Hasta La Gadget!

Didn’t realize that Acer, the PC and tablet maker based out of Taiwan, actually makes smartphones? Chances are you’re in the majority, but the manufacturer is very interested in changing that. We sat down with Acer’s smartphone guru, ST Liew, to discuss the launch of the Liquid S2, the company’s 6-inch Android flagship. This is the company’s second major foray into this particular segment of the industry (the S1 being the first), so it certainly seems to be one of the most competitive arenas for smartphone consumers out there. Liew discusses the market need for such a device, though he admits that there are limits for a phone’s physical size; “six inches is just about the threshold,” he told us, though this may very well change as companies continue to innovate in design, trimming down handset size while the display gets bigger.

We dig into the company’s desire to be the first in recording 4K video footage, Acer’s product strategy for the US, Europe and Asia and the challenges Acer faces in becoming a major player in the mobile sphere, so tune in after the break for video of our full interview!

Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Acer

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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Granted, tablets are getting up there in size, but even after a couple of Android all-in-ones (including, in fact, one from Acer early this year), we’re still not fully used to playing Angry Birds on a glossy 24-inch display. We’re sure we’ll get a better handle on it, but these things take time. For those who want their Android games and apps in full, giant HD, there’s the DA241HL. We’ve got to admit, while it’s still an odd space, Acer’s doubling down here, with a pretty nicely designed all-in-one that looks a bit nicer than the current DA220HQL.

Along the bottom, you’ll find one long speaker grille with four buttons: input, monitor settings, volume up and down and power. Flip the device around to find the the hinged stand and a removable panel that hides three USB ports, an SD slot, a headphone jack and HDMI and micro-USB sockets. The USB in particular will come in handy when you want to connect up a keyboard and mouse, and you’ll be using the HDMI and micro-USB should you decide to connect a phone or PC to use it as a secondary display.%Gallery-slideshow77229%

Filed under: Desktops, Acer

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We’ll keep our source anonymous here, but an Acer rep staffing the company’s press event here at IFA just told us its funky Aspire R7 Ultrabook is “not selling so well.” We’re not sure if that’s because it shipped with last-gen Ivy Bridge processors, or because the touchscreen sits above the keyboard, but either way, Acer is trying to boost its chances of success. This week, the company announced the R7 is getting refreshed with Haswell CPUs (Core i5 and i7) and an optional active digitizer for proper pen input. That latter feature in particular addresses a chief complaint potential buyers had about the original, which could only be used with generic capacitive pens. After all, what fun is a 15-inch, 1080p display with an articulating hinge if you can’t use it for the occasional doodle?

In particular, the laptop makes use of an N-Trig digitizer, allowing for hovering and pressure-sensitive pen input. And though there’s no shortage of pen-optimized apps in the Windows Store, Acer is also bundling a few of its own, including MemoryBinder for drawing, Screen Grasp for taking screencaps (natch), and Scrapboard for cobbling together a mish-mash of photos, screenshots and other media. Across the board, you’ll enjoy a straightforward UI that makes it easy to select and crop objects on screen, with options to either put a window around selected content, or “lasso” it using the pen or your finger. Even more than that, we were especially taken with the “AccuFinger,” an onscreen, finger-friendly circle with a fine pointer attached, which you can use to select tiny items on screen even when you forgot to take the pen with you. (OK, you could use the touchpad too, but this is the decidedly cooler option. Plus, the touchpad drivers need fine-tuning anyway.)%Gallery-slideshow77227%

Filed under: Laptops, Acer

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Sure, IFA hasn’t technically started yet, but it’s never too early for a tablet hands-on. We took a trip to downtown Berlin to get an early peek at Acer’s new line of devices, including this 10.1-inch Android tablet. At the center of the A3 is a fairly standard 1,280 x 800 IPS display — the same resolution you’ll find on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 3 10.1. In fact, the A3’s got something of a Galaxy Tab-esque feel to it due, in no small part, to the slate’s plastic backing. The rear has an off-white / gray coloring, with a shiny metallic Acer logo in the center. In the top right corner, you’ll find that rear-facing 5-megapixel camera.

The tablet’s a bit on the chunky side, but that does leave plenty of space for the numerous ports, buttons and speakers on the silver-trimmed sides of the device. Along the left, you’ll find the power button, micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports, a microSD slot (which lets you expand the built-in 16 or 32GB of storage), headphone jack and a small speaker grille at the bottom. On the top is a small mic and around the left you’ll find the second speaker and a volume rocker.%Gallery-slideshow77224%

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