By Double take. That’s exactly what I did when I saw the Acer Iconia Smart. The screen size alone didn’t get me, after all it seems we’ve got 10-inch tablets in bulk, but the shape of the Acer Iconia Smart caught my eye and I was immediately intrigued:
I like the concept of the 4.8-inch screen. If you take your typical 4-inch or 4.3-inch smartphone and scale it evenly, you would likely have a fatty phone that looked pretty awkward in your skinny jeans. By keeping the width of the screen more fixed and extending the phone’s screen area vertically, you keep a pocketable nature while expanding the real estate for browsing the web and other media.
The issue, in my opinion, is with “other media”. The resoultion of the Acer Iconia Smart screen is an awkward 1024 x 480 pixel resolution with an aspect ratio of 21:9. That’s great when, like the web, the dimensions are non-defined. For videos and games it likely means you’ll see black bars on either side… aka wasted space.
I rather liked Acer’s adaptation of the app tray, swiping up on the bottom panel and allowing the main launch icons in the bottom bar to be interchanged with other apps. And I especially liked that it was running Android 2.3 Gingerbread – yum. Other nice specs included an 8MP camera, 2MP front camera, HDMI-out, 720p video recording/playback, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 3.5mm headset jack.
The Acer Iconia Smart should cost about $499 and be available in Europe in April and the United States in June or July. Below you’ll find the full press release and specs:
Acer ICONIA SMART the next generation smartphone
100% Smartphone. 100% TabletBarcelona, February 14th 2011 – Acer ICONIA SMART perfectly combines the capabilities of
a tablet in a smartphone format: a huge 4.8” widescreen with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a super
cool chassis.Its revolutionary design1, characterized by a stretched out, thin and slightly curved shape,
makes it a fascinating device that will not go unnoticed. Its full metal body, enriched by subtle
wavy patterns, conveys a sense of timeless elegance. What’s more, it offers a perfect fit in
your hand thanks to its smoothly curved back and minimal width (64.5mm).The front is entirely dominated by the extraordinary, multi-touch, high resolution 4.8″ screen,
with 4 keys: Home, Search, Back, and Menu. While on the back there is an 8MP camera,
complete with LED Flash. It’s equipped with the latest release of the Google operating
system, Android 2.3 Gingerbread.This truly innovative device is perfect for fashion addicts or tech savvy people looking for
the latest and cutting edge technology available ensuring superior browsing and excellent
multimedia entertainment.This latest Android smartphone is extremely powerful, guaranteeing long-lasting fun. It will
also be able to wirelessly control all the multimedia content of your home environment,
thanks to the integrated clear.fi media sharing system.IDEAL FOR BROWSING
• No limit in assessing any web sites with the same user experience as using a traditional
PC, so web sites don’t need to be resized and adjusted, thanks to its exceptional
resolution of 1024×480 and a very large 4.8″ screen (12.2cm diagonal), there is no need
to zoom in on web pages, or to scroll left & right. The only thing you need to do is scroll
up & down, just like on your PC.
• Fast and fully featured, the Android browser offers: multi-touch, Java script optimization,
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 support, and multiple page opening.
• Ultra-fast high-speed connectivity via HSDPA @ 14.4 and WiFi N for data connection.
• Bluetooth 2.1+ EDRGREAT FOR MOVIES
On the 21:9 screen you can watch a movie in its original format, for an engrossing cinema-
like experience. What’s more the LED edge-lit display uses the same technology as TV
showing super bright and vivid images; to top it off, Dolby Mobile technology delivers vibrant,
immersive sound. Not enough for you yet? Thanks to DLNA technology or the HDMI cable,
you can connect it to your TV to view your content on an even bigger screen!POWERFUL
Inside Acer ICONIA SMART beats the powerful 1GHz Snapdragon processor, which, in
addition to the large screen, turns this smartphone into a perfect game console. Together
with 6-axis motion sensing (Gyroscope + accelerometer), this smartphone will exceed any
gaming expectation.Equipped with an 8MP camera and LED flash, and a 2MP front camera for high quality IP
video calling.With a screen resolution of 1024×480, more content can be displayed on screen, in all
regular apps, such as, Contacts, Google Maps, Email, Instant Messaging conversations, etc.100% Smartphone, 100% Tablet. ICONIA SMART a revolutionary experience for people who
want it all!
Acer Iconia Smart Specs:
Man pretty soon these phones you are going to need a bag to carry around they wont even fit in your pockets.
It looks like it is taking manufacturers 2 months to port their skins to Gingerbread. I hope everyone pays attention, 6 months+ is bull.
OMG, so many android phones and so many top-end phones at that. The android revolution is accelerating.
Kinda Cool, hope T-mob gets it.
Actually, this would be perfect as an ebook reader (in landscape mode). Interesting!
1024×480 isn’t 21:9… it’s 19.2:9. Do the math.
I’ve had the official Vibrant 2.2 that was released via Kies since it came out, and it was a huuuge improvement. Wonder when Samsung/TMO will release 2.3….
In any case, I see the need for improved bluetooth equipment, and leave the phone in my coat pocket or backpack. Definitely require the use of a better “remote” device with a phone that large. To be honest, I think the resolution is a waste, and would want something closer to 16:9, or risk wasting space and burning battery on a large display with limited value.
Congratulations on blocking your own video. Maybe your copyright policy is (beyond) a little foolish?
Thats AT&Ts US network bands not tmob
Really like this phone. I’m all for bigger screens and this is an interesting take on it. But what’s up with 1G Snapdragon processors? That was so 2010. How can any “high end” phone not have a dual core cpu at this point? Frustrating.
@Topshelf: This processor wasn’t seen on any device until late 2010. Aren’t you being a bit nitpicky? Hardly any apps are even optimized for dual core processors yet. The Qualcomm MSM8255 is a damn good single core processor.
I’m in love. North American 3g and a decent screen size with high resolution.
@Ace: Didn’t he say 1Gig Snapdragon? Isn’t that the same processor that was in my HTC Incredible in March of 2010? Or are these new cpu’s with the same name? I know the Inc had a 1Gig Snapdragon, and honestly, I don’t think it was that great…traded it for a Droid X which has been worlds better. So unless these are new cpu’s, there’s no way I’d buy something with that processor in it. Now if these are improved chips then that’s a different story.
@Wilco Who knows about 2.3 since 2.2 was barely released, 2.2 first was available on the Nexus One in May 2010.
The 21:9 screen is actually true cinema movie format and so would be perfect for video showing off the film as it was meant to be. I really like this and if it had dual 1.2 processor it would be almost perfect.
@Topshelf The Snapdragon in your Incredible was QSD8250 (released in late 2009 first seen on the HD2/Acer Liquid), the Snapdragon in this phone is the second generation of the Snapdragon processor (released in late 2010 first seen on the myTouch 4G/Desire HD/Inspire along with the upcoming Thundrbolt, SE Xperia Arc and many others). Stock speed is 1GHz but can be stably overclocked to 1.4GHz-1.9GHz easily.
This processor is similar to that on your Droid X as it uses the more battery efficient 45nm processing power (according to Smartbench, in terms of day-to-day tasks, this CPU is slightly faster than that of the DX at 1GHz). It uses the Adreno 205 GPU (which is better than the 205 on the Incredible tho still slightly below the DX in the gaming department).
Qualcomm’s third generation which should be seen during the second half of this year is a dual core (I think the first device will be the WebOS tablet by HP).
You can find out info on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors here- http://www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon/specs
Hmmm even if it is 2nd generation Snapdragon (single core), that is too close to old school tech for me to think of this as a phone that will last gracefully for 2 years. But then I think it is getting where one year is the target for guys like me. Care in point: I bought my Nexus One in January of 2010 and I’m definitely ready for a bigger screen, more internal memory, and faster processor. Well… the processor still seems fast BUT I haven’t tried to play any of the more cpu/gpu-intensive games yet.
Does this have Gorilla Glass?
looks like an anorexic super model
can someone send me the link to that wallpaper
Not bad its iconia and smart…
4.8 screen seems nice though, led edge lit isnt bad
It will be good to have, may still fit in the pocket. Only galaxy s2 in my opinion worth as an alternative due to better internals.