It was a day of firsts for Acer today: their first Android handset, the first handset with 1.6 Donut installed (for how long?) and the first Android device powered by the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset (again, for how long?). We got our hands on the pretty sparkly red number and grabbed a few snaps.

Like the other Snapdragon handsets out there – Toshiba's TG01 and HTC's HD2 – the Liquid A1 has a massive screen with a high resolution, in this case 800 x 480 WVGA. It makes it a natural choice for those wanting to watch movies on the move.

The build is solid enough, but it lacks the wow factor of HTC's Hero, instead looking as though it has mostly come out of the mould of the Acer S200 (aka F1). Like the design, the Android offering is rather raw too: you don't get the sort of friendly user interface you'll find on the HTC Hero or the Motorola DEXT.

The Android interface is laid out with a basic three-page home screen set, so you can swipe to one side and find photos on a carousel, and swipe the other and find browser bookmarks, both sitting neatly across to one side, leaving space for future customisation.

The application menu shoots up from the bottom of the screen with real purpose. So far so good, but it is difficult to tell from a brief hands-on of a device without a SIM or content exactly how the Snapdragon experience will be.

We did try to get something out of the Acer Sync application, but in a disconnected device it isn't possible to see exactly how the 360 syncing service is actually going to work.

We also don't yet have a full run down of the specs, but playing around with it you get HSDPA, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a 5-megapixel camera with various advanced functions, like ISO options, offering some scope with the absence of a flash.

We don't yet have prices or dates, although the rumours are that we'll be seeing it again around the end of November.

Until then, feast your eyes.

News - Acer Liquid A1 Android handset announced

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