June 19, 2011 at 18:11Three weeks with Acer Iconia Smart
I have known Acer smartphones since last August. For the present, for ages. The first was Acer Liquid E, then Stream, and then the handsome Metal Liquid (aka Mt). Now the turn has come to get acquainted with the rather unusual device Acer Iconia Smart. They have not started selling it yet, but the secret sample has been at my disposal for three weeks now, so I managed to get the impression. Now I’ll tell you what kind of animal it is and how good or bad it is.
The first thought that comes when you take Iconia Smart in your hands sounds something like this: “Oh, wow, shovel!” Indeed, such long Android smartphones have never been done before. It's all about the screen: its resolution is 1024x480. That is, in width Iconia is a smartphone, like a smartphone. And in length ... When you read the official specifications, 142 millimeters are not scared. But in practice, this means that even the owner of a rather large male paw will not be able to reach the top row of icons with the thumb without changing the grip. In principle, it's okay, you can get used to everything. But very unusual.
Against the background of fellow Acer Iconia Smart looks like a giant. Top row, left to right Acer Liquid Mt, Acer Iconia Tab, HTC Desire Z. Bottom row - Acer Stream, Lenovo LePhone, HTC Sensation
Smartphone control is complicated by the non-touch buttons “Home”, “Search”, “Back” and “Options”. I know that many people like them to respond not to touch, but to pressure. So in this case, a touch would be very appropriate, because the device is long, and the buttons are at the very bottom. And in order to make at least some effort to them, the capture must again be changed. It is possible that in the process of exploitation a habit will develop to hold the device not vertically, but horizontally, with two hands. Then comfort is on top. Nekstati note that I personally was not very pleased with the stub above the USB and HDMI sockets: on Stream, the same usually after half a year falls into two parts, and you have to either glue it very carefully or just peel it off.
Acer says that yes, the proportions are unusual, but on such a screen it is very cool to watch a movie (especially where there is a 21x9 frame, there are no black bars above and below) and surf the Internet. It's hard to argue with that. Indeed, the movie is spinning fine (native Xvid codec support is especially pleasing), and web surfing is so good that you instantly get used to just this kind of mobile Internet, and then, on ordinary smartphones, you feel some discomfort.
But still surfing and watching movie production is not the main thing in using a smartphone. By the way, they’re still calling, writing SMS, looking for people in the contact list, launching programs, taking photos of them ... But what’s there, they take him out of his pocket many times a day and put it back. There is nothing in Iconia Smart that makes it completely uncomfortable in everyday life. But still, you should be ready to spend a week or two getting used to it.
There are a lot of icons on the screen, but it will not work out for everyone ...
Yes, with regard to the characteristics of the 4.8-inch screen, they are on top. Honestly, I can’t even believe that you are dealing with an ordinary TFT matrix, and not with a new generation AMOLED or at least S-LCD. The richness of colors, viewing angles - everything is just fine. No, seriously, I recently bought HTC Sensation for experiments, so her colors are also pretty good, but just turn the screen vertically or horizontally and all the riot of colors disappears. And here - excellent, you can safely watch a movie together, if not three.
The picture does not fade even at a decent angle
Of course, when it comes to such permissions, the question arises - is the processor coping? Here we are dealing with the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 GHz, also familiar from HTC Desire HD, Incredible S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Xperia Play and many other devices. In general, the performance is enough. Immediately after switching on, the phone simply “flies”, not inferior to the HTC Sensation, where the processor is 1.2 GHz and dual-core. But by the end of the day, the memory is clogged (oh, it was necessary to set not 512 megabytes, but at least 768) and the swiftness disappears. No, the device still works fast, but it still feels like you're sitting on Android, and not on any iOS or WP7. However, I won’t be surprised if the incomplete firmware is still to blame. I don’t advise watching movies in FullHD - you won’t get any pleasure. 720p, in principle, pulls, but in dynamic scenes it can sometimes be thoughtful, especially if the bitrate is high. Therefore, it is perhaps better to watch SD. I understand that for a smartphone, as if specially sharpened for a movie, the recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on small diagonals, I don’t see the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p at all, and I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to a frame width of 1024 points, it has enough processor, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port, movies can be displayed on a large screen. Honestly, I relate to this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones - probably someone needs it. The recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on small diagonals, I don’t see the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p at all, and I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to a frame width of 1024 points, it has enough processor, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port, movies can be displayed on a large screen. Honestly, I relate to this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones - probably someone needs it. The recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on small diagonals, I don’t see the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p at all, and I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to a frame width of 1024 points, it has enough processor, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port, movies can be displayed on a large screen. Honestly, I relate to this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones - probably someone needs it.
The external speaker at Iconia Stream is very loud and sounds simply surprisingly worthy. You can calmly watch movies on the street without headphones (of course, if this does not bother other people). The sound in the headphones is also good, since Dolby Mobile support has not gone away, and the amplifier is more powerful than in Liquid E / Stream. Even my Axelvox HD242 monitor headphones with their 56 Ohm pumped up well (Stream, for example, does not pump at all). So the smartphone can be considered a really good player.
The camera in Iconia Smart did not please me at all. It seems like 8 megapixels with autofocus, and the flash and jeep are not compressed to indecent, as on the Xperia Arc or Sensation, but the quality of the pictures is very mediocre. In the bright sun it is still bearable, but a little shade, and you can’t get a clear shot. I want to believe that this is the cost of the sample and raw firmware: for example, the engineering sample of Liquid Mt was also disgusting for me, but in the final version the camera works well. If the same happens with the devices on the counter ... No, I’m optimistic. In any case, if it comes to the purchase, pay attention to this moment right in the store, so that later it will not be excruciatingly painful for aimlessly spent money. Yes, I almost forgot - the video is shot with a resolution of up to 720p. The quality is also not very good.
Given the size of the case, I thought Iconia Smart would put in a giant capacity battery. But no, just 1,500 mAh, like the Lenovo LePhone and 20 mAh less than the HTC Sensation. Nevertheless, the device cannot be called voracious: for the whole working day the battery lasts guaranteed, and there it is already as lucky. The back cover of the Iconia Smart is not removable, so there is no reason to hope for a larger battery. Let’s see if it can be possible to further optimize energy consumption in alternative firmware. On Liquid'ah it turned out pretty well.
The device has 8 gigabytes of its memory, of which we can dispose of about five and a half. Of course, there is a microSD slot. MicroSDXC, however, is not supported, and you can’t install more than 32 gigabytes. Well, yes, I hope that's enough.
A few words about the software part. Iconia Smart runs on fresh Android 2.3.3. System programs are adapted to non-standard resolution normally, but with third-party applications everything is not very smooth. Typically, the picture is located at the top of the screen, leaving a wide black bar at the bottom.
Sometimes the image is located in the center, and then two strips - at the edges. I would not have hoped that the developers would rush to adapt the software for Iconia Smart - unless a couple of other smartphones with the same resolution appeared on the market. Programs work fine, they aren’t buggy, but ... not neatly somehow.
Most often, the application is located like this ...
... or like that.
Acer's proprietary shell has become so decent that they even left it in some alternative firmware. Agree, this is recognition :)
Total. For the sample, the device works decently and it is built soundly. Given the size - quite a machine for a stern man. Especially if his palm is from the category of those that were said in the old days - "you can hide the plane."
No matter how trite, but the success of this model is very dependent on price. At first they said that it would cost 20-25,000 rubles. Now they are already recommending focusing on “less than 20,000,” almost 18,000. Well, sales should begin any day, we will all know soon.
And in my head sits one version. Suddenly Acer even released Iconia Smart to catch the attention of browsers around the world? They will be surprised to write reviews and bring to the general reader information about Acer as a manufacturer of smartphones (aside from jokes, very few people know about this aspect of the company, especially outside of Taiwan and Russia). The model itself will be released in a small edition, except that having recaptured the development costs. But other Acer smartphones, of which, according to my information, about a dozen are being prepared now, will be met with much greater interest. How do you like that? I think in six months it will be clear - am I right or not.
PS If you forgot something - ask. I still have the device.
The first thought that comes when you take Iconia Smart in your hands sounds something like this: “Oh, wow, shovel!” Indeed, such long Android smartphones have never been done before. It's all about the screen: its resolution is 1024x480. That is, in width Iconia is a smartphone, like a smartphone. And in length ... When you read the official specifications, 142 millimeters are not scared. But in practice, this means that even the owner of a rather large male paw will not be able to reach the top row of icons with the thumb without changing the grip. In principle, it's okay, you can get used to everything. But very unusual.
Against the background of fellow Acer Iconia Smart looks like a giant. Top row, left to right Acer Liquid Mt, Acer Iconia Tab, HTC Desire Z. Bottom row - Acer Stream, Lenovo LePhone, HTC Sensation
Smartphone control is complicated by the non-touch buttons “Home”, “Search”, “Back” and “Options”. I know that many people like them to respond not to touch, but to pressure. So in this case, a touch would be very appropriate, because the device is long, and the buttons are at the very bottom. And in order to make at least some effort to them, the capture must again be changed. It is possible that in the process of exploitation a habit will develop to hold the device not vertically, but horizontally, with two hands. Then comfort is on top. Nekstati note that I personally was not very pleased with the stub above the USB and HDMI sockets: on Stream, the same usually after half a year falls into two parts, and you have to either glue it very carefully or just peel it off.
Acer says that yes, the proportions are unusual, but on such a screen it is very cool to watch a movie (especially where there is a 21x9 frame, there are no black bars above and below) and surf the Internet. It's hard to argue with that. Indeed, the movie is spinning fine (native Xvid codec support is especially pleasing), and web surfing is so good that you instantly get used to just this kind of mobile Internet, and then, on ordinary smartphones, you feel some discomfort.
But still surfing and watching movie production is not the main thing in using a smartphone. By the way, they’re still calling, writing SMS, looking for people in the contact list, launching programs, taking photos of them ... But what’s there, they take him out of his pocket many times a day and put it back. There is nothing in Iconia Smart that makes it completely uncomfortable in everyday life. But still, you should be ready to spend a week or two getting used to it.
There are a lot of icons on the screen, but it will not work out for everyone ...
Yes, with regard to the characteristics of the 4.8-inch screen, they are on top. Honestly, I can’t even believe that you are dealing with an ordinary TFT matrix, and not with a new generation AMOLED or at least S-LCD. The richness of colors, viewing angles - everything is just fine. No, seriously, I recently bought HTC Sensation for experiments, so her colors are also pretty good, but just turn the screen vertically or horizontally and all the riot of colors disappears. And here - excellent, you can safely watch a movie together, if not three.
The picture does not fade even at a decent angle
Of course, when it comes to such permissions, the question arises - is the processor coping? Here we are dealing with the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 GHz, also familiar from HTC Desire HD, Incredible S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Xperia Play and many other devices. In general, the performance is enough. Immediately after switching on, the phone simply “flies”, not inferior to the HTC Sensation, where the processor is 1.2 GHz and dual-core. But by the end of the day, the memory is clogged (oh, it was necessary to set not 512 megabytes, but at least 768) and the swiftness disappears. No, the device still works fast, but it still feels like you're sitting on Android, and not on any iOS or WP7. However, I won’t be surprised if the incomplete firmware is still to blame. I don’t advise watching movies in FullHD - you won’t get any pleasure. 720p, in principle, pulls, but in dynamic scenes it can sometimes be thoughtful, especially if the bitrate is high. Therefore, it is perhaps better to watch SD. I understand that for a smartphone, as if specially sharpened for a movie, the recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on small diagonals, I don’t see the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p at all, and I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to a frame width of 1024 points, it has enough processor, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port, movies can be displayed on a large screen. Honestly, I relate to this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones - probably someone needs it. The recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on small diagonals, I don’t see the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p at all, and I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to a frame width of 1024 points, it has enough processor, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port, movies can be displayed on a large screen. Honestly, I relate to this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones - probably someone needs it. The recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on small diagonals, I don’t see the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p at all, and I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to a frame width of 1024 points, it has enough processor, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port, movies can be displayed on a large screen. Honestly, I relate to this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones - probably someone needs it.
The external speaker at Iconia Stream is very loud and sounds simply surprisingly worthy. You can calmly watch movies on the street without headphones (of course, if this does not bother other people). The sound in the headphones is also good, since Dolby Mobile support has not gone away, and the amplifier is more powerful than in Liquid E / Stream. Even my Axelvox HD242 monitor headphones with their 56 Ohm pumped up well (Stream, for example, does not pump at all). So the smartphone can be considered a really good player.
The camera in Iconia Smart did not please me at all. It seems like 8 megapixels with autofocus, and the flash and jeep are not compressed to indecent, as on the Xperia Arc or Sensation, but the quality of the pictures is very mediocre. In the bright sun it is still bearable, but a little shade, and you can’t get a clear shot. I want to believe that this is the cost of the sample and raw firmware: for example, the engineering sample of Liquid Mt was also disgusting for me, but in the final version the camera works well. If the same happens with the devices on the counter ... No, I’m optimistic. In any case, if it comes to the purchase, pay attention to this moment right in the store, so that later it will not be excruciatingly painful for aimlessly spent money. Yes, I almost forgot - the video is shot with a resolution of up to 720p. The quality is also not very good.
Given the size of the case, I thought Iconia Smart would put in a giant capacity battery. But no, just 1,500 mAh, like the Lenovo LePhone and 20 mAh less than the HTC Sensation. Nevertheless, the device cannot be called voracious: for the whole working day the battery lasts guaranteed, and there it is already as lucky. The back cover of the Iconia Smart is not removable, so there is no reason to hope for a larger battery. Let’s see if it can be possible to further optimize energy consumption in alternative firmware. On Liquid'ah it turned out pretty well.
The device has 8 gigabytes of its memory, of which we can dispose of about five and a half. Of course, there is a microSD slot. MicroSDXC, however, is not supported, and you can’t install more than 32 gigabytes. Well, yes, I hope that's enough.
A few words about the software part. Iconia Smart runs on fresh Android 2.3.3. System programs are adapted to non-standard resolution normally, but with third-party applications everything is not very smooth. Typically, the picture is located at the top of the screen, leaving a wide black bar at the bottom.
Sometimes the image is located in the center, and then two strips - at the edges. I would not have hoped that the developers would rush to adapt the software for Iconia Smart - unless a couple of other smartphones with the same resolution appeared on the market. Programs work fine, they aren’t buggy, but ... not neatly somehow.
Most often, the application is located like this ...
... or like that.
Acer's proprietary shell has become so decent that they even left it in some alternative firmware. Agree, this is recognition :)
Total. For the sample, the device works decently and it is built soundly. Given the size - quite a machine for a stern man. Especially if his palm is from the category of those that were said in the old days - "you can hide the plane."
No matter how trite, but the success of this model is very dependent on price. At first they said that it would cost 20-25,000 rubles. Now they are already recommending focusing on “less than 20,000,” almost 18,000. Well, sales should begin any day, we will all know soon.
And in my head sits one version. Suddenly Acer even released Iconia Smart to catch the attention of browsers around the world? They will be surprised to write reviews and bring to the general reader information about Acer as a manufacturer of smartphones (aside from jokes, very few people know about this aspect of the company, especially outside of Taiwan and Russia). The model itself will be released in a small edition, except that having recaptured the development costs. But other Acer smartphones, of which, according to my information, about a dozen are being prepared now, will be met with much greater interest. How do you like that? I think in six months it will be clear - am I right or not.
PS If you forgot something - ask. I still have the device.