Acer’s new Chromebook Tab 510 puts LTE into a super tough, super bulky tablet

Image: Acer

The Acer Chromebook Tab 510 is not very attractive. It's time to get that out of the way up front. What this blocky, rubbery brick lacks in looks, it makes up for with a keyboard attachment, an integrated stylus, and an optionalLTE connection, still an uncommon feature among Chromebooks.

The Tab 510 has a 1920 x 1200 display and is powered by a 7c processor with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The 7c does have a good reputation for battery life, but it doesn't qualify the device for high-end status, so it's more of a rugged companion for your kids or suitcase.

As with its other new devices this week, Acer is pitching the Tab 510 in part as a super-mobile video conferencing setup: the 510 has a 5-megapixel webcam, which is located in the center of the top bezel when it is docked in the keyboard. The correct place for a tablets camera. The company says the Tab 510 can stand up to extreme heat, cold, and drops from as high as four feet. It is also good at high altitudes, in case you need to call someone.

Image: Acer

If you are the rugged type and the mobile type, you can get the Tab 510 with the optional keyboard folio, which will be more expensive, but you can also use it as a modem. There aren't many options for the tablet lovers out there, and there are even fewer options for the LTE Chromebooks. The Tab 510 will be launched in North America in July.

Chrome OS tablets feel like a missed opportunity, as we have written in the past. The picture may not be getting rosier because of the bet on Android over Chrome OS for its own tablets. Unless you need your Chromebook to handle the rough and tumble, the new Spin 714 is likely to be a better option.