Acer Liquid

The basics

A surprise handset move for the Taiwanese computer manufacturer. The company has made Windows Mobile blowers before, but the switch to Google’s OS and less brick-like look mark its first bid at a consumer phone. Can it match HTC, Motorola and the rest of the Android bunch?

The good

Turning on the Acer Liquid and you'll see that its ts 3.5-inch, 800×480 screen is absolutely gorgeous and superbly responsive to prods. If a PC-maker can stroll right into the smartphone market and come out with one of these, what on earth is Apple using its low-res 480×360 iPhone displays for still?

There’s a 3.5mm socket and microSD slot for music heads, and while the five megapixel camera on the Acer Liquid isn’t lifechanging, it’s still decent for a smartphone. Android works just as expected, but it feels snappier than we’re used to, despite the high screen resolution, thanks to the speedy Snapdragon processor inside the Acer Liquid.

The bad

Before powering up the Acer Liquid, you might be disappointed by the handset itself. It feels too wide in the hand, with a bulky bezel that attracts way too many fingerprints for our liking, leaving us longing for the awesome Teflon coating of the HTC Hero.

Acer’s no-frills approach to the software on the Acer Liquid is a bit of a disappointment. The Android OS here is vanilla, stuck on version 1.6, while other Google phones are racing ahead onto version 2.0. Acer has told us the 2.0 update will come some time this year, but we don’t see why we should have to wait.

It's also worth remembering that the Acer Liquid is only being sold SIM-free online, so with no network subsidies, you’ll have to pay £350 upfront.

The bottom line

If the upfront price isn't an issue, and you’re about brains and brawn over beauty, the Acer Liquid is one of the best Google phones you can buy. But we're still tempted to hold out for the Google Nexus One.