The new Acer Iconia W4 is the company's second 8-inch Windows 8.1 tablet, which brings a sharper screen for $330. The successor to the W3 steps up to a higher-res 1,280 x 800 IPS display, it packs a faster Atom Bay Trail processor and it is slightly lighter (0.91 pounds instead of 1.1) and thinner (0.42 inch versus 0.45). Also, the W4 has a 5MP main camera and a 2MP front webcam. Basic ports include micro-USB, micro-HDMI and a microSD slot.

The W4 offers eight hours of battery life when watching movies, and 10 hours when browsing the web, Acer said.

Microsoft's Office Home and Student 2013 Edition productivity suite is pre-installed. Acer will also offer optional keyboard and cover accessories.

The tablet will be available this month, starting at $330 with 32GB of built-in storage and $380 for the 64GB model.