Touch Pro2 Killer? (4/4)
Acer Tempo M900 with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
BENCHMARKS
Spb Benchmark from has been used for the
following benchmark comparisons with Acer M900.
The Acer M900, which uses a Samsung CPU unlike the other devices listed above, is no slouch in terms of performance. Going from screen to screen, opening programs, and sliding out the keyboard to rotate the display exhibit the device's good performance. As mentioned earlier in the review, the low amount of RAM and questionable video performance are all causes for concern. Here is how these devices scored in the Graphics Index on Spb Benchmark (from lowest to greatest): M900...1523, Touch HD...1543, SE XPERIA X1...1684, Touch Pro2...1844, and Diamond2...2104.
BATTERY
The battery on the M900 is 1530mAh. By comparison, the Touch Pro2 has a 1500mAh battery. The battery life was actually pretty good. With a moderate amount of 3G internet sessions, GPS use, and calls, the M900 will get you through about 1.5 days. With heavy use, you'll get through 1 day, and with light use, expect to have to recharge after 2 days. In our testing, this is a bit better than the Touch Pro2.
BUGS AND WISHES
There is no doubt that the M900 is a stunning device, just as long as you don't pick it up. In-hand, it becomes immediately apparent that the M900 is miles from the Touch Pro2 in terms of build quality: everything is plastic, there is wiggle in the screen from all angles, the buttons seem pasted on, there are many spots for dust to collect, and so on. It feels like a toy, and a high-end mobile phone should not feel like a toy.
If you can get beyond the hardware issues, you'll have to brace yourself for a buggy software experience. Sometimes the device doesn't come out of standby, sometimes icons don't respond when you tap them, sometimes the screen gets stuck in portrait or landscape orientation, and sometimes the internet connection settings disappear. The ROM on the M900, as I've come to learn from a colleague, is the same used when the device was in beta. Acer should have made bug fixes to the M900 ROM before putting it into retail.
While we're on software, if you have the Acer Shell enabled, you are down to about 22MB of free RAM! By comparison, the Touch Pro2, with Mobile Shell 3.0 running, has 88MB of RAM free. What does this mean? It means that if you start opening more than a couple of programs, the device is going to get slow.
And then there are many other small issues: the navigation function of the biometric security pad is buggy, the stylus feels cheap, there are grammatical errors in some of the software promprts, the GPS fix time isn't great (30-40 seconds for cold start, 10-15 seconds for warm/hot), the video playback isn't as smooth as the Touch Pro2, the flick scrolling doesn't work all the time and is un-natural, and press and hold of the powre button sometimes doesn't shut down the device, and on and on.
PURCHASING
The Acer M900 is being sold unlocked right now overseas, but you can import it into the US and many other countries and have it work great, just as long as your carrier supports the proper bands. Hop on over to Clove Technology where they are selling it for about £390, which, depending on the current exchange rate of the day, comes out to $620-680 USD, which is about $80 cheaper than the Touch Pro2. They'll ship worldwide.
PROS
- Stunning design with a big, high resolution display
- Fingerprint scanner works well for added security
- Speaker is loud and clear
- Has a scroll wheel
- Good screen sensitivity
- Snappy performance (when you're not multitasking a lot)
- Screen rotation is very fast
- Does USA 3G
- Has FM radio
- Camera takes good macros
- Decent battery life
CONS
Poor build quality
- Buggy software
- Insufficient RAM
- Acer's interface is a novelty
- Poor outdoor screen visibility
- Light sensor polling frequency is too high
- Comma and period keys require a FN press to access
- Video recording format is limited to 3GP
- GPS performance isn't great
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OVERALL IMPRESSION
I want to love the M900, I really do. It's a fast device with a nice form factor and beautiful design, but it's impossible to get past the poor build quality, buggy software, and many other small issues plaguing this device. Sure, it's about $80 cheaper than the Touch Pro2, but if you're going to be shelling out big bucks for a device of this type, treat yourself and go with the best, the Touch Pro2, which will be available at subsidized prices on most major carriers around in the world, starting this summer.
