Acer beTouch E210 - A Well Equipped Smartphone With an Extremely Capable QWERTY Keyboard

Combine this with its Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and a slew of exquisite features and you definitely have a smartphone worth considering. Here are a few other things to keep in mind.

Available in black or silver, the Betouch is quite nice to look at in either colour. We especially like its QWERTY, which is not only easy to read, but nicely defined as well, each key with its own distinctive ridge. This makes for extremely fast typing, though those with larger fingers may find that it's a bit cramped. It's small and slender, though not so much that it feels flimsy or cheaply made.

Its 2.6 inch capacitive touchscreen suffers in the name of including a QWERTY; a larger touchscreen would have made for a much more seamless user experience. It would have also made the phone enormous. All in all, it depends on where your priorities lie.

Its Android 2.2 Froyo operating system is truly the latest of its kind. Combine this with a superb interface and you have a phone that's a joy to use. Those who are unfamiliar with Android may find it something of a learning curve, but those who've earned their smartphone chops will find it very pleasant to use.

That aside, it has lots of connectivity options, with wi-fi, Bluetooth, 3G, EDGE, USB, GPRS, and lots more. Having an Android phone means that you can download tons of apps from the Android Market and customise them on your array of homescreens. It also has mobile phone free PS3 deals that gives great discounts and offer options. It also means Google fans can geek out with Gmail, Google Talk, Google Maps, and other related products automatically installed.

Other features include a 3.2 megapixel with minimal features. Its LED light isn't quite strong enough to  illuminate dark settings, though in brighter lit rooms you'll get fairly decent pictures. Its connectivity also allows you to upload pictures directly to Twitpic, Facebook, or Flickr. Its music related goodies include a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a nicely equipped music player, though little else. All in all, these features are indeed quite usable, but there is nothing new or revolutionary here.

Its memory is quite good, with up to 32GB of space available of external memory alone. Its battery life is to be expected; you'll need to charge this phone fairly often. With careful use, however, you'll find that you can stretch a day or two out of it.

For the most part, the Acer BeTouch E210 is a very capable little phone. Its amazing keyboard, decent screen, solid design, and reliable internet connection makes it a great phone for keeping in touch both at home and on the go. However, if its keyboard is a bit too crowded, its screen a bit too small, or its features not quite as shiny as other smartphones, there are plenty of other smartphones in this price range to keep in mind as well.