Acer's first smartphone running Android is finally here, a refreshing change of pace from the company's previous releases, which are all based around Windows Mobile. Billed as the Acer Liquid, could it be the handset that finally sets up Acer as a serious competitor in the market?
Physically, it's a mixed bag. The fun design, while not sleek, looks moderately attractive. It makes no attempt at covering up the cheap-looking plastic shell, although it does feel good when you hold it in your hand. Highlighting the front face is a large 3.5-inch screen (800 x 480 resolution), with a series of touch-sensitive buttons under it. The display is both bright and relatively sharp, but other Android handsets have used better.
As a phone, the Liquid manages satisfactory calls, with clear sound and natural voices. Speakerphone is a bit on the poor end, however. The device runs on a 768MHz Snapdragon processor, which makes for impressive performance, able to navigate between menus quickly and launch new apps while others stay running in the background. Battery is rated at 5 hours of talk time. Since this handset comes with little bells and whistles, it will probably last you a good two days of regular use.
Acer did practically nothing to spruce up the Android interface. Considering they're going up against a league of HTCs and Motorolas that boast exceptional UIs, however, it's a bit of a disappointment. Not that it's all bad. It won't match the usability gains that HTC, for instance, endowed their handsets with, but Android is good enough on its own. Plus, the lack of compatibility issues with a custom UI means upgrading to newer builds might prove easier in the long run. For customization purposes, they did throw in a few nice widgets.
It comes with all the usual Android fare, such as Gmail, Maps and everything in between. They also added a few modifications in the background, such as being able to merge the address book with your Facebook contacts.
Feature set is pretty standard: HSDPA, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, GPS and a 5.0 megapixel camera. The download speeds are excellent, making for quick browsing and nearly-seamless YouTube streaming. Image quality for the camera module is only average, though, with very few editing options.
Despite the lack of much customization, the Acer Liquid actually sounds like a good deal for an Android phone, especially at the selling price of between $550 to $600 unlocked (depending on where you buy). Yes, Android is good enough to stand on its own (even without Sense UI or MotoBlur) and it does so very well here.
Acer Liquid Brings Android Bare, Still Works Greatunratednoel2009-12-18 12:14:29
Phone ReviewsAcer Liquid Brings Android Bare, Still Works Great
Priced slightly higher than the bottom-of-the-barrel E101, the Acer beTouch E200 still falls in the budget category for full-featured smartphones. This time, though, it comes with a few interesting capabilities, along with relatively admirable performance.
Physically, it's an unusually styled phone. Ever saw a slider Windows Mobile handset that revealed a standard T9 keypad? I don't remember if I ever saw one either, but that's what the E200's form factor is. Suffice to say, it is a strange design idea. Overall build appears solid, with a sturdy sliding mechanism and great feel in the hand. It's also quite a looker in its own right.
The E200 sports a 3-inch touchscreen with a 320 x 240 resolution. Colors are rich and lines are sharp, but the resistive touch capability once again leaves a lot to ask for. It also doesn't help that it's running Windows Mobile 6.5, which still retains much of the same hard-to-finger touch elements beneath the revamped surface.
As a phone, it manages above average call quality, with voices sounding crisp and clear on both ends of the conversation. Speakerphone performance is also decent. The device itself feels speedy, removing much of the lag we've come to expect from Windows Mobile handsets. Battery life should be good for around two days or more of regular use.
The range of features is about what you'd expect from a typical smartphone. There's 3G support, onboard GPS and stereo Bluetooth, but no Wi-Fi. HSDPA performance is decent, but we've seen speedier connections from similarly-rated handsets. It comes Windows Mobile's wide range of messaging support, so you should be taken care of on that end. The 3.2 megapixel camera takes surprisingly good photos, although it lacks a good amount of editing options.
Overall, the Acer beTouch E200 is a decent Windows Mobile phone. That is, if a sliding T9-style keypad makes sense to you. The design decision is a bit far out for me, but this one comes in at a decent price, so it might be worth looking into.
Acer beTouch E200 Is A Smartphone With An Unusual Sliding T9-Style Keypadunratednoel2009-11-13 00:38:21
Phone ReviewsAcer beTouch E200 Is A Smartphone With An Unusual Sliding T9-Style Keypad
The Acer beTouch E101 is the cheapest model in the company's newest line-up of Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones. If you're in the market for a sub-$300 device with Microsoft's latest handiwork, this is probably the way to go. The ride after won't be such a smooth one, though.
Physically, this batch of releases from Acer is a huge step up from their previous Tempo line. While not being particularly attention-grabbing, the beTouch E101 looks like a proper smartphone. Despite the plastic build, it handles very well and appears to have sturdy construction. The navigation array, particularly the clickable scroll wheel, is admirably designed.
Display is a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen (with 240 x 400 resolution), which manages to show very clear and vibrant images. Unfortunately, touch response is among the worst we've seen on a Windows Mobile handset. If you're planning to use this without a stylus, be prepared for a world of frustration.
As a phone, the E101 manages very good call quality on both ends of the conversation, with clear, natural-sounding voices. Speakerphone works similarly well, albeit with a lot more echo. Windows Mobile 6.5 works as 6.1 has always done - a little too lacking to be relevant at the current market. There are some noticeable lags, but it's not too bad - a credit to Acer's hardware. Battery life is rated at up to five hours of talk time, enough for a couple or more days of regular use.
Forget about connecting to the web. The phone has neither 3G nor Wi-Fi, so you're stuck with GPRS or EDGE for data connections. Kind of makes it odd that the handset comes with a YouTube app on board.
It has all the usual Windows Mobile features, including a robust messaging suite, stereo Bluetooth, GPS and some pre-installed apps. The 2.0 megapixel camera manages decent-looking snaps, although it comes with neither flash nor a good amount of settings.
Overall, the Acer beTouch E101 is a tough phone to recommend, unless it's the "only" Windows Mobile 6.5 handset you can afford at your budget. Core hardware is actually pretty powerful (528MHz processor, 256MB of RAM), but the touch implementation begs a lot of improvement.
Acer beTouch E101 Is A Budget Windows Mobile 6.5 Smartphone, Comes With Budget Featuresunratednoel2009-11-12 12:24:06
Phone ReviewsAcer beTouch E101 Is A Budget Windows Mobile 6.5 Smartphone, Comes With Budget Features
On paper, Acer should be killing it with the Acer neoTouch. Sporting a fast 1GHz processor, a large 3.8-inch touchscreen and an attractive price, it's a tough deal to ignore. Yet, it feels, once more, like an almost-but-not-quite effort.
Physically, the Acer neoTouch is a gorgeous phone. With a front panel dominated by a large 3.8-inch display and notably slimmer lines than their previous releases, the computer company is starting to get mobile right. Do note we said "starting," as the device sports a cheap build that feels like it can crack with one fall.
You can't help but love the large-size screen, which manages an 800 x 480 resolution. It displays images sharply, with rich and vibrant colors. With Windows Mobile 6.5 running at the helm, Acer could have done without the home page skinning. They did it anyway with Acer Home, which, unfortunately, doesn't really add any value to the experience. A custom phone app, a new address book and a better onscreen keyboard round out the modifications to WinMo.
As a phone, the neoTouch manages excellent voice calls. Speakerphone lacks a little volume, though, which makes it tough to use. Overall phone performance is quite fast, especially when compared to the company's previous Tempo line of smartphones. Battery is only good for a day and a half of regular use, so best carry a charger around if you're a heavy user.
Feature set is pretty rich, including HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth and GPS. It naturally comes with Windows Mobile's full set of messaging capabilities (e.g. Exchange push email), some excellent productivity apps (e.g. Mobile Office) and a social networking software. Web browsing is pretty snappy with fast-loading pages. Performance won't eclipse more popular smartphone choices, but it's better than many Windows Mobile phones we've seen.
Media playback, especially movies, is highly enjoyable with the large display. Quality is pretty good, too. There's also a 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, which manages poor to average shots, depending on the surrounding brightness.
Priced at around $600 unlocked (depending on retailers), it's quite a bargain for the hardware set alone. It's a sexy looker, too. That, of course, is if you can live with the decidedly plastic build.
Acer neoTouch Boasts 1GHz CPU, 3.8-Inch Screen At A Very Attractive Priceunratednoel2009-10-22 10:31:07
Phone ReviewsAcer neoTouch Boasts 1GHz CPU, 3.8-Inch Screen At A Very Attractive Price
Not a fan of Acer's spate of Windows Mobile smartphone releases during the year? Maybe you'll find a little more to like in the Acer Liquid A1, the company's first Android handset.
Refusing to hold back on the hardware for their newest effort, Acer is fitting the Liquid A1 with a pretty spiffy hardware suite. Chief on the specs list is a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and a 3D-capable chipset, making it the very first Android device to offer that level of computing power.
The phone will feature a capacitive touchscreen with 800 x 480 resolution (no word on size), a 5.0 megapixel camera module, onboard GPS and 3G connectivity. Acer is also touting improved power management for the phone, claiming longer battery autonomy for heavy users.
It will ship pre-installed with version 1.6 of the Android OS (Donut) and, based on the press release, sounds like it will use a custom UI that revolves around entertainment features and web bookmarks. Other software capabilities include address book integration with Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Picasa and Flickr, as well as an exclusive multimedia application called Spinlets.
No details on pricing or release date have been give for the Acer Liquid A1, which looks a lot more like a modern smartphone, compared to the company's previous releases under the Tempo line. Rumors are going around, though, that they're prepping it for a November debut.
[via Talk Android]
Acer Liquid A1 Announced, Runs Android 1.6 On 1GHz Snapdragon CPUunratednoel2009-10-15 08:32:23
NewsAcer Liquid A1 Announced, Runs Android 1.6 On 1GHz Snapdragon CPU
