “Honeycomb” tablet market, vowing to sell the 10.1-inch Acer Iconia Tab A501 4G tablet Sept. 18 for $479.99, or $329.99 on contract.
Equipped with a 4G radio to run on AT&T’s 4G HSPA+ network, the Acer Iconia Tab A501 is the speediest Acer Honeycomb tablet yet, following Acer’s 10.1-inch A500 and 7-inch A100 WiFi-only Honeycomb machines.
Like its A500 predecessor, the A501 is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 mobile 1GHz dual-core processor and integrated GeForce GPU.
When paired with AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network, the slate’s application and graphics processors promise powerful processing for fast Web browsing, high-definition video play and digital media playback without hiccups, as well as smooth Adobe Flash processing for games and other apps.
AT&T will sell the A501 for a flat fee of $479.99 sans contract. However, consumers may also purchase the A501 for $329.99 if they subscribe to a $35, 3GB monthly data plan for a two-year period.
The carrier said customers who do not choose a long-term commitment may instead choose a post-paid option of $14.99 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB.
However, AT&T said customers on the 2GB plan who exceed their monthly data quota will be charged $10 per 1GB of overage. Customers on the 250MB plan who blow past their monthly data allotment will be charged $14.99 per 250MB of overage.
While Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile have all pushed Honeycomb tablets to market over the last few months, AT&T has really ramped up its plans this summer.
The company began selling the HTC Jetstream 4G tablet, which features the HTC Scribe digital pen technology, Sept. 4 for $699 on contract. AT&T is also the exclusive provider in the United States of Sony’s Tablet S and Tablet P Honeycomb machines.
Available for $499 in a 16GB version and $599 for 32GB later this month, the Tablet S resembles a paper pad with folded sheets. The Tablet P, which does not have pricing or a formal launch date beyond the end of 2011, offers two 5.5-inch touch-screen displays and weighs only 0.83 pounds.
Both are powered by Nvidia’s 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core processor, have front- and rear-facing cameras, and are WiFi- and 4G LTE-capable.