Acer joins the crowd of budget Pocket PC manufacturers with its new n10 handheld. Anthony Newman puts it through its paces.
In the current Pocket PC market, it's hard for a manufacturer to make a dent anywhere. Since Dell's arrival at the low end of the market, competitors are finding it difficult to match the Axim's features at an acceptable price point. At the other end of the spectrum, Toshiba and HP hold down the fort with their feature-laden handhelds. Laptop heavyweight Acer have pitched their new n10 in the budget realm, in competition with Dell. Let's see how things stack up.
 | Acer's n10 is quite attractive, but could with its two expansion slots be considered somewhat bulky
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Design
Acer have managed to make a unit that is quite attractive, one that offers a decent amount of usability without looking cluttered. The n10 is not the smallest unit on the block, comparable to most mainstream devices (such as the bigger iPAQs or the O2 XDA) but nowhere near the HP iPAQ 1910 or the Viewsonic V35 either in looks or size. In terms of weight it hovers annoyingly in the middle at 168 g: we can't decide whether it feels too light and plasticky for its size or just a bit too heavy, so perhaps Acer have got it just right.
The n10 is finished in smooth silver plastic, with concave black plastic panels down the sides to aid grip. It tends to fit well in the hand, with most features in easy reach. The display is the centrepiece of the unit, and is of the 3.5 inch transflective variety now becoming common on even low-end handhelds. This particular example is plenty bright enough even on low backlight settings, with good ClearType performance and fairly even lighting. Incidentally, the backlight has four basic settings with incremental adjustment between them. This offers plenty of choice.
The stylus silo is last on the top, and contains a light two-tone metal and plastic offering: although it matches the unit it's one of the worse stock styli we've used, being stubby, ugly and far too light. Due to the nature of the silo, it can also take some time to get used to removing the stylus, and when secured it tends to rattle in its dock somewhat.
The front face of the device houses the power button, which is large and placed next to the multi-function notification LED. The D-pad is a small, chromed circle, concave for comfort, and placed in the centre of the handheld. Surprisingly, this is one of the best we've ever used, offering great feedback and smooth operation. The four application buttons, reminiscent of the Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX, are convex and also great in operation. Not only is there the usual jog rocker on the left side (which performs adequately) but also a button that by default launches the start menu, enabling almost complete one-handed operation. Although small, this is a very welcome addition indeed. On the right we find the record button, which sits under the middle finger while holding the unit in the left hand. It is not recessed, but thankfully just low enough that it won't be accidentally activated while pulling the device from a pocket or case. Just below lies a hold switch, which automatically turns off the unit when activated. It would be more useful if it weren't quite so stubborn to move - there is a tendency for the switch to stick unless it is prodded in just the right way.
The back of the device holds a reset button, operable with the stylus, while a hard reset switch, reminiscent of the first iPAQs, lurks on the bottom.
In terms of audio, the n10 offers very standard features. A mono speaker sits just above the display, offering distinctly average sound - although it reaches decent volume, it does not match some other devices for quality. A standard headphone jack sits on the top, boasting competent and balanced sound in our tests that nonetheless doesn't match other handhelds for volume. Annoyingly, there is a distinct hiss from the jack that is easily detectable whenever the unit is switched on. There is also no hardware treble/bass adjustment included in the OS for this device. The obligatory microphone completes the front of the device, hiding in the bottom-right corner. This provided abysmal quality, at least on our test unit: a gentle hiss blanketed every recording, while any detected sound was laced with a liberal amount of crackling and numerous pops. This is a real shame.
Connectivity
The top of the n10 houses the Compact Flash expansion slot, which is protected by a silver, flush-fitting dummy card. This CF Type-II slot can handle all the usual expansion devices and is well-positioned to do so.
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