Android and Snapdragon: Acer Liquid A1
Yes, it's the Android fan's dream come true; a mobile smart phone running on a 1GHz Snapdragon with Google's Android software. Sadly, the Acer Liquid A1 will not be running version 2.0 Éclair (or Flan for that matter). Instead, it will use the Android 1.6 Donut; which is good enough for those who are desperate for an Android fix.
The demonstration unit of the Liquid featured an under clocked Snapdragon running at 768 MHz, fast - but not the full 1 GHz of power that the Qualcomm processor can deliver. Still, that little tech demo is more than enough to make us even hungrier for this Donut.
Word of advice, keep a hold on your wallet. There has been no confirmation regarding when this device will come out, well, Acer just made it formal that the device will definitely be released.
New in the Business
For those who are wondering why Acer is venturing into the mobile phone industry, the question is, why not? With Apple already deep in the hot tub, it's not uncommon to see other computer manufacturers delve into the industry. Plus, ever since smart phones have taken the place of pocket PCs in society, mobile phone are becoming more and more like really small laptops.
Acer's previous mobile phone set for Windows Mobile Professional 6.5 is a series of conventional touch screen devices. The mobile phones were okay, but hardly anything special. Hopefully Acer will provide a better sense of design know-how when it comes to the Android; because as anyone would agree, an Android phone deserves only the best.
Impressive Direction
Acer officially stated that they have big plans for this device, we just hope they deliver. The high definition capacitive touch screen is impressive, no word yet if they are planning to put in multi touch capabilities. Considering that this will be running on a Snapdragon with amazing graphics capabilities, we are hoping to see excellent 3D graphics without any significant slowdowns or lag.
The rest of Acer's release information is pretty vague, but we have confirmed a 5 mega pixel camera with geo tagging (yes, that means we have got confirmation on GPS as well). As a 3G device, HSDPA is already a given, and we are expecting to see EDGE, GPRS and Wi-Fi capabilities as well. Acer has also confirmed that the Liquid with have integrated applications for Twitter, Facebook, Picasa and Flickr. Spinlets is a new Acer application that focuses on sharing media files such as videos and music.
The Future of the Android
The Google Android gets a lot of hype and expectation because they truly deliver some of the best performances of all existing operating systems. Which is why whenever a new Android mobile phone is announced, everyone is all over it, the specs, the planning, the direction and concept of the device. If it is going to run an Android, it better be good. Acer knows this and they are playing the game by the rules. We are definitely going to keep a close eye on Acer's latest update on the upcoming Acer Liquid A1.
