Acer beTouch E210 Review

Style and handling summary for Acer beTouch E210 review

Smooth, slender and sits well in the hand, the only letdown is the somewhat plasticky back covering.

User friendliness summary for Acer beTouch E210 review

Resistive displays can't compete with capacitive screens, and the size of the E210's screen is no advantage either. We like the keyboard and trackpad, however.

Feature set summary for Acer beTouch E210 review

We're glad to see the almost-latest version of Android and of course all the apps available in Android Market. It's just a shame some don't work to their best on the small display.

Performance summary for Acer beTouch E210 review

While the chip is slow compared with those in most smartphones, we didn't experience much lag.

Battery power summary for Acer beTouch E210 review

Battery life is pretty good as that small display doesn't drain much juice; you'll get through a full day with no problem.

Acer has just released the beTouch E210, which includes both a touch-screen and a QWERTY keyboard. Sure, you'll find both on the BlackBerry Torch, but that is a far bigger phone, while the beTouch proves less pricey, slighter and smaller.

Plus, this is an Android handset - with all the benefits of access to more than 300,000 apps -while the Blackberry phone offers a smaller choice of mostly more expensive apps. Also, the phone is running Android 2.2 (Froyo) - it's not the very latest version of the OS but should offer most features that you'd want. While BlackBerry still holds the gold medal for email speed, security and reliability, there is a good email push app available for Android users.

Resistive display

Wake up the phone, and you'll need to swipe across the display to unlock it. Bear in mind that this is a resistive, rather than the pricier kind of capacitive display. It means it is pressure sensitive and we found it took a few goes to unlock the display - it is especially hard if you're trying to do this one-handed.

This is one of the frustrating things about resistive displays - along with the low resolution you usually experience on these screens. However, the E210's screen proved reasonably responsive, especially once we'd got used to using a little more pressure than we would on an iPhone, for instance. Mind you, it does mean you can use the display with a stylus or with your gloves on.

As has been seen on previous Acer QWERTY handsets, the beTouch E210 has a good keyboard. There are no spaces between the keys, which can be a problem, but as each one of them is domed, we found it easy to hit the right one. It may not be quite up to the standards of the Blackberry keyboard, but is certainly extremely usable.

3.2-megapixel snapper

The silver keys and bottom of the handset look pretty cool, though you'll find they work best in good light - when they're backlit they are rather difficult to read. Turn over the handset and you'll see the back cover is the same colour - although we found it rather plasticky in appearance. The Snapper lens and loudspeaker grill are the best-looking parts of the phone's back cover. It's just a shame that the grille leaves no space for a flash, which means this 3.2megapixel snapper is suitable for little more than very basic snaps.

The trackpad that sits beneath the display is very usable - it's far better than the trackball that featured on previous QWERTY phones from Acer. Around the trackpad sit four hard button for home, back, menu and search, plus call, end and send buttons. This is all very well, but it means there's not much room left for the display. It means the 2.6in screen is somewhat cramped - perhaps Acer should have chosen to put virtual Android buttons on the screen instead.

Internet browsing

It means that the screen is not big enough for gaming, and if you're trying to surf the web when you're used to a bigger screen it quickly becomes frustrating. It may not be a make or break issue, but you should be aware that it does limit the handset's usability. However, one good point is that the beTouch has 3G (which some of the less pricey BlackBerry phones don't have), along with the standard smartphone additions such as compass, GPS and Wi-Fi. Mind you, you won't be replacing your sat-nav, because of the small display.

The typing experience is excellent, and you'll see word prediction suggestions popping up along the bottom of the display. While this works well, when you tap a word, the software does not add a space, which is rather frustrating. However, if you want a decent priced alternative to a BlackBerry, the beTouch E210 is a good choice.

The verdict

If you're after a handset with the benefits of a BlackBerry, but at a lower price with a choice of more apps, there's plenty going for the Acer beTouch E210. It's good for messaging because of its useful keyboard, but the small display holds it back when it comes to multimedia playback, gaming and internet browsing. Plus, the snapper is underwhelming. It also offers GPS, 3G and Wi-Fi, but ultimately the small screen and uninspiring processor speed will prove hampering you want to do anything more than text or email. In which case, the more expensive Blackberry is a better option.

By Miles J Thomas on 12th June, 2011

Tags: Acer, Acer beTouch, Acer beTouch E210