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Acer CloudMobile review: an ambitious Android phone that arrived a little too late
More Info Acer CloudMobile hands-on at MWC 2012 Acer CloudMobile moves to China, dumps Android for Aliyun Acer CloudMobile available in the UK at long last, is priced at £290 It's been a while since we last took a look at a smartphone from Acer. Today's offering -- the S500 CloudMobile -- however, might not be all that unfamiliar, having first met our eyes way back at MWC in spring. This time around Acer presents us with a leaner, slicker, much more design-conscious handset, one that isn't just about the pretty looks, either. With a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera and a 720p display, all for £289 SIM-free, it's pitched against similarly specced phones like the HTC One S. In short, it's yet another alternative for people seeking a full-featured smartphone, except it comes without the pocket-draining price tag. More importantly for Acer, however, is the chance to get back onto people's smartphone radars. So, now that the CloudMobile has gently drifted over our shores, does it have us looking to the sky, or putting on our raincoats of indifference? Read on to find out.
Mercedes-Benz Vision S 500: it's the plug-in hybrid for old people
Look, you won't find a bigger bunch of fans of the C63 than this here crew, but man, that massive "plug-in hybrid" logo might as well say "70+ aged drivers only, please." For everyone not interested in scooping up a Tesla Roadster, Chevy Volt or some other eco-friendly whip that they can't afford, there's the Mercedes-Benz Vision S 500. Made official this week during the run-up to the impending Frankfurt auto show, the 3.5-liter PHEV aims to grab the eyes of those who value class, comfort and luxury, and while this whole "gas mileage" thing is still very much in the air with this type of vehicle, early estimates peg the MPG rating at around 70. M-B has gifted the car with an 18-mile electric range, but most everything else is being veiled in secrecy until the full reveal next week.
Mio launches four new Moov navigators at CES
There's no Turbo Boost or anything involved with this bunch, but Mio has launched four mildly interesting navigators for 2009. The new Moovs all sport an improved "Spirit" software platform, and while the S300 features a 3.5-inch panel, text-to-speech and 12 million POIs, the S500 steps up to a 4.7-inch panel. The Moov S556 keeps the same 4.7-inch display but adds in Bluetooth and Junction View, while the S700 breaks out a 7-inch panel. The whole lot is supposed to ship before the second half of this year for $199.99, $249.99, $299.99 and $299.99 in order of mention.[Via GPSTracklog]
Sony Ericsson S500i in the wild -- and it could be yours
Have some extra cash and an itch to have at a handset that almost nobody else has? Well, an almost brand spankin' new prototype Sony Ericsson S500i can be yours -- that is, if you are willing to pony up whatever turns out to be the best offer -- in a mini auction happening over at the Esato forums. We have covered the specs on this new and lovely little slider, so we won't waste any more of your bidding time with niceties, hit the read link to get in on the action. Oh, and of course we cannot confirm any legitimacy here, so buyer beware -- we're just passing on the info.[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]
Sony Ericsson announces the S500
Well, it's about time! Sony Ericsson's backroom must have been full to bursting with new and conceptual handsets and this morning the S500 somehow snuck out. This winsome slider is a bit of an oddity in that it has most of the features expected in a Walkman-branded handset, but is not -- instead it's said to be inspired by "the materials and colors found in the natural world." Featuring quadband GSM plus EDGE (no HSDPA to be found here), a 2 megapixel cam, Memory Stick Micro expandability, nine hours talk and 370 hours standby, the goodness finds itself piled in non-traditional colored "Mysterious Green" or "Spring Yellow" housings. Unique to this handset is theme and external lighting effects that can be set to change with the season, as day turns to night or even at the beginning of the weekend; this seems like a fun idea, as long as the blinky lights aren't too bright. No word on carrier or pricing, but we can expect it to hit in Q3 this year.
Hands-on with Nikon's S50, S50c, S200, S500, L10, L11 and L12
Rounding out the rest of Nikon's gear at PMA was their four new S-series entrants, and three new low end L-series. The S cameras were, as usual, sexyhot, definitely gear we approve of (outside the folded optics); the L cameras are, of course, for newbs and your klutzy butterfingers friends / family that can't keep his or her gear intact for longer than a few weeks, so don't expect the all the same sweet feature hookups. Check 'em all out.%Gallery-1997%
Nikon announces S50, S50c, S200, and S500
We've got a slew of new Nikon cams tonight, so let's get this thing rolling. First up we have the S50, S50c, 7.2 megapixel / 3x shooters with 3-inch screens, OIS, 1600 ISO, best shot selector, in camera red-eye repair, but the S50c has WiFi for email, image storage, and the rest of the fun stuff you can do with Nikon's Coolpix Connect 2 service. These will be available in April for $300 and $350.The S200, and S500 are slightly less sophisticated, but look to be quality cameras all the same. You've got 7.1 megapixel / 3x optics, electronic image stabilization, up to 2000 ISO, 2.5-inch displays, best shot selector, in and camera red-eye repair. The S500 steps up over the S200's aluminum body with its own stainless steel finish (how DeLorean -- shown above), as well as an anti-shake button that engages high ISO mode, image stabilization, and best shot selector at the same time. These will hit in March for $250 and $300.Read - Nikon S50, S50cRead - Nikon S200, S500%Gallery-1704%
Sony joins S500 club with new 6 megapixel shooter
Even though Sony already had a budget-oriented 6 megapixel Cybershot, it looks like they've been jonesing for a S500-titled model like all the cool manufacturers have. We are a bit proud of those creative minds at Sony for breaking the general "name predicts megapixel" mould and sticking a 6 megapixel CCD in their DSC-S500, but there really isn't a lot else going on here that we didn't see in this camera's predecessor, the S600. In fact, the S500 has less included memory (24MB instead of 32MB) lower-res video (QVGA instead of VGA) and a smaller ISO range (80-400 instead of 80-1000) than the S600. Still, the new 3x zoom camera does manage a half-inch larger 2.5-inch LCD, and is a bit thinner than the S600. No word on price, or if Sony is planning on selling these two side-by-side, but we're sure Sony's naming committee is high-fiving each other right now for sneaking this one through.
