Acer Liquid E smartphone: four weeks together
For about a month now I have been using the updated version of the popular Acer Liquid smartphone - Acer Liquid E. Every day. I could have unsubscribed about it early, but I really wanted, first, to feel all the weaknesses, and, second, to deal with the firmware and software. And now I feel - ready.
I got a pre-sale sample in my hands, but, according to Acer, it is no different from the devices that will appear on the shelves in August. However, there are very few differences from just Liquid, too - only two pieces.
')
First, Android E 2.1 Éclair firmware (Acer LiquidE 1.100.09 EMEA GEN1) is immediately available on Liquid E. That is, multitouch and other important attributes of the modern Google Phone are present by default.
Secondly, the amount of RAM (RAM) increased from 256 MB to 512 MB.
Here, in fact, all the changes. The rest of the advantages and disadvantages moved to Liquid E from the original in full. Childhood illnesses, like a gently creaking case and a strongly heated charge controller located in the lower part of the case, have not gone anywhere. The processor also remained the same - this is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250, and its standard frequency did not become higher than 768 MHz, as many dreamed of. In general, if you are already familiar with the characteristics and appearance of Acer Liquid, welcome to read further. If not yet, I recommend the post by user SeriyLis about this, though not without flaws, but a very nice device.
It's funny, but even on the label under the Liquid E battery is indicated by the usual index S100. Is it possible to distinguish only by production date?
Yes, probably, I would like more improvements, but they should be expected a little later, in other Liquid (they even promised me a metal case!). But you can safely hope that the price of the updated device will be at the level of the original model, and 512 MB of memory in a fairly budget smart (remember, now Acer Liquid costs about 14,000 rubles) is not such a trifle. At least, you can safely forget about the lack of RAM - no matter how I try, 70-80 MB always remain free.
Personal impressions
Before Acer Liquid E, I was a convinced iphone player and, in general, I did not look at the side. I used the iPhone 3GS that I quietly bought in April and waited until I could get a cheaper iPhone 4. Android devices, of course, twisted my hands, but no more. And then it turned out that Acer Liquid E came to me right before going to my small homeland, to Saratov. He took it with him, inserting a spare SIM card. There was nothing to do on the train, so I decided to study the unfamiliar platform more closely. I was very bribed that, once I entered my Gmail username and password, I immediately got access to email, Gtalk, calendars, my Youtube account and, at the same time, the contact database stored in Gmail. Logged into FaceBook (their Acer application included in the standard software package), contacts pulled up from there. Beauty! I understand that for experienced users of the Android platform, all these things are trivial, but compared to the iPhone, the difference in usability is huge. And, alas, not in favor of the iPhone.
Email clients - that Gmail, that Email - very convenient. I used to think that better than the iPhone does not happen - but no. Better - not better, but not unequivocally worse (he wrote, and in the comments we poked our nose in the complete absence of a copy-paste in the Google Mail. I did not use this function myself, but, I agree, the flaw was just arch-unpleasant. Did the first iPhone firmware not learn anything ?) . The buttons on the pre-installed keyboard seemed a bit small, but in two accounts it was possible to change it to a torn-out HTC - also, by iPhone standards, an unthinkable event. There, if you don’t like something from the native functionality, or get used to it, or Wali, dear, from our awesome platform. And I changed it without connecting to a computer, just downloaded the file, launched it, and voila. There wasn’t enough ICQ - instantly I found the right client in the Android Market (ICQLive), and I didn’t even get greedy to download it via EDGE (In the same “Market” there was an ES File Explorer file manager before).
By the way, the tenacity of the “liquid” was very pleased: on the tracks between the stations, the iPhone constantly loses the network, and I, frankly, thought it should be so. But no: Liquid with the sim card of the same "Megaphone" was offline a couple of times, and almost immediately corrected. Very, very helpful. Then, however, it turned out that the sensitivity of WiFi is exactly the opposite: where the iPhone is confidently groping for the network, Liquid — even with an alternative firmware promising to amplify the WiFi signal — does not see it. Well, everyone has their own shortcomings, and for me personally, the sensitivity of the 3G / EDGE module is perhaps more important. To WiFi, I, if anything, and netbook hooked.
Acer Liquid E screen compared to other devices. From top to bottom: Nokia N8 (prototype), Nokia n900, HTC Desire, iPhone 3GS:
In short, somewhere for three nights, I realized that I really like the platform, but when I arrived in Saratov, I put the local SIM card in Liquid E and walked only with it, leaving the iPhone at home. I went and wondered: wow, it turns out you can provide the convenience and functionality of the iPhone without all these proprietary Apple problems. My ten-year-old daughter also liked the device very much, and especially the Google Maps application. It seems to be the same as in the iPhone, but, apparently, children have their own perception. So, this is the first time I've come across how fast Liquid E can eat a battery, and at the same time, with overheating that occurs during intensive work. Taking a very hot smartphone from a child, I tried to charge it, but a red exclamation mark appeared on the battery icon and I had to wait until the whole thing cooled down. In fairness, these days in Saratov, too, there was a wild heat, but, as far as I know, Liquid can be overheated in a fairly moderate temperature environment. I am inclined to think that it was precisely the problems with heating and heat sink that forced the processor frequency to be 768 megahertz instead of the native Snapdragon gigahertz. And, of course, power consumption: with active use (and with official firmware), the device fully charged in the morning starts crying and asking for an outlet already at 18-19 o'clock. There are two ways out: to rant the device and install an optimized firmware (more on this below), or buy another battery and carry it with you. Although - why or? The combination of both methods is guaranteed to solve the problem of autonomy.
It is strange for me to write this, but the disharmony found does not at all kill the sympathy for the apparatus. Arriving in Moscow, I began to walk with two devices, and very soon found that all activities, except for calls and SMS, smoothly moved to Liquid E. That is, mail, Twitter, IM clients, mobile Internet surfing, social networks - everything everything is there! And then it became interesting - is this particular Acer Liquid E smartphone I like so much or the Android platform itself?
Began to watch other Google phones. I understand that in assessments I can hurt someone's feelings (a smartphone is a very personal thing, I would even say intimate), and I apologize in advance.
HTC Legend - solid, with good recommendations from friends, did not fit because of the screen. Still, 480x360, like the iPhone, visibly loses against the background of the Acer 800x480. Plus the AMOLED screen: everything is great in the room, but you can't make out anything in the sun (Liquid, with its TFT matrix, behaves immaculately in the sun). 384 MB of RAM - will be missed.
HTC Desire - really liked and to the touch, and the screen size, and speed. A notable choice of alternative firmware - for me, this is an indicator of the popularity of the device and the interest in it from the users. It upsets only the behavior of the screen in the sun (AMOLED with all the consequences). The price in the region of 20,000 rubles is quite a lot, but the device costs its money. True, it makes sense to wait for versions with Super TFT screens that will be available closer to the end of August: the picture is no worse than on AMOLED, and does not go blind in the sun.
Samsung i9000 Galaxy S - spit it not for very long, but still can not get rid of the feeling of a big shiny toy in my hands. The characteristics are luxurious, the screen is excellent, it looks notable in photos, but in life ... Plus, the device entered the market a little ahead of time, and there are enough childhood diseases, such as slow work with its own memory and places of non-Russified pieces in the firmware. And the price in the region of 25, or even 28 thousand per copy is not very inspiring yet.
Sony Ericsson X10 alerted non-standard screen resolution and ugly situation with official firmware. It's no joke, the owners of the flagship SE are still sitting on Android 1.6 without multitouch. No, thank you.
In general, I will not hide, from all that I saw, I liked Desire more, but before I went to the store, I decided to experiment with alternative firmware for Liquid, the benefit of which was done decently. The quantity is comparable to the Desire figures. I got root, made a full copy of the entire contents of the smartphone on the flash drive, and installed three firmware in a row - Xian LiquidE v1, LainSuxem 2.1 and Liquid Community Rom 1.8.
The first was very smart, but not very stable. What is worth at least one of the “declared” bugs - going into reboot after selecting the “Accounts and sync” item in the settings menu. I didn’t experiment for a long time, I put LainSuxem 2.1 praised by many. At the end of the firmware, I found myself on a New Year tree - everything sparkles, shimmers, confetti is everywhere, Santa Claus runs suspiciously funny ... No, the authors did good work, they tried to put everything they could into the firmware and put their initials in a bunch of places spacebar in the virtual keyboard). But, firstly, the self-made utility setting this magnificence behaves strangely, while the default settings are not perfect. Secondly, the “beautiful” I was quickly tired, and much of the software was useless.
Alternative firmware interface can be changed totally - and not once. And if you start shaman yourself ...
I sewed on Liquid Community Rom 1.8 and only then I calmed down. Normal fast firmware, with the minimum necessary, generally without beautiful - as you like, and decorate. At the same time, there are plenty of fine-tuning settings, if there is nothing to do in the evening, you will dig into them. And yet, as befits a decent alternative firmware, LCR 1.8 contains the SetCPU utility, which allows you to very significantly extend the battery life by adjusting the frequency of the processor in different situations. For example, the official firmware for some reason forces the processor to work to full capacity even when the screen is off, and therefore the battery is almost completely discharged overnight. SetCPU also drives the frequency up to 245 MHz and life is dramatically improving. Yes, and reducing the frequency to achieve a certain level of battery discharge is also an extremely useful thing.
And yet I have to compliment Acer: if I get root on the official firmware and install several utilities, including SetCPU, it is quite suitable for use. I remember that the native E-TEN firmware, from which the Acer smartphone division grew, was not suitable for use as intended without a harsh modification ...
This post turns out long, it's time to wrap up.
What I don't like about Acer Liquid E:
What I like about Acer Liquid E:
Unfortunately, ideal smartphones on Android are not yet released. Everyone must have a flaw. I got the feeling that if the price of Liquid E remains at the level of Liquid, it will be a very good option for those who want to join Android at no extra cost and, at the same time, without losing on functionality. It’s really ridiculous to make conclusions about the platform by slow state employees with a very relatively touchscreen and a resolution of 320x240.
Acer Liquid E Ferrari will have a more sturdy and beautiful body, as well as a set of ringtones and wallpapers. If the price is also not detained (as long as they promise at the level of 20-25 thousand rubles), it may turn out interesting.
I decided for myself that I haven’t selected it yet - I’m like with Liquid E, and then I will make a purchase decision. There are a lot of new products waiting for us in the fall - on Android, on Windows Phone 7, and on MeeGo. I feel, I feel the price war! But the order for the iPhone 4, which I was promised to bring from France, has already been canceled. Acer's creaking plastic convinced me that there are more interesting ways to spend my own money.
During shooting, the focus worked inaccurately, and the Liquid E screen turned into a mirror.
I got a pre-sale sample in my hands, but, according to Acer, it is no different from the devices that will appear on the shelves in August. However, there are very few differences from just Liquid, too - only two pieces.
')
First, Android E 2.1 Éclair firmware (Acer LiquidE 1.100.09 EMEA GEN1) is immediately available on Liquid E. That is, multitouch and other important attributes of the modern Google Phone are present by default.
Secondly, the amount of RAM (RAM) increased from 256 MB to 512 MB.
Here, in fact, all the changes. The rest of the advantages and disadvantages moved to Liquid E from the original in full. Childhood illnesses, like a gently creaking case and a strongly heated charge controller located in the lower part of the case, have not gone anywhere. The processor also remained the same - this is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250, and its standard frequency did not become higher than 768 MHz, as many dreamed of. In general, if you are already familiar with the characteristics and appearance of Acer Liquid, welcome to read further. If not yet, I recommend the post by user SeriyLis about this, though not without flaws, but a very nice device.
It's funny, but even on the label under the Liquid E battery is indicated by the usual index S100. Is it possible to distinguish only by production date?
Yes, probably, I would like more improvements, but they should be expected a little later, in other Liquid (they even promised me a metal case!). But you can safely hope that the price of the updated device will be at the level of the original model, and 512 MB of memory in a fairly budget smart (remember, now Acer Liquid costs about 14,000 rubles) is not such a trifle. At least, you can safely forget about the lack of RAM - no matter how I try, 70-80 MB always remain free.
Personal impressions
Before Acer Liquid E, I was a convinced iphone player and, in general, I did not look at the side. I used the iPhone 3GS that I quietly bought in April and waited until I could get a cheaper iPhone 4. Android devices, of course, twisted my hands, but no more. And then it turned out that Acer Liquid E came to me right before going to my small homeland, to Saratov. He took it with him, inserting a spare SIM card. There was nothing to do on the train, so I decided to study the unfamiliar platform more closely. I was very bribed that, once I entered my Gmail username and password, I immediately got access to email, Gtalk, calendars, my Youtube account and, at the same time, the contact database stored in Gmail. Logged into FaceBook (their Acer application included in the standard software package), contacts pulled up from there. Beauty! I understand that for experienced users of the Android platform, all these things are trivial, but compared to the iPhone, the difference in usability is huge. And, alas, not in favor of the iPhone.
Email clients - that Gmail, that Email - very convenient. I used to think that better than the iPhone does not happen - but no. Better - not better, but not unequivocally worse (he wrote, and in the comments we poked our nose in the complete absence of a copy-paste in the Google Mail. I did not use this function myself, but, I agree, the flaw was just arch-unpleasant. Did the first iPhone firmware not learn anything ?) . The buttons on the pre-installed keyboard seemed a bit small, but in two accounts it was possible to change it to a torn-out HTC - also, by iPhone standards, an unthinkable event. There, if you don’t like something from the native functionality, or get used to it, or Wali, dear, from our awesome platform. And I changed it without connecting to a computer, just downloaded the file, launched it, and voila. There wasn’t enough ICQ - instantly I found the right client in the Android Market (ICQLive), and I didn’t even get greedy to download it via EDGE (In the same “Market” there was an ES File Explorer file manager before).
By the way, the tenacity of the “liquid” was very pleased: on the tracks between the stations, the iPhone constantly loses the network, and I, frankly, thought it should be so. But no: Liquid with the sim card of the same "Megaphone" was offline a couple of times, and almost immediately corrected. Very, very helpful. Then, however, it turned out that the sensitivity of WiFi is exactly the opposite: where the iPhone is confidently groping for the network, Liquid — even with an alternative firmware promising to amplify the WiFi signal — does not see it. Well, everyone has their own shortcomings, and for me personally, the sensitivity of the 3G / EDGE module is perhaps more important. To WiFi, I, if anything, and netbook hooked.
Acer Liquid E screen compared to other devices. From top to bottom: Nokia N8 (prototype), Nokia n900, HTC Desire, iPhone 3GS:
In short, somewhere for three nights, I realized that I really like the platform, but when I arrived in Saratov, I put the local SIM card in Liquid E and walked only with it, leaving the iPhone at home. I went and wondered: wow, it turns out you can provide the convenience and functionality of the iPhone without all these proprietary Apple problems. My ten-year-old daughter also liked the device very much, and especially the Google Maps application. It seems to be the same as in the iPhone, but, apparently, children have their own perception. So, this is the first time I've come across how fast Liquid E can eat a battery, and at the same time, with overheating that occurs during intensive work. Taking a very hot smartphone from a child, I tried to charge it, but a red exclamation mark appeared on the battery icon and I had to wait until the whole thing cooled down. In fairness, these days in Saratov, too, there was a wild heat, but, as far as I know, Liquid can be overheated in a fairly moderate temperature environment. I am inclined to think that it was precisely the problems with heating and heat sink that forced the processor frequency to be 768 megahertz instead of the native Snapdragon gigahertz. And, of course, power consumption: with active use (and with official firmware), the device fully charged in the morning starts crying and asking for an outlet already at 18-19 o'clock. There are two ways out: to rant the device and install an optimized firmware (more on this below), or buy another battery and carry it with you. Although - why or? The combination of both methods is guaranteed to solve the problem of autonomy.
It is strange for me to write this, but the disharmony found does not at all kill the sympathy for the apparatus. Arriving in Moscow, I began to walk with two devices, and very soon found that all activities, except for calls and SMS, smoothly moved to Liquid E. That is, mail, Twitter, IM clients, mobile Internet surfing, social networks - everything everything is there! And then it became interesting - is this particular Acer Liquid E smartphone I like so much or the Android platform itself?
Began to watch other Google phones. I understand that in assessments I can hurt someone's feelings (a smartphone is a very personal thing, I would even say intimate), and I apologize in advance.
HTC Legend - solid, with good recommendations from friends, did not fit because of the screen. Still, 480x360, like the iPhone, visibly loses against the background of the Acer 800x480. Plus the AMOLED screen: everything is great in the room, but you can't make out anything in the sun (Liquid, with its TFT matrix, behaves immaculately in the sun). 384 MB of RAM - will be missed.
HTC Desire - really liked and to the touch, and the screen size, and speed. A notable choice of alternative firmware - for me, this is an indicator of the popularity of the device and the interest in it from the users. It upsets only the behavior of the screen in the sun (AMOLED with all the consequences). The price in the region of 20,000 rubles is quite a lot, but the device costs its money. True, it makes sense to wait for versions with Super TFT screens that will be available closer to the end of August: the picture is no worse than on AMOLED, and does not go blind in the sun.
Samsung i9000 Galaxy S - spit it not for very long, but still can not get rid of the feeling of a big shiny toy in my hands. The characteristics are luxurious, the screen is excellent, it looks notable in photos, but in life ... Plus, the device entered the market a little ahead of time, and there are enough childhood diseases, such as slow work with its own memory and places of non-Russified pieces in the firmware. And the price in the region of 25, or even 28 thousand per copy is not very inspiring yet.
Sony Ericsson X10 alerted non-standard screen resolution and ugly situation with official firmware. It's no joke, the owners of the flagship SE are still sitting on Android 1.6 without multitouch. No, thank you.
In general, I will not hide, from all that I saw, I liked Desire more, but before I went to the store, I decided to experiment with alternative firmware for Liquid, the benefit of which was done decently. The quantity is comparable to the Desire figures. I got root, made a full copy of the entire contents of the smartphone on the flash drive, and installed three firmware in a row - Xian LiquidE v1, LainSuxem 2.1 and Liquid Community Rom 1.8.
The first was very smart, but not very stable. What is worth at least one of the “declared” bugs - going into reboot after selecting the “Accounts and sync” item in the settings menu. I didn’t experiment for a long time, I put LainSuxem 2.1 praised by many. At the end of the firmware, I found myself on a New Year tree - everything sparkles, shimmers, confetti is everywhere, Santa Claus runs suspiciously funny ... No, the authors did good work, they tried to put everything they could into the firmware and put their initials in a bunch of places spacebar in the virtual keyboard). But, firstly, the self-made utility setting this magnificence behaves strangely, while the default settings are not perfect. Secondly, the “beautiful” I was quickly tired, and much of the software was useless.
Alternative firmware interface can be changed totally - and not once. And if you start shaman yourself ...
I sewed on Liquid Community Rom 1.8 and only then I calmed down. Normal fast firmware, with the minimum necessary, generally without beautiful - as you like, and decorate. At the same time, there are plenty of fine-tuning settings, if there is nothing to do in the evening, you will dig into them. And yet, as befits a decent alternative firmware, LCR 1.8 contains the SetCPU utility, which allows you to very significantly extend the battery life by adjusting the frequency of the processor in different situations. For example, the official firmware for some reason forces the processor to work to full capacity even when the screen is off, and therefore the battery is almost completely discharged overnight. SetCPU also drives the frequency up to 245 MHz and life is dramatically improving. Yes, and reducing the frequency to achieve a certain level of battery discharge is also an extremely useful thing.
And yet I have to compliment Acer: if I get root on the official firmware and install several utilities, including SetCPU, it is quite suitable for use. I remember that the native E-TEN firmware, from which the Acer smartphone division grew, was not suitable for use as intended without a harsh modification ...
This post turns out long, it's time to wrap up.
What I don't like about Acer Liquid E:
- Case with squeaks. This is not observed in all instances, but still quite often.
- Low battery life. It is not large for all “googlofon” in the hands due to the peculiarities of Android itself (free multitasking happens only in fairy tales), but this does not make it any easier.
- Heating the bottom of the case under load. Designer bug.
- Pensive camera without flash. It shoots well, five-megapixel pictures look good even outside the screen of the device. But the room is very leisurely, and therefore the pictures are often blurry. The flash would have corrected the situation a little, and in the time free from photographing it could be used as a flashlight. But - alas.
What I like about Acer Liquid E:
- Convenient platform with great opportunities for personalization and a sufficient choice of software. Here Acer, no matter what, Google needs to be thanked, and yet the platform is part of the smartphone, and you can't throw out the words from the song.
- Unusual and quite convincing exterior. I especially like the black version, but it still should not be given to potential critics in hand, will give out its budget essence by creaking
- Great screen. For its price range, it is simply luxurious, but even if you abstract from the price, it is still good. Importantly, the screen is fast, and both films and dynamic games look equally good on it. The surface is covered with either tempered glass, or megatard plastic, but can not scratch at all.
- High performance for its class. 2D and 3D games, movies without additional conversion (not Full HD, of course, but 720p is easy), everything is fine.
- Worthy quality official firmware, allowing most users to not bother with the alternative. The maximum that may be required is root and a couple of additional utilities to optimize power consumption. At the same point - a decent choice of alternative firmware, for those who are especially vehemently striving for perfection.
Unfortunately, ideal smartphones on Android are not yet released. Everyone must have a flaw. I got the feeling that if the price of Liquid E remains at the level of Liquid, it will be a very good option for those who want to join Android at no extra cost and, at the same time, without losing on functionality. It’s really ridiculous to make conclusions about the platform by slow state employees with a very relatively touchscreen and a resolution of 320x240.
Acer Liquid E Ferrari will have a more sturdy and beautiful body, as well as a set of ringtones and wallpapers. If the price is also not detained (as long as they promise at the level of 20-25 thousand rubles), it may turn out interesting.
I decided for myself that I haven’t selected it yet - I’m like with Liquid E, and then I will make a purchase decision. There are a lot of new products waiting for us in the fall - on Android, on Windows Phone 7, and on MeeGo. I feel, I feel the price war! But the order for the iPhone 4, which I was promised to bring from France, has already been canceled. Acer's creaking plastic convinced me that there are more interesting ways to spend my own money.
During shooting, the focus worked inaccurately, and the Liquid E screen turned into a mirror.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/101269/
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