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Acer outs Liquid E1 and Liquid Z2 smartphones ahead of MWC
Introducing the first two handsets of Acer's 2013 line-up: the Liquid E1 and the Liquid Z2. The company formally announced the Liquid E1 last month, but with Mobile World Congress around the corner, the mid-range phone just got official for the European market. The E1 packs a dual-core 1GHz processor and runs Jelly Bean on a 4.5-inch qHD display -- and, notably, it will be available in both dual- and single-SIM configurations. Acer is marketing the E1 as a multimedia-friendly handset, and accordingly it includes two speakers with DTS Sound, plus "Float" software that prevents notifications from popping up when you're watching videos. The Liquid Z2, on the other hand, is an entry-level handset with a dual-core 1GHz CPU and a 3.5-inch HVGA screen. It runs Jelly Bean with an optional interface that mimics a feature phone's home screen. Like the E1, it's available with one or two SIM cards, and you have your choice of a 3-megapixel or 5-MP camera. Pricing isn't set in stone, but Acer told us the Liquid E1 will be in the €199 to €229 range, while the Z2 should cost between €99 and €129. Both phones will first go on sale in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Ukraine, with availability in Italy, Russia and the UK coming later. We'll deliver the hands-on goods in Barcelona, but for now you can peruse the press info after the break.
Acer Liquid Glow hits the FCC, keeps its secrets
Acer's Liquid series phones only occasionally reach the FCC, so it's with some surprise that we've just spotted the still-fresh Liquid Glow getting the US agency's approval under its E330 model name. Details are scarce as to whether or not there's been any changes made to the Android 4.0 phone on its way out of Taiwan, however: there's no telltale signs like cellular frequencies or carrier badging. If anything, Acer is hoping to keep information hush-hush by stamping a 180-day confidentiality seal on the manual and photos. It's entirely possible that this is the international GSM model with no 3G support for North American carriers, so we wouldn't get worked up about local release plans. Even so, knowing Canadian carrier Rogers' tendency to offer Acer phones, there's still a possibility that a version of the Liquid Glow might go on sale this side of the Pacific.
UK boards the Acer Liquid Express, Tom Hanks not embedded with NFC
Because phones, like fashion, must always look to the future, Acer's hitching its ride to NFC. The oft-talked about, but still sparsely used tech gets top-billing here as the company refreshes its Liquid line for T-Mobile UK and Orange UK with the Express. It's a solidly mid-range Gingerbread affair, packing an 800MHz Qualcomm 7227 processor, Android 2.3 and 5 megapixel shooter into a 3.5-inch package. Okay, so it's not the best of what's around in wireless, but can you really argue with free (on a two-year contract)? We didn't think so. Follow on past the break for the official presser.
Acer's Liquid Mini gets Ferrari-fied, doesn't get any faster
Acer's Liquid Mini won't be breaking speed records anytime soon, but at least it can look like a red hot racer, now that it's received the Ferrari treatment. Following in the Liquid E's skid marks, this Liquid Mini Ferrari Edition features a vibrant red exterior emblazoned with the automaker's iconic shield, and ships preloaded with engine ringtones, racing-themed wallpaper and other apps. Under the hood, however, lies the same, Gingerbread-based handset, replete with 512MB of RAM, a 3.2-inch display, five megapixel camera and rather underwhelming 600MHz processor. No word yet on when the device will be hitting the raceway, but you can get a closer look at the source link, below.
Engadget Mobile Podcast 077: Mobile World Congress - 02.19.2011
Mobile World Congress felt like a whole darn lifetime. Or did it feel like it was gone in the blink of an eye? Somewhere between the two, probably. Anyway! We take time to reflect on it, figure out what our faves were, and wrap up some unfinished business with the help of Joanna Stern. It's like that song "No Sleep Til Brooklyn," but more like "No Sleep Til After Barcelona," dig?Hosts: Chris Ziegler, Myriam Joire (tnkgrl)Guests: Vlad Savov, Joanna SternProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Daestro - Light Powered (Ghostly International)00:01:20 - Huawei IDEOS X3 hands-on (video)00:06:42 - Acer Liquid mt hands-on (video)00:15:34 - Motorola Atrix 4G pegged for February 21st pre-order delivery00:26:05 - NVIDIA announces quad-core Kal-El SOC, promises it in tablets by August (video)00:31:45 - Motorola: 28 percent of 2010 revenue came from Verizon00:39:05 - Motorola Droid X 2 leaks, more details emerge00:50:00 - Samsung Epic 4G officially signed up for Froyo starting February 21st01:00:27 - The Engadget Interview: Microsoft's Aaron Woodman talks Windows Phone 7 and Nokia01:09:53 - Adéu, Barcelona: Mobile World Congress 2011 is overHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastpodcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com.Follow us on Twitter@tnkgrl @engadgetmobile @zpower @vladsavov @joannastern
Acer Liquid gets early Android 2.2 ROM, unstable CPU unlock (video)
Nexus One, EVO 4G, Droid and Dream sure, but the Acer Liquid? Yes, the underclocked Snapdragon slate that never made it stateside has just received its own Android 2.2 port. Though still in early alpha with no Wi-Fi or camera functionality and plenty of bugs to boot, the freshly frozen yogurt has the Liquid turning tricks already -- with very playable-looking framerates in Raging Thunder II and Flash video support. Early adopters note that the phone isn't terribly stable at higher CPU frequencies, so don't expect to push that processor much higher than stock, but even 768MHz is reportedly nice and snappy when you're running Android 2.2. Video proof after the break, and you'll find the unfinished ROM at our more coverage link if you're the adventurous sort. [Thanks, Miroslav]
Rogers getting Android 2.1-equipped Acer Liquid e this spring
Acer may make plenty of cellphones, but they've so far been a pretty rare sight on North American carriers. That's now set to change this Spring, however, when Rogers will reportedly be the first carrier in North America to offer Acer's new Liquid e phone -- and, incidentally, the first carrier in Canada to offer an Android 2.1 phone (not counting the upgradable Milestone, that is). In case you missed its debut at MWC, the Liquid e packs a 3.5-inch touchscreen, along with a slightly underclocked 768MHz Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps 3G and Wi-Fi and, of course, a basic implementation of Android 2.1. Still no indication of a price or exact release date, but Rogers is promising to say more as that approaches.
Acer Liquid now available in black, only wants Queen's money
While we have yet to see the Acer Liquid popping up for real on American soil, the lucky Brits have just been treated to a second color option -- black -- for this underclocked Snapdragon Android phone. Still no sign of the red option that Acer promised, though. Price remains steady at around £330 (which is about $537) at a couple of UK e-tailers, but hey, with that shiny $529 tag on the Nexus One it's hard to be mad at our British friends. Let's hope Google and Vodafone can work out something nice for them.
Acer Liquid A1 hits the FCC with AT&T's HSDPA flavors
It's already selling in Europe with one of AT&T's 3G bands, but the prospect of a US-friendly Acer Liquid A1 just got real, governmental-involvement style. The FCC has approved a 850 / 1900MHz version of the Android device, and while this is no guarantee of an AT&T berth -- much of Canada is crowding in on this spectrum, not to mention the possibility of selling the phone unlocked and unsubsidized -- we're massaging our temples this very second with the appropriate good vibrations to get this thing out and about in the States and on the cheap.
Acer Liquid A1 unboxed, video style
The Acer Liquid A1 just started shipping in the UK, and right on cue we've got a video unboxing. Turns out the box housing the 1GHz Snapdragon-powered Android set is fairly interesting itself, with a magnetic hinged design that opens to reveal the charger, manuals, and bundled 2GB SanDisk microSD card and SD adapter. As for the phone, don't hold out for an Android 2.0 surprise -- it's running Android 1.6 with Acer's custom Spinlets UI skin on top, which equals a frowny-face from us. Hopefully Acer manages to update things if this guy ever comes to the States, but for now we'll just let you head past the break and check the video for yourselves -- we're sorry about the terrible Owl City soundtrack, but we had nothing to do with it. [Thanks, Shreedhan]
Acer to unveil 8 to 10 phones next year, show more love to Android
Acer's far from being a major player in the smartphone space, but to call it irrelevant would be grossly inaccurate. Up until now, however, the outfit has relied largely on Microsoft's mobile OS to power its phones, though even it seems shocked by the warm reception the Android-powered Liquid has received. According to the company's own Aymar de Lencquesaing, Acer recognizes that "there is definitely momentum behind Android," and he continued by stating that "the pace is faster than most would have anticipated one year ago." He went on to proclaim that the company was apt to pump out 8 to 10 phones in 2010, with next year's lineup being "much more balanced" in terms of the amount of Windows Mobile vs. Android handsets. Look out, world -- Google just might take over another huge portion of your life while you're fixated on the next great Black Friday deal.
Acer Liquid handled, evaluated, 'not too shabby'
Looks like quite a few folks have got their hands on the Acer Liquid as of late, and lucky for us they've been rather loose-lipped with their thoughts on the subject. As suspected, the handset is running a 1GHz Snapdragon that's been under-clocked to 768MHz. And it looks like Acer didn't go crazy with the User Experience either, pretty much staying true to its Google Android 1.6 roots, albeit with a number of additions, including: social networking integration (Facebook and Flickr contacts and photo sharing), nemoPlayer for multimedia files, DataViz for Microsoft Exchange support, and the Spinlets music streaming service. In addition, Acer has redesigned some of the widgets, including the clock and the task manager, which now includes a preview of open apps. All-in-all, it seems to be a pretty solid Android handset with a few useful additions -- but as always, the verdict is out until we get our hands on one. In the meantime, hit up the read links below for a generous helping of screenshots, hands-on pics, and impressions. [Via JK On The Run] Read - PREVIEW: Acer Liquid Android 1.6 WVGA Touchscreen Smartphone Read - Acer A1, Screenshot and Interface
Acer Liquid's Snapdragon processor to be clocked at just 768MHz?
Ugh. Just weeks after we figured that Acer's first Android-based handset would indeed ship with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a new slide over at an international Liquid presentation is suggesting otherwise. As you can clearly see above, it looks as if the Qualcomm-sourced CPU will be underclocked to just 768MHz, which makes little to no sense on the surface. Granted, most average consumers couldn't care less about the CPU in their next smartphone, but it seems reasonable to think that the Liquid will lag behind its 1GHz contemporaries when used side-by-side. Who knows though -- maybe this is just the thing necessary to squeeze a full week of battery life out of this thing. Or not. [Via MobileTechWorld, thanks Gully and Jose]
Acer Liquid slips through human fingers, but not before divulging new specs (updated)
Generic form factor? Check. Default Android skin? Check. Sure, that's nothing exciting, but the real draw of Acer Liquid's gonna be its large, 800 x 480 resolution screen (the exact size of which we still don't know) and its 1GHz Snapdragon chipset. Unfortunately for the guys at Pocket-Lint, they didn't get to play with the Donut-powered handset long enough to really push those two selling points, but on the bright side they did discover a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and some ISO adjustment options, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and what appears to be a 3.5mm headphone jack. Perhaps more importantly, they nabbed some pictures of the thing powered on and in action. Jealous? Yes, yes we are.Update: We finally have the first images (above) showing Acer's customized Android UI and social networking integration (after the break) courtesy of HDBlog.it. It not quite the full-blown replacement a la HTC Sense, but they've clearly brought a new bag of tricks in an attempt to make the vanilla OS experience Acer-unique. [Thanks, Josh]
Acer Liquid mixes Snapdragon and Android 1.6 'donut' for a movable feast
Hey, what do you know, Acer just kicked out its first Android handset into the mystical kingdom of donuts and Snapdragons. Liquid, a rebranded (and slightly restyled) A1, brings a 800 x 480 WVGA capacitive touchscreen upon which you'll watch Android 1.6 ride that peppy Snapdragon processor. It's presumably tuned to 1GHz (or higher) and not 768MHz as listed on the eXpansys Germany spec-sheet -- a trick that'll make this the fastest Android handset on the planet. Of course, what would Android be without some tweaking? Acer promises a bevy of unique features such as improved power management, a new UI with tight entertainment and web integration, geo-tagging, a "Spinlets" application for access to streaming video and music, and full address book integration with Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and other social media houses. Unfortunately, that's all the detail that Acer's willing to spill at the moment; dates, real specs, and prices when we get 'em. [Via ElectricPig and SlashGear]
