Computer giant Acer has made a strong move into the smart phone market after acquiring Taiwanese manufacturer E-Ten last year. Remember those non-search engine friendly Glofiish smart phones? That was them.
Now Acer has a whole range of Windows Mobile smart phones lined up (many of them not a whole lot different from their Glofiish counterparts), with a range that reads like the line-up of a new girl group: there's the X900 (small and stylish – cute Acer), M900 (with QWERTY keyboard – smart Acer), and DX650 (touch screen on one side, keypad on the other – weird Acer).
But first onto the stage we have the Acer DX900, which, with its dual SIM capability offering the all-too rare ability to use two different SIM cards in one phone, could probably be classed as schizoid Acer. Mind you, with 2.8in touch screen, 3.0 megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi and HSDPA 3G, it's a pretty high-functioning dual personality.
Casing
If Acer's smart phones really were a girl group, they'd be sorely lacking in a key attribute demanded by today's pop pickers. They've all had a passing slap with the ugly stick and the DX900 in particular looks like it has taken quite a beating.
The square-edged dark grey and black plastic casing could be generously described as 'functional' and its bulky dimensions (106x61x17mm and 147g) mean it can't even hide easily in a pocket.
Above the 2.8in touch screen is a VGA camera for video calls and a speaker, below it are basic call start and stop keys flanking a five-way D-pad.
Around the sides are volume keys, a programmable smart key, 2.5mm headphone jack (why? WHY? – when 3.5mm is the most common mini jack port on the planet?), microSDHC memory card slot (none supplied), camera shutter button, power button, hard reset access hole, stylus slot and a mini USB 2.0 power port on the bottom.
Around the back are the 3.0 megapixel camera lens, with LED flash and self-portrait mirror, plus dual loudspeaker ports.
The microSDHC slot cover on our sample never seemed to close properly, but we'd like to think that's a one-off. The stylus is a nicely robust one, telescopic, so it fits neatly into its slot, and made of metal with a plastic tip. These things matter.
Your comments (2) Click to add a new comment
vince
June 12th 2010
2. My DX900 has all the same faults and now has a new one. I have to pull the battery out to disconnect a call! Acer's support is the same as the phone, nice spec on paper but poorly implemented. I learned a lot from this experience and will never buy an Acer phone or Windows mobile device again. I have got used to not using the smartphone features as they seldom work on the DX900. I'm now looking forward to buying a couple of cheap ordinary GSM handsets that just have Bluetooth.
Alert a moderator
slimchris
May 24th 2010
1. I recently purchased an Acer DX900 dual Sim phone and have been plagued with problems. You would assume it was a one off but the 4 other handset which were purchased for the office have the same faults.
The idea of dual Sim is a fantastic and exciting concept; the ability to receive text messages, calls and emails through two lines on one handset was the answer to my prayers.
However the downside is that the technology associated with this hand set cannot cope with the medium use of a business environment.
The faults witnessed were:-
1. Firmware crashes, the phone freezes, and reboots or requires a hard boot
2. The loss of stored contact data
3. The inability to pick up calls due to software freezes
4. Screen turning black randomly
5. The time lag from pressing call pick up to the caller arriving (2-4 seconds)
6. The low battery life; max 6 hours (from new)
7. Sim 2 switching off by itself causing more reboots
8. Memory warnings (for no apparent reason)
9. The general lag from pressing menu buttons on the phone to the software responding
10. The phone dialling out even when locked
The camera is very good, however the microphone on the videoing feature distorted the sound on occasions.
The phone would be functional if it worked, however from my experience with all the handsets in the office, they all suffer from a similar fault which is the software/firmware/memory is incapable of powering the phone’s functionality.
I’m now on the second refund by Acer and you’ll die when you use their after sales services, no you really will! It’s appalling; the repair time is 60 days with no replacement handset on two separate occasions.
To sum up the DX900 - it really is left wanting, probably to be an iPhone
Alert a moderator
Tell us what you think
You need to Log in or register to post comments