.: Big review of Acer c530 / c510

Author - Pavel Koza :: User rating -   (385 votes) :: Views - 46347 March 24, 2007 :: Acer c500 series is another device combining a traditional Pocket PC with satellite navigation. Besides a sensitive GPS receiver, it features a convenient standard-size SDIO slot, Bluetooth, WiFi, excellent audio capabilities, and a brilliant display. All that packed in an elegant, compact casing. If you are looking for a small and cheap navigator Pocket PC that does not impress by performance but will be a reliable companion on your travels, give the Acer c500 a thought.

Acer has been one of the few manufacturers of Windows Mobile-based pocket computers that do not offer a device with an integrated cell phone. The Acer c530 under review today does not break the rank: it's a classic Pocket PC enhanced by an integrated GPS signal receiver.

Before we get to the job, I should note that the Acer c500 series includes two models, Acer c530 and Acer c510. According to available information, the only difference is a WiFi implementation in the c530. And it is this model that I borrowed for this review from Sunnysoft, a mobile solutions provider in the Czech Republic.

NB: The tested device had an English ROM version 1.10.15, All parameters, benchmarks, applications, and screenshots herein pertain to that version of the system and may vary from other versions or configurations.

What is in the box

A sizeable box contains everything a user of a mobile navigation device might need:

• Acer c530 / c510
• Battery
• Stylus
• A simple pouch
• AC adapter
• Synchronisation USB cable
• CL adapter
• Windscreen holder
• User manual
• CD-ROM 2x
• Warranty information

We shall examine the device later, let's take a look at the accessories first. The stylus is plain, made of a light silvery metal with plastic tip and top. It is 85 millimetres long and 3.5 millimetres thick, which are standard dimensions. It is usable but I would welcome a more robust one. A simple pouch is bundled for protection against scratches. It consists of two pieces of fabric lined with suede. The rim is reinforced by a strip of grey leatherette, which is the only visual design element. It is sufficient for basic protection if you carry the device in the pocket but cannot be used on the belt.

The synchronisation cable is a metre long, with a standard miniUSB connector at the end. The AC adapter is more special: first of all, it's the small form factor that makes it a real "travel accessory". Its 180-centimetre cable is also exceptional - in most cases, power cords for PDAs are much shorter.

Navigators like this find their main use as a driving assistant, which implies they need to be put in a reliable car holder. The one bundled with the device looks like a good one. It consists of two parts: an arm that attaches to the windscreen, and a cradle that holds the device firmly and securely. For greater convenience, there are grooves for the cable.

The arm is not the usual gooseneck but consists of three robust plastic sticks joined by two mutually perpendicular joints, each with a fastening screw. Very useful is a smooth adhesive pad that you can stick to a rough surface and attach the holder's suction pad to it rather than to the windscreen. Another indispensable accessory for driving the device is a CL adapter (12/24V).

One of the CD-ROMs carries standard applications from Microsoft, the other localisation software and a localised version of the manual. Finally, there is a leaflet with warranty information in the box.

Design

The Acer c530 looks attractive. A smart combination of black and silver colours and rounded edges make it appear smaller than it actually is. The truth is that with dimensions of 4.25 x 2.28 x 0.63 inches / 108 x 58 x 16.8 millimetres it is not particularly large, ranking to the better average. On the other hand, it is one of the lightest Pocket PCs on the market with a mere 4.30 ounces / 122 grams including the battery. The casing is made of quality plastic and is assembled very well. It is comfortable to grip due to rounded edges and holds comfortably even in small hands.

For a better idea of the small size and light weight, the table below compares these parameters with some popular Pocket PCs.

The front of the device catches sight by its clear lines and uncomplicated design. However, the shiny black surface proved rather inconvenient as it eagerly catches fingerprints. That is why it is difficult to keep the device spick and span all the time. If you are overly tidy, use white gloves:) The front panel is dominated by a large colour display. Below it are four buttons and a tiny joystick. By default, the buttons launch the calendar, contacts, e-mail, respectively; the fourth one will return you to the Today screen. If you prefer different actions for the buttons (most likely you will want the upper pair serve as Windows Mobile 5 softkeys because Acer has been stubbornly ignoring this convenience), you can remap the buttons. However, they support only one action each. The joystick is sunk a little below the surface and looks promising. However, the first action game you run will prove that the Acer c530 is not the right replacement for a mobile gaming console. The joystick supports only the four main directions (up, down, right, left) and is not very reliable, either, occasionally failing to react to an abrupt change of direction. Good enough for productivity applications, too bad for games.

The back cover is a single piece of plastic with no design elements but a large shiny silver grid over the loudspeaker. The cover is removable to allow access to the battery. It is locked by two plastic latches on the bottom side of the device that need to be released at the same time for the cover to come off.

On the left side are four elements worth attention. The topmost one is a rubber-capped connector for an external GPS antenna. Below is a green LED indicator and the main switch. If you press it and hold for a while, it will not switch the device off but only turn off the backlight. The last one is a HOLD switch, an Acer classic, which locks the buttons and display to prevent accidental operation. On the right side is a standard SDIO slot and a small reset button.

On the top side is a standard stereo headphones connector and a slot for the stylus. The bottom side is similarly simple, with a miniUSB connector and the aforementioned back cover latches.

Parameters

Those who have at least a slight idea of the Pocket PC market will hardly expect a device from Acer to boast ground-breaking parameters or any special features. Acer has been long focused on low-cost devices, which goes at the expense of implementation of latest technologies. This is nothing against Acer; a low price tag and time-tested quality are the main decisive factors for many buyers. Why shouldn't they get what they are asking for? :) All the parameters hereinafter are common to both the Acer c530 and Acer c510 model. The only difference is that the Acer c530 includes a WLAN module.

The device runs a 300-MHz Samsung S3C2442XL processor. The CPU has a favourable price/performance ratio as well as performance/power consumption ratio. There is no software utility to control processor performance manually, everything is automatic. The computing power is sufficient for the majority of applications including navigation. Although there is a difference in performance between Samsung and Intel processor at the same frequency, there is no need to worry.

Both models offer an average amount internal memory, including 128 MB of FlashROM and 64 MB of SDRAM, the very basic amount by current standards. After the first boot, the user can access exactly 85 MB of FlashROM and 42 MB of SDRAM, which are reasonable amounts for basic usage. However, if you want to use a demanding navigation application, which can be expected considered the nature of the device, a memory card will be a must. As you can see in the charts above, both types of memory are slightly slower than average but not as slow as to hinder your work in any way.

The Acer c500 series does not integrate a dedicated graphics chip. That means that all the demanding computing for video playback, 3D games etc. is handled by the CPU. Given its relatively low performance, it is obvious that you can hardly enjoy non-optimised video. A 640x480-pixel video played jerkily but was perfectly smooth when scaled down to 320x240 pixels. Action games run seamlessly as well, the more regrettable is the unfortunate joystick.

• Spb Benchmark - 1992 points
• GXmark - 1294 points
• VSbenchmark 2006 - 774 points
• Dynamix 3D Benchmark - 50,82 FPS
• Red Sector 2112 (a game) - 4-7 FPS (highest level of details, shadows on)
• Z-Raid (a game) - 56-59 FPS
• OpenJazz (a game) - 44-47 FPS
• TCPMP - 56,24% (134,95% for 320x240 optimised video, bit rate 512kbps for video and 128 kbps for audio)

The display is brilliant. From the technical point of view, it is a plain transflexive TFT touch screen with a 2.8 inch diagonal (73 millimetres), resolution of 240x320 pixels, and support for 65 thousand colours simultaneously. However, it ranks among the top class in comparison with other devices. The backlight is extremely bright, offering 11 intensity levels with separate setting for battery and mains operation. White colour is truly white due to a rather cold colour scheme. At the highest brightness level, the display shines like a lantern. At the opposite and of the scale, the backlight is still quite strong, perhaps stronger that it needs to be. The touch layer is very sensitive and accurate.

The Acer excels in audio capabilities. If you use the device for navigation, you will appreciate loud and clear output from the speaker. You won't miss voice commands even if your car is not particularly quiet. Welcome is a standard 3.5 mm stereo headphones jack that enables the user to use quality headphones and enjoy playback undistorted by a wacky adapter. Noise level is low, adding to the nice auditory experience. Do not search for a graphic equalizer or at least a bass/treble control - there is none. Nevertheless, the possibility to use headphones of your liking compensates for this handicap. Recording quality is also very good, aided by automatic microphone volume control. Sample recordings are available for download here [481KB].

The main communication interface is USB. Like other recent Windows Mobile 5 devices, such as HTC P3300 (Artemis), this Acer, too, supports two USB modes: "new" RNDIS and "old" USB Serial. The differences are described here, if you are curious. The most fundamental difference is that the RNDIS mode (default) is much faster. It is therefore recommended to use RNDIS and switch to the other mode only for problem solving. An infrared port is lacking.

The Acer c500 integrates a Bluetooth module version 2.0 with EDR and with drivers from Broadcom (formerly Widcomm). I performed a series of tests and encountered no problems whatsoever: I transferred files between the Acer and other PDAs and between the Acer and a laptop, paired the device with an external BT GPS module, connected to the internet using a Palm Treo 750v as a modem, and synchronised data over ActiveSync. I played a few songs in MP3 over wireless headphones from HP and the sound stream was absolutely seamless. This was the case even when I was connected to the internet over BT while listening. Just great.

On top of that, the Acer c530 model is fitted also with a WiFi module compliant to the IEEE 802.11 b/g standards, capable of transmitting data at a speed up to 54 Mbps. The module supports WPA2, WPA, WEP and TKIP. A few seconds after activation of the WiFi module, a dialogue box popped up for me to enter the correct password and connected I was. I tested connection with my two access points (D-Link DSL-G684T and ASUS WL-566gM) and everything worked absolutely flawlessly. The latter was configured for the new WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK mode, which posed absolutely no problem for the Acer c500. Depending on the strength of the signal, you can select from ten power levels for the WiFi module, which enables you to save some battery power in places with good coverage. All settings are easily accessible in a simple and convenient configuration utility. Sensitivity to signal was average - neither impressive nor disappointing.

The Acer c500 is powered by a 1200-mAh Li-Ion battery. Its label indicates that it is identical with that used in the Acer n310/n311. If you are upgrading, you can keep the old battery as a backup. As the benchmarks suggest, the device is not a top performer in this area, either, but placed in the mid-field. It took me a while to come to terms with the Acer because it was the first PDA without an integrated cell phone after a long period of time. When I used it for navigation with TomTom, the device lasted for 4 hours with the display at the lowest backlight intensity. Recharging over USB is possible, with an option to recharge in the sleep mode as well.

• Standard test of common usage, maximum backlight - 6h 11min
• Video playback, maximum backlight - 6h 19min
• MP3 playback, display off - 23h 27min
• Active Bluetooth, maximum backlight, no workload - 6h 25min
• Active WiFi, maximum backlight, no workload - 3h 01min

NB :: Tests with active WiFi did not appear very realistic. I therefore decided to run PING to the default network gateway as part of the test. This places some workload on the processor and keeps WiFi transmission alive, with a dramatic impact on the test results. Also, due to a bug in Spb Benchmark, the standard test keeps the device permanently busy opening an extremely large Word document. This reduces the test's significance because it has little to do with a typical usage of a PDA.

Acer c500 as a GPS navigator

An integrated GPS module for satellite positioning is indisputably one of the main attraction of the Acer c500. The GPS receiver is based on a low-voltage SirfStarIII LP chip. Unlike most other contemporary devices, this Acer does not support the A-GPS system for faster retrieval of positioning information from terrestrial servers rather than satellites.

I was absolutely satisfied with the navigation in real-life tests. Positioning was fast even without the internet support; sensitivity to signal was also very good. The device could see four to six satellites all the time in an urban area, which is more than enough for establishing the position with ease. I tested the navigation with TomTom 6 and iGO 2006 both of whom worked without any problems.

A special feature is a TMC port (Traffic Messaging Channel) that we can see e.g. in the manual configuration of the iGO application. However, it is not commonly supported by navigation applications and I could not verify if it is present or not. There is no mention of TMC on the Acer website, so it is unlikely to have been implemented.

Expandability

Unlike the majority of recent devices, the Acer c500 features a standard SDIO slot. If you need additional features, e.g. a digital camera, you can easily plug it in. Nevertheless, most users will probably use the slot to expand the memory because navigation applications are quite demanding in this respect. I worked with a takeMS 4 GB SD card.

Other accessories and peripherals can be connected via Bluetooth, e.g. wireless stereo headphones or a an external GPS receiver (the question is why you would want to do that:). The Bluetooth implementation is fully functional owing to the aforementioned Broadcomm drivers. Most typically, you will probably use Bluetooth for connecting to the internet over a mobile phone. I used a Palm Treo 750v for this purpose and it worked perfectly at first attempt.

Pre-installed and bonus applications

The Acer c500 series comes with Windows Mobile 5 Premium Edition as the operating system including the latest AKU 3.0 service pack. It includes the complete software suite from Microsoft: Office Mobile (Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile), mobile Outlook, terminal services client, and much more. However, bonus applications are scarce. A useful utility is Backup/Restore, a simple tool for backing up either the whole device or just the agenda. The resulting backup file can be protected by a password, which is the only optional parameter.

Acer PDAs traditionally ship with PocketTV Pro, an MPEG player. Frankly, I cannot understand the manufacturer's stubborn insistence on this piece of software because in my opinion, it is rather obsolete and cannot compete with newer players that support modern and more efficient formats and codecs...

That all the manufacturer included in the FlashROM. Similarly, the bundled CD contains a very basic software suite including standard MS applications.

Pricing

One of Acer's main competitive advantages has been its aggressive pricing policy, even though differences on the market have been withering of late. The official recommended retail price is around £299 for the Acer c530 and £239 for the Acer c510 (both prices incl. VAT), with yet lower prices to be found in on-line stores. It is a bargain but not that big in comparison with other GPS-enabled devices without a cell phone.

Final evaluation

Reviewing Acer-branded devices is never great excitement, which applied to the Acer c500 series as well. The device does not offer anything special that wasn't here before. It is not an issue, it is a fact. However, the use of time-tested hardware makes the whole system rock stable, which is an often neglected yet extremely important quality in PDAs.

I must confess that I id not use the device as intensively as those with an integrated cell phone. Nevertheless, I drove several hundred kilometres with it and otherwise tried to use it in a typical way for a PDA. I know it sounds boring but the device just worked:) I have not encountered a single issue. I should highlight a brilliant display, sensitive GPS module, and excellent audio capabilities. Only the WiFi module could have been more sensitive.

If you are happy about the Acer c500's capabilities, I cannot see a compelling reason why you should not buy it: it just does well what it is expected to do. And that's the way it should be, isn't it?

Related links

• Brief review of the final version of E-TEN Glofiish X500
• Big review of HTC P3300 (code name Artemis)
• Big introduction to pre-production version of E-TEN Glofiish X500

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