Following the success of the Liquid Z series, Acer unveiled the Liquid Z5, a compact 5-inch smartphone designed for first time smartphone adopters or budget conscious users looking mainly for mobile browsing, photo and video clip taking anytime and mobile entertaining. What did we think?
Product features
It is big and clear! The phone itself does feel quite big, but it is no bigger than other smartphones on the market, despite the large phone it feels really smooth in your hands. It has a glossy cover and curved edges which make it feel comfortable in your grasps. The screen display is clear and you can see what you are doing really easily, I had no trouble tapping the options and working my way through the settings.
Photo fun! The camera launches fast and features smooth touch control so you can photograph all the colourful moments you want. A variety of capture modes and artsy color effects spice up your pictures, making them more memorable and fun to share.
Rock on! The Liquid Z Series puts out maximized sound through its built-in speaker. Vocals are clearer thanks to powerful audio processing, making all your favorite audio experiences better. The great sound improves music, movies, Internet video and whatever audio you’re experiencing.
Grandmas feedback
My grandma, an OAP, had the phone from an off state. She turned it on, worked out where the “home” button was and was able to locate and choose senior mode within 3 minutes. Now you might think I have been training my Grandma up beforehand, but this was literally the first time she had seen or used such a device. Now Grandma isnt really concerned, at the moment, with the music features or the camera settings, but I know she would love the ability to take photos and email them to her sisters – of her family and the great grandchildren growing up. But there were particularly things that she did like a lot, I had to tear it away from her and yes I felt terrible!
Grandma, at first, commented on how large the phone was, it felt odd to her as she is used to a tiny phone (not a smartphone may I add) but after a few minutes she was complimenting the size of the phone and saying how easy it was to hold and use. We set the phone to senior mode, well I say we, Grandmad did this all by herself! She could really see the screen and was very comfortable using it as she could see what she was doing, not pressing the wrong button and more importantly not getting herself in a pickle. One of the most striking comments that came from the research was that Grandma found the vibration on every tap, to be the best thing in the world. She loved the fact the phone gave her confirmation that she had tapped it via a vibration. She is hard of hearing so it was just perfect for her. Senior mode made it really simple and easy, there were large icons on the screen and she knew what she was doing – messages and weather, I didn’t need to talk her through it. She was really content in what she was doing. I think I know what will be on Grandma’s Christmas list!
Mother in law’s feedback
My mother in law, is known in the family for not being so hot with the technical gadgets around the house. She is always telling me that Isla and Noah will be showing her how to use the technology in our house before she works it out. It does make me smile. I thought letting her have a quick test drive of the phone would be a great way of getting some feedback for first time users, as she is another first time user herself. The feedback was much the same as Grandma, it felt comfortable, she could clearly see what she was doing and her comments were “if I can use it, anyone can”. Which made me laugh, but that is a huge compliment in a way because she is not confident in using these gadgets at all. My father in law was watching over her shoulder and he is a smartphone user, but said the phone looked really good and although big he liked the fact that he could see more on the screen than his phone.
I can imagine after a few weeks of use Grandma and my mother in law would be eagerly wanting to try out the other apps on the phone and the rest of the features that it comes with. The Acer Float™ User Interface allows app windows to stay open, so users can multitask without having to back out of one app to work on another. The press of a key brings up the Float Apps shortcut where apps on a translucent screen float over the function being used. It is easy to access or toggle between apps like camera, maps, calculator and notes and can be customized with up to 8 favored app shortcuts. A Float Caller notification ensures that users will not be interrupted by incoming calls that take over the full screen. When a call comes in, the Float Caller mini-window pops up and the user can choose to take the call or reply with a quick message. It is a really great tool!
The Acer Liquid Z5 will be available in two colors: Essential White and Gentle Grey. A range of accessories are available including flip and protection cases, so you can be a hip Grandma and Noah and Isla would love seeing Nanny with her cool flip case! You can see Acer’s range of smart phones on their website: www.acer.co.uk and you can keep up to date with their latest gadgets and information on Twitter:@Acer. Why not brighten up a loved ones Christmas and get them a new smartphone that is designed for “newbies”? You could change their lives!
