Acer has recently gone live with the newest member of their Android-powered line up, the Acer Liquid E. The device set to take the markets soon will be powered by the impressive Android 2.1 OS and will pack a Qualcomm 8250 768 MHz snapdragon processor, one of the most powerful processors available to smart phones on the market today. In all truth, however, the Liquid E is simply an updated form of one of Acer's other recent releases, the Liquid. With similar specs and load outs the only real difference is seen in the form of the operating system it runs, yet even that can mean a huge step up from the previous phone version seen earlier.

The new 2.1 Android, also known as "Eclair", delivers a number of upgrades over the previous 1.6 "Donut" version, affording all users an overall much friendlier phone experience. Still, this does beg the question among many industry analysts why Acer did not simply issue an upgrade to the existing Liquid phone rather than investing more time and money into the complete new design of the Liquid E - a question that is still yet to be answered as of late.

Regardless, the Liquid E still packs an impressive 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touch screen (for ultra-friendly finger and thumb usage). Although it would have been nice to see a bit more than a measly 256k colors, the 480x800 WVGA resolution generally more than makes up for this. The device also sports a great media player to play back a number of different file formats, and with the added functionality of viewing YouTube, this makes entertainment a breeze.

Camera-wise, the Liquid E does sport a fairly decent five-megapixel camera, and along with a wide range of pre-installed as well as downloadable applications it's a breeze to quickly upload any photos you take to social media sites like Facebook and Flickr. Another big plus is that the camera comes with an LED flash (something not seen on all phones these days) as well as decent video capturing at 20fps, a relatively good auto-focus and even geotagging (for those interested in sharing the exact location a picture is shot from at any given moment).

The big bonus for the Liquid E comes in the form of its actual interface, though. Since the Liquid E is running the new Android 2.1 system that means the home screen is actually five screens, all of which are able to be interacted with in a 3-D viewing mode so that users can easily select which screen they want to zoom in on at any given time. Combined with the Snapdragon processor for quality application running this means a smooth, quality experience from the home screen onwards.

All in all, the new version of Android really does soup things up, although potential users might want to hold off to see what Acer's next handset has to offer by way of improved specs before making the leap to the Liquid E as of right this moment.

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Most people are likely to dismiss the Motorola Cliq XT as nothing but a slightly updated version of the original Cliq from last year. While that may be true to an extent, this device actually deserves better recognition as it improves upon its predecessor in many ways. Heck, they could have named it something else and it wouldn't have been such an issue.

Physically, the most noticeable change from the Cliq is the omission of a physical keyboard. While the general look is similar, the new phone is taller and wider, while reclaiming more portability by being lighter and slimmer. It comes with a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution) that manages excellent colors, but is noticeably less vibrant than higher-end smartphones like the Motorola Droid. The touchscreen comes with both multi-touch (which works on most apps, but not on Google Maps) and Swype (for text input). While it also offers a traditional onscreen keyboard, we did find Swype a much better mode of input once you get used to it.

As a phone, the Cliq XT manages excellent call quality. Everything went through loud and clear on both ends, with rich sound and plenty of volume. The speakerphone performed similarly, with nothing but an occasional, ignorable buzz to break up the near-perfect sound. Battery is rated at 6.5 hours of talk time, which should last for a good two days or more.

The phone pairs both 3G and WiFi, allowing you to have access to fast broadband internet in most situations. Onboard Webkit-based browser performed admirably, loading pages fast and accurately. With pinch-to-zoom and Flash Lite, it allows for a great browsing experience. While the phone uses the same 526Mhz processor as its predecessor, it performed faster in almost every way. It's a sufficiently speedy phone, exhibiting none of the frustrating sluggishness we found on other Motorola phones like the aforementioned Cliq and the Backflip.

Feature set is similar to the Cliq, coming with both Android 1.5 and Motoblur out of the box. As expected, it's got all the usual stuff you can expect from such a combination - Motoblur's social-friendly functions, Google's suite of apps and terrific messaging capabilities, among others. One pleasant surprise is the changes Motorola did to Android's music player, turning out one that not only looks better, but comes with more features too. My favorite additions: running streams from Shoutcast, YouTube and GoTV, as well as the integration with TuneWiki.

The 5.0 megapixel camera module comes with LED flash and autofocus. It only allows for standard editing options, but manages excellent photos. There is a bit of shutter lag, though, so it's not perfect. Other features include quad-band roaming and Bluetooth 2.0.

Overall, the Motorola Cliq XT is easily one of the better mid-range Android phones right now. It's not yet on sale, but is expected to go for around $149.99 with a contract from T-Mobile. At that price, it's easily a better buy than either the Cliq, Backflip or any of the even cheaper Android handsets around.

The new Acer beTouch smart phone is a slim, sleek and slim-line device that is targeting those users looking for a shiny smartphone device that combines user-friendliness along with decent connectivity to mobile Internet and social networking. In fact, Acer's stated aim for the beTouch E400 is to 'open our users' world to the endless possibilities of real mobile Internet', and the device aims to please as it packs both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity allowing for rapid wireless online access and web browsing for fast and easy updating of information and user status on a range of social networking sites.

As for its speed, it certainly helps that the operating system fueling the E400 is Google's latest OS the Android 2.1 Eclair. This is usefully coupled with the Qualcomm 7227 processor running at 600 mega hertz allowing for instant access to web pages with fast loading and also rapid access to media streaming as well as a wide range of web-based applications. The power of the device's processing gives it an excellent battery life as it enhances energy efficiency with its fast running and easy access to information.

The image conscious individual should be more than satisfied with the dimensions of the E400 as well with its slender girth of just 12 millimeters. There is also a full-size 3.2 inch HD HGVA resistive touch screen, displaying color brightly and vividly.

The integral camera isn't of the highest specs at 3.2 megapixels, but it is decent enough and does pack some useful additional features such as integral flash, a digital zoom, white balance and geotagging. This gives you the option of immediately tagging your images with information such as the exact location of where they were snapped, which is great when you link to your social sites and post your pics to keep your friends and family updated. The camera will also record video and you have the ability to instantly post your recordings onto YouTube thanks to the E400's pre-installed YouTube app by touching its icon.

The E400 is also well suited to the business user, coming pre-installed with Native Microsoft Exchange Server Support giving the user immediate navigation to work and business e-mails from any location. The device also comes with the excellent Documents to Go function, another excellent feature for mobile business customers as it allows the easy creating and editing of a range of different file formats including Excel, Word and PowerPoint. In addition, there is a built-in PDF Reader on the E400, making it simple to read any PDF file from wherever the user happens to be.

Other useful functions of the E400 include the GPS-enabled Google Maps, which will help you find your way around cities and/or towns and includes both Street View and Latitude. The excellent media player will play a full range of file formats and there is a built-in 3-millimeter audio input jack allowing you to plug in your choice of headphones. There is even the very useful Acer Synch feature, allowing the user to wirelessly synchronize with their desktop or notebook so they can easily maintain and keep files and contacts up to date, which is great for when you are ultra-busy and need to save time. The E400 goes on sale in April, though prices have yet to be announced.

At the time it came out, the HTC Hero was, by far, the best Android phone on the block. With the HTC Legend, the manufacturer took everything good about that handset and made it even better.

Physically, it looks a lot like the Hero, down to the trademark chin. The body is cut from a single piece of aluminum (taking a bite out of Apple's aesthetic), making it both more attractive and durable at the same time. Replacing the trackball with a metal-trimmed trackpad also raises the style points up a notch, apart from working just as effectively.

Display is a gorgeous 3.2-inch AMOLED screen, with 320x480 resolution. Colors literally pop out, adding a "wow" factor that you seldom get with the mass of Android phones in the market. At 3mm thinner than the Hero, it's easily one of HTC's more pocketable devices.

As a phone, the HTC Legend manages slightly above average call quality. Voices sound natural with plenty of volume to go, although we did encounter a slight amount of distortion. Speakerphone worked just as well, perhaps lacking just a tad more volume to my liking. Battery life is quite disappointing, though, likely requiring a recharge every day and a half for most common uses.

While the Hero suffered from some form of sluggishness (which they later rectified via firmware), the Legend runs with satisfying speed out of the box. Navigation is smooth, transitions are fast and apps launch quick, putting all 600Mhz of that processor to good use. Web browsing (both over WiFi and HSDPA) is exceptional, with pages rendering almost twice as fast, compared to many Android phones we've seen. Plus, the browser's got multi-touch and some amount of Flash support.

It delivers all the usual Android 2.1 favors, from the nominal music player to the mass of Google apps to extensive messaging capabilities. HTC primps it up with their fancy Sense UI, which adds a lot of value to the device, including features such as being able to add mail to your Outlook folders, an improved mail interface, a very good onscreen keyboard and the MotoBlur-like Friend Stream. The latter, by the way, doesn't work as well as expected. Expect software updates on that end. Camera module is a 5.0 megapixel unit that manages to snap average-looking shots.

Sure, the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One have probably gotten the most press out of today's Android phones. In terms of overall value, though, I'm tempted to side with the HTC Legend, with its great looks, sleek operation and robust feature set.  Price should vary from retailer to retailer, but expect it between $550 to $600 unlocked.

Sometimes, a unique design may be all you need to sell a new handset.  That could be what they're banking on with the Motorola Backflip, a smartphone with various physical innovations that you might find enticing (or retarded, whichever the case may be).

Physically, the unique flip design definitely makes it a noteworthy device.  While it looks like the Motorola Cliq at first glance, look closer and you'll see the huge differences.  When closed, the keyboard sits in the back of the phone, such that it flips open to the bottom of the horizontal 3.1-inch display.  Sure, it's a novel way to implement a clamshell for a touchscreen device, but the fact that your keys are exposed 100% of the time definitely doesn't inspire confidence.  They also added trackpads behind the display, which are supposed to allow you to navigate the UI without your hands getting in the way.  It works well, although, it's hard to see a real need for it.

As a phone, the Backflip manages average call quality.  It was good on our end, although callers sometimes reported issues on theirs.  We're not sure if it was their phone or ours causing it, however.  The speakerphone was excellent, definitely better than average.  Battery is rated at 6 hours, which should be good for at least two days of normal use.

Positioned as more of an entry-level smartphone, it's equipped with a rather underpowered 528MHz Qualcomm processor.  It only runs Android 1.5 too and performance wasn't the best - there were definite lags even with simpler tasks, such as opening your inbox and scrolling through lists.  As such, it might be a good idea to forget ever upgrading the OS here to a newer version.

It comes with Motoblur and you can read our reviews of other similarly-equipped Motorola phones (Cliq, Devour) to get the skinny on that.  Features are around what you'd expect.  You get the usual Android fare (Google's software suite and read-only QuickOffice), Webkit-based HTML browser (very fast page loads over 3G, by the way), aGPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

While it continues to use Android's lackluster music player, the Backflip comes with excellent sound quality.  The onboard speakers manage gorgeous sounds, definitely a notch above what you normally get from a phone.  Camera appeared great at 5 megapixels of resolution, but the quality of shots left plenty to be desired.

Overall, the Motorola Backflip is a decent choice for an entry-level Android smartphone.  There are definite performance issues, but it covers the range of features well and it's an excellent music phone.  Price sounds good too - $99 with a two-year contract from AT&T (not sure how much for unlocked versions elsewhere).

These aren't likely official announcements, but Gigabyte has a pair of new GSmart handsets making the rounds in Ukraine news outlets.  The two smartphones, which run Android OS and Windows Mobile respectively, are the Gigabyte GSmart G1305 Codfish and the Gigabyte GSmart S1205 Cougar.

The Codfish comes with Android 1.6 at the helm and measures 116 x 56.8 x 12.4 mm.  Handset details include a 3.2-inch touchscreen display with HVGA resolution, a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 256MB of RAM, quad band GSM/tri-band HSDPA, WiFi and aGPS.  As with all phones running the open source OS, it will come with Google's suite of apps pre-installed.  On paper, this sounds like it can stand up to most Android devices currently out.

The lower-end Cougar, on the other, will get Windows Mobile 6.5, paired with a 416MHz processor and 128MB of RAM.  Not much details are known, although features include dual SIM card support, a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, quad-band GSM connectivity, WiFi and aGPS.

From the pictures, both the Gigabyte GSmart G1305 Codfish and the Gigabyte GSmart S1205 Cougar don't look half bad, especially considering that the company will likely price these near the bottom of the smartphone ranges.  No confirmed release dates nor pricing details, though.

[via Unwired View]

Need a free phone?  If you've got independent game publishing credentials, you might get either the Motorola Droid or the Nexus One for free, courtesy of Google.

The search giant has announced plans to hold sessions for Android game development at the upcoming Game Developer's Conference.  With two new Android handsets capturing consumer's interest like never before (i.e. the Droid and the Nexus One), it sounds like a good time to make inroads in what has basically become a prime selling point for iPhone and iPod Touch devices - the presence of high-quality gaming titles in the App Store.

Sessions will be technical in nature and will cover the full development cycle in both Java and C++.  Android engineers will be on hand to answer questions.  To gain a little more interest from independent coders, they're also offering to dole out complimentary handsets to attendees who register for either All Access passes or Tutorials and Summits passes before February 4.

It's a good move for Google which should bring a little more attention to the one genre that the Marketplace is severely lacking at the moment - games.  Of course, they'll likely have to do more than just butter up developers, considering that existing game publishers (e.g. Gameloft) have already aired complaints about the Android Market's inability to efficiently sell games.

Is 2010 the year that Android effectively challenges the iPhone in the area of gaming?  I doubt it.  With continual improvements in the Marketplace, however, along with genuine efforts to reach development teams (such as this), they just might get on the road to finally start catching up.

[Android Developers via Mobile Crunch]

Google is a tech company who have built a ballooning business out of brilliant algorithms and self-serviced web applications.  With Nexus One's release, it's becoming apparent the company wasn't prepared to handle the dirty side of tech: customer support.  Early adopters are now paying the price, both literally and figuratively.

When you buy a phone from a carrier and you encounter problems, a simple call to the company's hotline will get you a human voice on the other end.  Sure, that human voice may be sitting in an office somewhere in India or the Philippines, but there's always a certain comfort in knowing that your issues are being heard and, possibly, even being addressed right now.

Google's support, on the other hand, is strictly email, with an accompanying advisory to wait up to two days to get a response.  Seriously.  Forty-eight hours to get an answer for a product that has received more press than anything else during the last week and a half.  It's even worse - some customers are reporting a waiting period of three days or more to get a response.

The company has already received a storm of criticism for the steep price they are charging for early returns of phones covered by the trial period (which sees dissatisfied customers charged $200 by T-Mobile and $350 by Google).  This early, critics are already calling the failure to address customer issues as a huge setback not only for Nexus One, but for Android as a whole.

Knowing Google, though, they'll probably learn from this and wisen up.  Well, they better, lest they destroy any of the momentum they managed to build up with Android's growing popularity.   The next month will likely be a critical one for both the company and the platform as they work to establish a more stable environment for consumers.

[via NYTimes]

Motorola launched its third Android handset at CES and, from the looks of it, has got the whole smartphone thing fairly figured out.  This latest device is called the Backflip and, like the company's earlier efforts, is running Google's Android OS.

Like the Motorola Cliq from last year, the new phone will come with the Motoblur service, which aggregates social networking feeds, emails and contacts into the interface.  While that previous phone stood out because of the software changes, this new one sets itself apart with an interesting hardware design.

The Motorola Backflip features a full QWERTY keyboard and a touchscreen, similar to the Motorola Droid, also from last year.   It uses a surprising, reverse flip motion (hence the name) to reveal the keypad, which can also act as a stand (in case you want to use it as an alarm clock or a tabletop display).  They also added a touch panel around the back of the screen (called Backtrack), which you can use to navigate the UI (in case dirtying up the touchscreen doesn't sound like your cup of tea).

Handset features include a 3.1-inch capacitive display with 480 x 320 resolution, a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with flash and autofocus), 2GB of onboard storage, stereo Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.  It comes with support for quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and tri-band 3G (850/1900/2100).  It will ship with Android 1.5, but will be updated with 2.1 at a later time.

North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia will all get the Motorola Backflip in the first quarter of 2010.  Neither official pricing nor carriers have been disclosed.

[via Gizmag]

Google's press event yesterday went exactly as rumored, with the company introducing the widely-talked about Nexus One.  The company was heavy on the hype, constantly referring to their product as a "superphone" and proclaiming it as the “next step in Android's evolution.”

All the earlier leaks have been pretty much dead-on when it comes to the details of the device.  The Teflon-coated body measures 119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm, with a customizable backplate that can be engraved (probably similar to the HTC Tattoo).  As we wrote about earlier, the Nexus One will feature a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, a 5.0 megapixel camera, 4GB bundled microSD card, aGPS and a bevy of connectivity options.  It will come with a 1400 mAh battery with a rated talk time of up to seven hours.

It runs Android 2.1 and comes pre-installed with the same application suite as the Motorola Droid.  Notable changes include five homescreen panels (as opposed to three from Eclair), updated image and video galleries (made in conjunction with CoolIris), a couple of new widgets (news and weather), animated backgrounds, a 3D app launcher and phone-wide speech-to-text.

According to Google, the new 2.1 API will give developers access to Android's 3D framework, a welcome sign which could bring a slew of new graphics apps and games to the platform.  Can the Android now match up with the iPhone's gaming prowess?  Only time will tell.

You will need a Google Checkout account to both purchase and activate the Nexus One.  Unlocked price is $529 ($179, subsidized by T-Mobile and, later, by Verizon ).  More significantly, though, the Nexus One won't be the only inventory on Google's newly-opened store.  Future plans include pooling the entire motley crew of Android phones for availability from the same online facility.

[via GSM Arena]