Acer’s recent forays into the Android sector of the market have resulted in a number of new products, including a selection of high-quality smartphones with some impressive features. Most notable among these is the recently announced Acer Stream, designed to compete with some of the latest Android releases from other leading mobile communications manufacturers. Currently running on the 2.1 Éclair revision of the popular Android OS, it is expected that it will be possible to upgrade it to Android 2.2 (Froyo) on release; the hardware and specs are more than sufficient to meet the requirements for the much-anticipated update which brings speedy Flash 10.1 support and quicker browsing to the Android platform, among other things.
Android offers a wide range of customisation, and it appears Acer is eager to take advantage of that. In order to create a unique experience and fully utilise the tools provided to them in the form of the Android OS and its open-source nature, Acer has created a number of custom apps and widgets to cater to the user. Acer has also created a completely brand-new user interface to make up for some shortcomings in their other phones, and to present the user with the most relevant and important data as well as grant them immediate access to what matters most. Along these lines, Acer has included a multimedia home screen widget known as Nemo that allows you to access and manipulate your media from the home screen with ease, and a screen lock widget similar to the popular Flyscreen application that gives you access to your favourite links and applications from your phone’s sleep screen. Using the screen lock widget, you can also read information from your idle screen, allowing you to get what you need before you’ve even started looking for it.
To help reduce the clutter and complexity of the home screen, a history pane has been added that makes it easy to access recently-used apps with a single touch; the top portion of the home screen is dedicated to app history, allowing you to navigate directly to the apps you use most frequently. Additionally, there is a status bar that serves as a divider between areas of interest on the phone, filling in blank space and granting you access to essential information and making it easy to view and change your most frequently used settings. Along with the customisations they’ve made, Acer has provided the capability to make a few of your own: a customisable home screen lets you change sounds and wallpapers to create a theme, and movable apps allow you to drag and reorder applications to organise them how you see fit, or you can simply drag them into the trash bin to uninstall them if you find you no longer need them.
Along with Acer’s own additions to the Android package, the Stream comes with the essential Google application suite available to everyone using Android, and a number of pre-packaged apps to help you make the most of your mobile device right out of the box. GPS support and Google Maps combine to offer helpful navigation services, making it easy to find out where you need to go and how to get there. Additionally, the Stream comes with Twitter and Facebook apps preloaded, allowing you to jump right into social networking and keep in touch with your friends from the moment you turn the phone on. With an redesigned contacts list featuring Facebook and Twitter integration, you can always see what the latest updates are from your friends and family.
To go along with all of this new software and keep everything running smoothly, Acer has included some powerful and impressive hardware. A 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM make interface transitions flow smoothly and speed up application start up times, allowing for multitasking, and providing plenty of muscle for the Stream to handle an upgrade to Android 2.2 upon its release. With 2GB of internal flash memory, there is already a decent amount of space for games and apps, plus an additional 8GB bundled microSD card and support for up to 32GB of external memory gives you plenty of room to store all of your data and apps.
The inclusion of a vivid 3.7-inch AMOLED touch screen gives the Stream a visually appealing display capable of displaying 16 million+ colours in bright intensity, making it much easier to view your phone in problem lighting conditions that cause so much grief for mobile users. Wide viewing angles and haptic feedback add to the appeal of the large touch screen, which also makes a perfect viewing area for video playback and media browsing. With the Stream’s support for 720p HD video in Xvid and WMV HD format among others, the screen will see plenty of use. If the impressive screen is still not enough to sway you, however, the Stream includes an HDMI port to stream HD content to a projector or LCD TV. With dedicated media buttons, music and video playback is much quicker and more intuitive, allowing you to quickly skip to your favourite track or pause playback without even looking.
The Acer Stream includes a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video in 720p, and geo tagging allows you to add location info to your pictures and video before uploading them to your favourite social media site. With 802.11 b/g connectivity and 3G HSPA support, you can stay in touch on the go and browse the web with the Android WebKit browser; possible Flash 10.1 support combined with the elegant display provides for an enjoyable browsing experience, similar to that you might get from a desktop computer. DLNA and UPnP support make it simple to connect to other devices to sync and exchange data, allowing you to quickly and easily back up your data to keep it safe.
Along with its video and imaging capabilities, the Stream features crisp, clear Dolby Mobile audio and playback using Spinlets, a free music streaming service that allows you to browse and stream music from major music labels, or share your favourite music with friends on various social networks. Bluetooth A2DP support lets you listen to your music wirelessly, or you can use the 3.5mm stereo headphone jack.
Currently, there is no word on when the Stream will be released in the UK, and pricing has yet to be mentioned. However, the Stream is an impressive mobile device that deserves some attention, so keep your eye open for any news and Acer Stream deals when they become available. You can leave your own views on this new phone or read others in the Acer Stream Reviews section.
Tags: Acer, Acer-Stream, Froyo, Google-Android