Very metal
It was about time Acer reminded us it makes smartphones. Having got off to a promising start - especially with its Android phones - Acer had gone ominously quiet while the likes of HTC hogged the headlines.
Acer has chosen to stick with the ‘liquid' brand for its latest Android smartphone, and the chassis looks pretty similar to older versions, albeit with some chrome trim from which it presumably derives its name.
But there are some upgrades in the spec. The chip is the Qualcomm MSM 730, which at 800MHz and with better graphics is one step up from the original Snapdragon. It will come pre-installed with Android 2.2 (Froyo), which already puts at at an advantage over the many vendors who have yet to manage that feat.
Other than that there is a new Acer UI called Breeze, which claims to provide easier access to apps. There's also the inevitable social media aggregation app, in this case called SocialJogger. There is DLNA compatibility, allowing the Liquid Metal to share content with other CE devices and, of course, Froyo enables it two act as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
There will be two colours: silver and brown, with the latter due to go on sale first, in mid-November, for £299. This seems like a good price, but we can't help feelling that as long as Acer limits its smartphone channel to the likes of Expansys, and continues to forgo the operators, it will remain a niche player.
