Acer Iconia Smart Runs 2.3 On Huge 4.8-inch Screen
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:
