Acer Stream deals & review

In a word or two

The Acer Stream is a powerful, sleek device that houses a swift internal processor and multiple features in a modern frame.

The Design

With a look of the iPhone, the Acer Stream has a contemporary smartphone design. The classically large touchscreen is surrounded by a slightly rounded case and just three physical keys at the bottom. These are also dedicated music keys that allow you to play, stop and change tracks straight from here.

The 3.7 inch screen is larger than the iPhone 4’s 3.5 inch screen, and uses AMOLED capacitive technology for responsiveness and vibrancy. There is support for 16 million colours so all images, from photos to web pages, are shown with a sharpness of clarity and richness of colour.

Like other recent Acer devices, including the Liquid e phone, the Acer Stream is a high-end smartphone. And you can tell from the exterior that this is true – the internal prowess is housed in a modern case that is only 11.2mm thick. The Stream is certainly portable and can be effortlessly popped into a pocket or handbag for taking with you.

Specifications

The Acer Stream is run on the Android 2.1 platform, like the new Motorola Milestone XT720 mobile. And when the new Android 2.2 OS is released later in the year, the Stream can be upgraded – which means it will then support Flash 10.1. Powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor ensures the phone moves at a fast pace, whether you’re switching between various apps or launching the browser.

Using the Stream is enhanced by the customised Acer UI which has a 3D display, making functions friendly with touches like app history shortcuts, and fun thanks to the graphics.

There are plenty of reasons to appreciate the Acer Stream. As an Android handset, there are the usual Google apps including Search, Talk and YouTube, as well as access to the Android Market for downloading additional games and features. If you enjoy social networking, the Stream comes with Twitter, Facebook and Flickr apps, so you can interact with friends the moment the device is out of its box.

Given its name, it probably comes as little surprise that the Acer Stream is strong on media. The high quality screen and fast processor lend themselves well to streaming videos and data on the phone. And the HDMI TV-out connection means you can watch videos and images on the bigger screen too.

Additionally, there is Dolby Mobile Sound technology onboard so you can make the most of music on the move – enhanced by the dedicated control keys, FM radio and 3.5mm audio jack. For visual entertainment, there is a solid camera on the Stream which has 5-megapixels, autofocus and a video capable of shooting HD videos.

Considerations

The camera is capable but only in good light, as there is no flash onboard.

Verdict

The Acer Stream is a good looking, powerful smartphone with numerous attractive features onboard. The large and capable screen twinned with the speed of the processor make the Stream a strong contender in the mobile phone market.