Three weeks with Acer Iconia Smart
I have been familiar with Acer smartphones since last August. In modern times - for ages. The first was Acer Liquid E, then Stream, and then the likable Liquid Metal (aka Mt). Now it’s time to get acquainted with the rather unusual Acer Iconia Smart device. They have not started selling it yet, but the secret sample has been in my possession for three weeks already, so I managed to get the impression. Now I’ll tell you what kind of animal it is and how good or bad it is.
The first thought, visiting, when you take Iconia Smart in your hands, sounds like this: "Oh, nothing to yourself a shovel!". Indeed, such long Android smartphones have never been done before. It's all about the screen: its resolution is 1024x480. That is, the width of the Iconia is a smartphone, like a smartphone. And in length ... When you read the official specifications, 142 millimeters do not scare. But in practice, this means that even the owner of a rather big male paw will not be able to reach the top row of icons with his thumb without changing the grip. In principle, nothing terrible, you can get used to everything. But very unusual.
')
Against the background of fellow Acer Iconia Smart looks like a giant. Top row, from left to right: Acer Liquid Mt, Acer Iconia Tab, HTC Desire Z. Bottom row - Acer Stream, Lenovo LePhone, HTC Sensation
Managing your smartphone is also complicated by the non-touch buttons “Home”, “Search”, “Back” and “Options”. I know that many people like them to react not to touch, but to pressing. So in this case, the touch would be very appropriate, because the device is long, and the buttons are at the bottom. And in order to apply at least some effort to them, the grip must be changed again. It is possible that in the process of exclusion a habit is developed to hold the apparatus not vertically, but horizontally, with two hands. That's when the convenience of the height. Nekstati will note that I personally was not very pleased with the plug over the USB and HDMI jacks: on the Stream, the same after half a year usually falls apart into two parts, and it has to be either very carefully glued or just unstick.
In Acer they say that yes, the proportions are unusual, but on such a screen it is very cool to watch movies (especially where the frame is 21x9, there are no black bars on top and bottom) and surf the Internet. It is difficult to argue with this. Indeed, the movie is great (especially pleased with native support for the Xvid codec), and web surfing is so good that you instantly get used to just this kind of mobile Internet, and then, on ordinary smartphones, you feel some discomfort.
But still, surfing and watching film production is not the main thing in using a smartphone. By the way, by the way, they still call, write SMS, search for people in the contact list, launch programs, take pictures of them ... Why, there, they take it out of their pocket many times a day and put it back. Iconia Smart is nothing that makes it completely uncomfortable in everyday life. But still it is worth being ready to spend a week or two on getting used to.
There are a lot of icons on the screen, but not everyone will be able to reach it ...
Yes, with regard to the characteristics of the 4.8-inch screen, they are at altitude. Honestly, I can not believe that you are dealing with a conventional TFT-matrix, and not with the new generation AMOLED or at least S-LCD. Juicy colors, viewing angles - everything is just fine. No, seriously, I recently bought for the HTC Sensation experiences, so her colors are also pretty good, but if you turn the screen a little vertically or horizontally, and all the riot of colors disappears. And here - great, you can safely watch the movie together, if not three.
The picture does not fade even at a decent angle
Of course, when it comes to such resolutions, the question arises - does the processor cope? Here we are dealing with a gigahertz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255, also familiar to HTC Desire HD, Incredible S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Xperia Play and many other devices. In general, there is enough performance. Immediately after switching on, the phone just “flies”, not yielding to the same HTC Sensation, where the processor is 1.2-gigahertz and dual-core. But by the end of the day the memory is clogged up (oh, it was necessary to put not 512 megabytes, but at least 768) and the swiftness disappears. No, the device still works quickly, but it still feels like you're sitting on Android, and not on any iOS or WP7. However, I would not be surprised if the not completely completed firmware is to blame for everything. I do not advise watching movies in FullHD - you will not get pleasure. 720p, in principle, pulls, but on dynamic scenes it can sometimes become thoughtful, especially if the bitrate is high. Therefore, it is probably better to watch SD. I understand that for a smartphone, as if specially sharpened for a movie, the recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on the small diagonals of the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p I don’t see at all, but I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to the width of a frame of 1024 points, the processor is enough for it, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port of the movie can be displayed on the big screen. Honestly, I treat this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones, it is probably necessary for someone.
The external speaker of the Iconia Stream is very loud and sounds just surprisingly decent. You can calmly watch a movie on the street without headphones (of course, if it does not interfere with other people). The sound in the headphones is also good, since Dolby Mobile support has not gone away, and the amplifier is more powerful here than in Liquid E / Stream. Even my Axelvox HD242 monitor headphones with their 56 ohms are pumped well (Stream, for example, does not pump at all). So the smartphone can be considered a really good player.
The camera in Iconia Smart did not please me at all. Like 8 megapixels with autofocus, and flash, and jeepets are not clamped to obscene, like on Xperia Arc or Sensation, but the quality of the pictures is very mediocre. In the bright sun it is still tolerable, but a little shade, and it’s impossible to make a clear frame. I want to believe that this is the cost of the sample and the raw firmware: for example, the engineering sample of Liquid Mt I shot was disgusting, but in the final version the camera works decently. If this happens with the devices on the counter ... No, I will be an optimist. In any case, if it comes to buying, pay attention to this moment right in the store, so that later it would not be excruciatingly painful for the wasted money. Yes, I almost forgot - the video is shot with a resolution of up to 720p. Quality is also not very.
Considering the size of the case, I thought that Iconia Smart would supply a battery of gigantic capacity. But no, only 1500 mAh, as in the Lenovo LePhone and 20 mAh less than the HTC Sensation. Nevertheless, the device can not be called gluttonous: for the whole working day the battery is enough guaranteed, and there it will be as lucky. The back cover of Iconia Smart is not removable, so there’s no need to hope for a battery of increased capacity. We'll see if it is possible to optimize power consumption in alternative firmware. On Liquid'ah turned out well.
The memory of the device is 8 gigabytes, of which we can dispose of approximately five and a half. Of course, there is a slot for microSD. MicroSDXC, however, is not supported, and more than 32 gigabytes will not deliver. Well, yes, I hope that's enough.
A few words about the software part. Iconia Smart is running fresh Android 2.3.3. System programs are adapted to non-standard resolution normally, but with third-party applications, everything is not very smooth. Usually the picture is located at the top of the screen, leaving a wide black bar at the bottom.
Sometimes the image is located in the center, and then the strips are two - at the edges. I would not hope that the developers will rush to adapt the software for Iconia Smart - except that a couple of three smartphones with the same resolution will appear on the market. The programs work fine, they are not buggy, but ... not neatly somehow.
Most often the application is located like this ...
... or like this.
Acer branded shell has become so decent that it even began to leave in some alternative firmware. Agree, this is a confession :)
Total For the sample, the device works decently and it is assembled soundly. Given the size - quite a machine for a stern man. Especially if the palm of his hand is from the category of those who were talked about in old times - “the plane can be hidden”.
No matter how trite, but the success of this model is very dependent on the price. At first they said that it would cost 20-25,000 rubles. Now it is recommended to focus on "less than 20 000", almost 18 000. Well, sales should start from day to day, we will soon find out.
And I have one version in my head. Suddenly, Acer released Iconia Smart in order to attract the attention of observers all over the world? They will be surprised, they will write reviews and bring information about Acer as a manufacturer of smartphones to the general reader (aside from jokes, very few people know about this role of the company, especially outside of Taiwan and Russia). The model itself will be released in small quantities, except that having beaten off the development costs. But other Acer smartphones, of which, according to my information, about a dozen are now being prepared, will be met with much greater interest. How do you think that? I think in six months it will be clear whether I am right or not.
PS If you forgot something - ask. I still have the device.
The first thought, visiting, when you take Iconia Smart in your hands, sounds like this: "Oh, nothing to yourself a shovel!". Indeed, such long Android smartphones have never been done before. It's all about the screen: its resolution is 1024x480. That is, the width of the Iconia is a smartphone, like a smartphone. And in length ... When you read the official specifications, 142 millimeters do not scare. But in practice, this means that even the owner of a rather big male paw will not be able to reach the top row of icons with his thumb without changing the grip. In principle, nothing terrible, you can get used to everything. But very unusual.
')
Against the background of fellow Acer Iconia Smart looks like a giant. Top row, from left to right: Acer Liquid Mt, Acer Iconia Tab, HTC Desire Z. Bottom row - Acer Stream, Lenovo LePhone, HTC Sensation
Managing your smartphone is also complicated by the non-touch buttons “Home”, “Search”, “Back” and “Options”. I know that many people like them to react not to touch, but to pressing. So in this case, the touch would be very appropriate, because the device is long, and the buttons are at the bottom. And in order to apply at least some effort to them, the grip must be changed again. It is possible that in the process of exclusion a habit is developed to hold the apparatus not vertically, but horizontally, with two hands. That's when the convenience of the height. Nekstati will note that I personally was not very pleased with the plug over the USB and HDMI jacks: on the Stream, the same after half a year usually falls apart into two parts, and it has to be either very carefully glued or just unstick.
In Acer they say that yes, the proportions are unusual, but on such a screen it is very cool to watch movies (especially where the frame is 21x9, there are no black bars on top and bottom) and surf the Internet. It is difficult to argue with this. Indeed, the movie is great (especially pleased with native support for the Xvid codec), and web surfing is so good that you instantly get used to just this kind of mobile Internet, and then, on ordinary smartphones, you feel some discomfort.
But still, surfing and watching film production is not the main thing in using a smartphone. By the way, by the way, they still call, write SMS, search for people in the contact list, launch programs, take pictures of them ... Why, there, they take it out of their pocket many times a day and put it back. Iconia Smart is nothing that makes it completely uncomfortable in everyday life. But still it is worth being ready to spend a week or two on getting used to.
There are a lot of icons on the screen, but not everyone will be able to reach it ...
Yes, with regard to the characteristics of the 4.8-inch screen, they are at altitude. Honestly, I can not believe that you are dealing with a conventional TFT-matrix, and not with the new generation AMOLED or at least S-LCD. Juicy colors, viewing angles - everything is just fine. No, seriously, I recently bought for the HTC Sensation experiences, so her colors are also pretty good, but if you turn the screen a little vertically or horizontally, and all the riot of colors disappears. And here - great, you can safely watch the movie together, if not three.
The picture does not fade even at a decent angle
Of course, when it comes to such resolutions, the question arises - does the processor cope? Here we are dealing with a gigahertz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255, also familiar to HTC Desire HD, Incredible S, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Xperia Play and many other devices. In general, there is enough performance. Immediately after switching on, the phone just “flies”, not yielding to the same HTC Sensation, where the processor is 1.2-gigahertz and dual-core. But by the end of the day the memory is clogged up (oh, it was necessary to put not 512 megabytes, but at least 768) and the swiftness disappears. No, the device still works quickly, but it still feels like you're sitting on Android, and not on any iOS or WP7. However, I would not be surprised if the not completely completed firmware is to blame for everything. I do not advise watching movies in FullHD - you will not get pleasure. 720p, in principle, pulls, but on dynamic scenes it can sometimes become thoughtful, especially if the bitrate is high. Therefore, it is probably better to watch SD. I understand that for a smartphone, as if specially sharpened for a movie, the recommendation sounds strange. But, on the other hand, on the small diagonals of the fundamental difference between 1080p and 720p I don’t see at all, but I distinguish SD with some difficulty. In extreme cases, the film can be distilled to the width of a frame of 1024 points, the processor is enough for it, even with some margin. Through the HDMI port of the movie can be displayed on the big screen. Honestly, I treat this function with humor, but since it is added to almost all new smartphones, it is probably necessary for someone.
The external speaker of the Iconia Stream is very loud and sounds just surprisingly decent. You can calmly watch a movie on the street without headphones (of course, if it does not interfere with other people). The sound in the headphones is also good, since Dolby Mobile support has not gone away, and the amplifier is more powerful here than in Liquid E / Stream. Even my Axelvox HD242 monitor headphones with their 56 ohms are pumped well (Stream, for example, does not pump at all). So the smartphone can be considered a really good player.
The camera in Iconia Smart did not please me at all. Like 8 megapixels with autofocus, and flash, and jeepets are not clamped to obscene, like on Xperia Arc or Sensation, but the quality of the pictures is very mediocre. In the bright sun it is still tolerable, but a little shade, and it’s impossible to make a clear frame. I want to believe that this is the cost of the sample and the raw firmware: for example, the engineering sample of Liquid Mt I shot was disgusting, but in the final version the camera works decently. If this happens with the devices on the counter ... No, I will be an optimist. In any case, if it comes to buying, pay attention to this moment right in the store, so that later it would not be excruciatingly painful for the wasted money. Yes, I almost forgot - the video is shot with a resolution of up to 720p. Quality is also not very.
Considering the size of the case, I thought that Iconia Smart would supply a battery of gigantic capacity. But no, only 1500 mAh, as in the Lenovo LePhone and 20 mAh less than the HTC Sensation. Nevertheless, the device can not be called gluttonous: for the whole working day the battery is enough guaranteed, and there it will be as lucky. The back cover of Iconia Smart is not removable, so there’s no need to hope for a battery of increased capacity. We'll see if it is possible to optimize power consumption in alternative firmware. On Liquid'ah turned out well.
The memory of the device is 8 gigabytes, of which we can dispose of approximately five and a half. Of course, there is a slot for microSD. MicroSDXC, however, is not supported, and more than 32 gigabytes will not deliver. Well, yes, I hope that's enough.
A few words about the software part. Iconia Smart is running fresh Android 2.3.3. System programs are adapted to non-standard resolution normally, but with third-party applications, everything is not very smooth. Usually the picture is located at the top of the screen, leaving a wide black bar at the bottom.
Sometimes the image is located in the center, and then the strips are two - at the edges. I would not hope that the developers will rush to adapt the software for Iconia Smart - except that a couple of three smartphones with the same resolution will appear on the market. The programs work fine, they are not buggy, but ... not neatly somehow.
Most often the application is located like this ...
... or like this.
Acer branded shell has become so decent that it even began to leave in some alternative firmware. Agree, this is a confession :)
Total For the sample, the device works decently and it is assembled soundly. Given the size - quite a machine for a stern man. Especially if the palm of his hand is from the category of those who were talked about in old times - “the plane can be hidden”.
No matter how trite, but the success of this model is very dependent on the price. At first they said that it would cost 20-25,000 rubles. Now it is recommended to focus on "less than 20 000", almost 18 000. Well, sales should start from day to day, we will soon find out.
And I have one version in my head. Suddenly, Acer released Iconia Smart in order to attract the attention of observers all over the world? They will be surprised, they will write reviews and bring information about Acer as a manufacturer of smartphones to the general reader (aside from jokes, very few people know about this role of the company, especially outside of Taiwan and Russia). The model itself will be released in small quantities, except that having beaten off the development costs. But other Acer smartphones, of which, according to my information, about a dozen are now being prepared, will be met with much greater interest. How do you think that? I think in six months it will be clear whether I am right or not.
PS If you forgot something - ask. I still have the device.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/122192/
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