Big review of Acer n30

I reviewed its predecessor, Acer n10, more than six months ago. As far as I can remember, it was a nice gadget with two expansion slots for a favourable price. The successor to n10 features both design improvements and many enhancements "under the bonnet", so to say. This review should help you find out if this device is the ideal one for you or not. I'd like to thank Sunnysoft and Acer Czech Republic for providing the device for review purposes.

According to information from Acer, the new device is supposed to replace the older n10 on the market. The two models should be available simultaneously only for a limited period of time.

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What is in the box?

A compact, not excessively decorated box contains a small number of items. They are as follows:

• Acer n30
• Textile bag
• Synchronisation USB cable
• Compact AC adapter
• CD-ROM
• Brief user manual
• Warranty card

We'll examine the device closely later on but first, let's take a look at the other items. The manufacturer included a bag for you to carry the device. It is really nothing more than two rectangular pieces of suede cloth sewn together on three sides, as you can see in the photos. The only advantage of this solution (besides low cost) is negligible volume increase when you put the device in.

A USB synchronisation cable is a cheaper option when a more costly cradle does not fit the pricing policy for the device (you can buy a cradle as an extra accessory, if you like). The cable has a 26-pin data connector with a socket for plugging in the power cable (Acer n30 cannot be charged directly and the package does not include an appropriate cable adapter) on one end, and two USB connectors on the other. One of them is male, like in all USB synchronisation cables, and plugs into a desktop PC or laptop. The other is female and makes it possible to use e.g. USB drive as external data storage because Acer n30 works not only as a USB client but also as a USB host. It should be possible to use other USB peripherals as well but there might be a problem with drivers. The manual warns that some USB drives and flash card readers may not work but I tested two different USB drives that were not included in the compatibility list and they worked fine. Acer n30 is not the first Pocket PC to offer the USB host capability but this integrated solution could help promote the feature.

There is nothing noteworthy about the AC adapter but the fact that it is fully compatible with iPAQs, Toshibas and other electronic devices that need 5V/2A. The AC adapter is compact and if you travel abroad, you will need to buy a special mains plug adapter.

As usual, there is only one CD-ROM with bonus apps from Microsoft and third parties. Beginners will find the basic information in a very brief user manual but what can you expect of six pages of the A5 format? Fortunately, there is a more detailed manual available in the PDF format on the CD-ROM. There was not room in the box for more than the above items, a few leaflets and warranty information.

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Design

I must say that I like the look of Acer n30 much better than that of its predecessor, Acer n10. A combination of grey and silver is much nicer than just silver. The shape of Acer n30 is better designed, too. The dimensions are also significantly smaller, so that n30 can compare with other Pocket PCs, such as LOOX 420 I reviewed recently. If you are interested in exact figures, it is 2.8 x 4.67 x 0.53 inches / 71 x 118 x 13 millimetres, the weight is a perfectly acceptable 4.6oz / 130 grams.

The front panel is dominated by an excellent display. A dark grey frame around it makes it look much larger than it actually is and I had to use a ruler to make sure. Due to a combination of light and dark colours it looks as if it spans from edge to edge, making it appear yet larger. Above the display, there are two LED indicators on the right. The one on the left blinks green and orange to indicate common events, such as appointments and charging. The one on the right blinks blue to indicate Bluetooth activity. Below the display, there are four user-definable buttons (Today, Calendar, Contacts, and Mail by default) and... surprise! Instead of a joypad or some other direction controls in the usual place, there is only a metal grate covering a small loudspeaker. What a novelty... That means, beside other things, that you can hardly use Acer n30 as a gaming machine.

The back reveals another surprise, although not a very pleasant one. Neither Acer n10 nor n30 have a replaceable battery - there is no point in looking for a way to open the battery compartment. Otherwise, there is nothing on the back.

The same on the right side - no controls there, either. By contrast, there are a few of them on the left side. At the top - somewhat unusually - there is a small main switch. Underneath, there is a usual three-way scrolling wheel (up, down, action). The scrolling wheel is much more important in this device than in others because of the absence of a joypad. The position of the wheel is ideal - it's exactly where I need it to be for me to control comfortably. And near the bottom, there is an infrared serial port.

On the top side, there are four noteworthy elements. In the middle, there is an SD/MMC slot with full SDIO support. To the left, there is a 2.5-milimetre stereo headphones jack. On the other side, there is a microphone pinhole and the stylus shaft. The stylus is made of a combination of metal and plastic and it holds quite comfortably due to its relatively heavy weight.

Finally, there is a data connector in the middle of the bottom, and a software reset button and hardware reset switch on its sides.

Pocket PC	Dimensions (in. / mm)	Weight (oz / g)
Acer n30	2.8 x 4.67 x 0.53 71 x 118 x 13	4.6 130
Asus MyPal A620BT	3.02 x 4.92 x 0.52 76.8 x 125 x 13.3	4.98 141
Asus MyPal A716	3.07 x 5.31 x 0.69 78 x 135 x 17.6	6.95 197
Dell Axim X3i	3.04 x 4.82 x 0.59 77.2 x 117 x 14.9	4.94 142
FSC Pocket LOOX 420	2.81 x 5.12 x 0.56 70.6 x 113.1 x 14.1	4.41 125
FSC Pocket LOOX 610BT	3.07 x 5.81 x 0.72 113.1 x 70.6 x 14.1	7.23 125
HP iPAQ h1940	2.75 x 4.46 x 0.5 69.8 x 113.3 x 12.8	4.38 124
HP iPAQ h2210	3.01 x 4.54 x 0.61 76.4 x 115.4 x 15.4	5.09 144
HP iPAQ h4150	2.78 x 4.47 x 0.53 70.6 x 113.6 x 13.5	4.66 132
HP iPAQ h5550	3.31 x 5.43 x 0.63 84 x 138 x 15.9	7.3 206.8
MiTAC Mio339	2.83 x 4.88 x 0.6 73 x 122 x 13.8	4.36 120
MiTAC Mio558	2.83 x 4.88 x 0.6 72 x 124 x 15.3	6 170
Toshiba e400	3 x 4.9 x 0.4 76.2 x 124.4 x 10.1	4.59 130
Toshiba e800	3 x 5.3 x 0.6 80 x 125 x 15.2	6 179
T-Mobile MDA II	2.75 x 5.12 x 0.71 70 x 130 x 19	6.53 185

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Parameters

Acer n30 is another Pocket PC that opted for a Samsung processor rather than Intel. When you look at the specifications, it seems to be a step back because the Intel XScale processor in n10 runs at 300 MHz, while the Samsung S3C2410 processor used in n30 is slower, running at "a mere" 266 MHz. However, benchmark tests surprisingly reveal that the new model outperforms its predecessor! In real life, the device is fast enough, although in direct comparison with 400-MHz competitors, it seems a little sluggish. Given the clock speed, there was no point in including a software utility to regulate processor performance. As far as the memory is concerned, n30 features an average 64 MB of RAM (55 MB available) and 32 MB of FlashROM. Fortunately, there are almost 2 MB of the ROM are allocated for a safe storage.

The transflexive TFT display is amazing! The same way I praised the display in new LOOX 4xx, I must praise that in n30. With maximum backlight, its blinding, the colours are rich and clear, white is what I fancy white should look like. The size and other parameters are the same as in other devices - an 89-milimetre diagonal, resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, 65 thousand colours - the standard. The backlight is adjustable separately for battery and mains operation at 20 different levels. There is no automatic backlight adjustment to the surrounding light conditions. I tested the device outside, in direct sunlight, and the display was perfectly readable. Black borders around the display are adequately wide and optically merge with the dark grey frame I mentioned earlier. The touch-sensitive layer is not as responsive as those in most other devices but one can get used to it after a few hours. Sometimes, it mistook a single tap for a double one. Otherwise, it is an excellent display that others could take as a paragon. As a bonus, Acer includes its own special theme.

The device's audio features are not as excellent, although they are a cut above the average. The loudspeaker produces perfect sound, partly thanks to the metal grate. However, it slightly rattles at very high volumes and distorts the sound. The headphones output uses a 2.5-mm stereo jack, which is not very convenient because there are few types of quality headphones that you can use without an adapter. I have not managed to obtain one, although I believed it should be on offer in all hi-fi shops. It is not. Playback over plain headphones with a 2.5-mm jack I found at home was fine, with almost untraceable noise. Nevertheless, you cannot adjust anything but the volume, which is very poor these days. Sound recording quality is also satisfactory. Recording from an immediate distance was good but not so recording of a debate (still good enough). You can adjust microphone sensitivity either manually or use automatic adjustment.

Unlike the previous model, Acer n30 offers both an infrared port (which cannot be used to control home appliances, though) and an integrated Bluetooth module. When I say that Acer opted for a solution from Widcomm, many a user will sigh with relief. In the absolute majority of cases, Bluetooth from Widcomm is a guarantee of stability and maximum functionality. The module and its capabilities were described a million times in previous reviews, so there is little point in repeating everything over again. I have mentioned the special USB functionality, more details are in the Expandability chapter.

As usual, I have kept the battery life till the end of this chapter. As I have mentioned above, the 1000-mAh Lithium-Ion battery is not replaceable, unfortunately. That is why a backup battery would be a costly waste of room inside the device. I my test, the Acer lasted for an average 3.5 hours of usual activity with maximum backlight. For comparison, Acer n10 lasted for 5 hours, which was due to a 50-percent larger battery. Unlike many other Pocket PCs, Acer n30 has a unique feature - charging over the USB cable. It takes a little longer to charge the battery fully over USB than using the power cable but the result is what counts - all you need to take with you on travels is a laptop and the synchronisation cable.

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Expandability

Acer n30 features functionality called USB host, which offers much greater expansion possibilities than an SD/MMC slot. A USB drive or memory card reader are the simplest - when you connect them, Explorer will show a new folder called Hard Disk which you can work with like with any other folder (copy, delete, move...). I tried a keyboard and mouse but there were problems with drivers. Those available for download on the internet worked with Pocket PC 2002 only. But if there is a will, there is a way, and if someone spends the time and effort to put the drivers together, there would be no limitation to the use of a standard keyboard and mouse with a PDA anymore.

The SD/MMC slot is fully SDIO compatible so that you can connect e.g. an SDIO camera to the Acer. The card sticks slightly out like in n10 and therefore is prone to accidental ejection. The Bluetooth module makes it possible to easily connect e.g. a GPS or any other BT-enabled device.

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Software

Acer n30 comes which pre-installed Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Premium Edition, which means it offers all available applications from Microsoft but for their phone tools. Unfortunately, it is not the Second Edition, which offers enhanced features, such as easy screen rotation. As far as I know, Acer is not planning an upgrade. On the other hand, I was able to test a device with SE and the screen rotation was not very exciting on a 240x320 display, anyhow. Besides the standard applications and a few extra applets, Acer offers only one bonus application, which is a Backup/Restore utility you can use to prevent loss of data. It is not very sophisticated, making it possible to backup either everything or just the PIM data to any memory medium (as you can see in the pictures, I made a backup to a USB drive:) It can perform an automatic backup when battery power decreases below 30 % of the normal level. Of course, it can also restore the data. You just choose from a list of backups the utility finds on a selected medium.

The CD includes basic applications, such as Microsoft Outlook 2002 and ActiveSync 3.7.1, as well as a few bonus applications. Nevertheless, only one of them - video viewer MpegTV Pocket TV Pro - can be considered as a true bonus because you are getting commercial software free of charge.

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Pricing

For many customers, price is decisive. Acer n30 sells for 299 EUR, which is a little more than Acer n10. It will toughen the competition in this segment because almost all Pocket PC manufacturers are now offering a low-end model. I think the price is very favourable and as far as I could find out in available price lists, Acer n30 is currently probably the cheapest Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC on the market! Unfortunately, it seems that this device is only available in Europe and Asia.

[POLL]

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Benchmarks & Tests

This chapter offers detailed description of the tests I performed on the device. I have compiled a 128-MB test SD card with various games (Anthelion, Snails and Z-Raid [affiliate]), videos (a trailer for Shrek 2 in MPEG format with 650 kbps bitrate, and the same short video in Windows Media format with 250, 500 and 1000 kbps bitrates), MP3 music of various genres, several documents and images. I chose the 1-Mbps limit for videos because with this bitrate, a 150-seconds clip has more than 21 MB, which means that a two-hour feature film would take up over 1 GB. Even though memory cards are available in ever-larger capacities, I think there is no point in bothering with a better quality, especially if we consider the fact that on such a small display, there is virtually no difference between this clip and a clip with half the bitrate. In fact, the subjective quality of a clip with the lowest bitrate is more than sufficient. One more note - while in the previous parts of the review I tried to give priority to the facts over my impressions and feelings, it will be the other way round in the text below:)

Acer n30 cannot compare to Pocket PCs with a 400-MHz processor but f you are not downgrading from a more powerful device, you will hardly notice. I did not notice any problems except for occasional short delays.

MPEG video playback was absolutely seamless and the excellent display made watching the clip a great experience. Likewise, Windows Media with 250-kbps bitrate was perfectly smooth. A 500-kbps video was jerky in some places yet it was OK to watch. The same applied to the highest bitrate, 1000 kbps, which was yet jerkier. However, when I copied the file to the main memory, the playback was smooth, which suggests slow memory card read speed.

This Acer will not become a device of choice for gamers due to the absence of a joypad or some other usual multi-directional control. It is a pity because the Acer achieved the highest frame rate in Z-Raid of all the devices I have tested - over 60 FPS. The 3D action Anthelion performed quite well, too, but I could not test it properly for there was no way to control it. Snails suffered from the somewhat low sensitivity of the touch layer but otherwise performed fine. Nevertheless, here, too, I lacked a joypad or direction keys to be able to control the game. One more note on the touch-sensitive layer. I did not have a good feeling when drawing on the bare display with the stylus - it dragged considerably. This combined with the necessity to press rather hard, a protective foil is a must for every user.

I tested Bluetooth with the mobile phone Ericsson T610 and encountered no problems whatsoever. The connection was good and stable. Likewise, the pocket device paired with a BT-enabled GPS without any problems. I have a substantial reason to believe that connecting the Acer with any other BT device would be trouble-free (although I cannot rule it out, of course).

And finally, some figures. It would be unfair to compare the Acer with faster devices with a 400-MHz processor, so the benchmarks include only comparable models. The iPAQ h4150 is there just for information. I use Spb Benchmark for a complete performance test. If you are interested in the detailed results, the complete .XML file is available for download here: Acer n30 (2003, 266MHz) [1KB] . If you copy the contents of the file to the form on this page (click on Add device), you can compare the results with other devices. Please note that the test results are not generally applicable. Virtually every ROM upgrade will change the performance (usually to the better), which means that if you perform the same tests on a device you bought half a year later, some of the results may differ significantly.

ROM version :: 1.00.03

I tested the graphics system also with the GXmark graphical performance test. It is not as sophisticated as Spb Benchmark and offers comparison only with iPAQ h3600 but it at least shows how many graphic objects can move on the display simultaneously:)

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