As much as we would want to jump straight to the tech specs of this Android smart phone, it would be unfair to talk about the Stream without discussing how good the handset looks. Compared to other smart phones, the Acer Stream has a very futuristic appeal. The device’s form factor may be basic, but the use of the line contours is arguably the most appealing since the Motorola Milestone (or Motorola DROID in the US). Granted that Motorola has not released an Android smart phone for the high end tech bracket, the Acer Stream seems to have found a place.

The specs of the Stream are actually great, but not that impressive. The specs are indeed high end, but too many Android devices are already filling up the high end market choices. This leaves Asus with plenty of competition. At the same time, nothing will truly show the industry that Asus is up to task other than what is the industry equivalent of a trial by fire.

The 1GHz Snapdragon CPU is tried and tested on many other devices. So users can be assured that this processor is currently the new standard for a good reason: because it beats everything else before it. Apps, features, media, everything will load fast and run smooth on a device using this CPU.

The 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen is similar to the ones used in the HTC Desire and the Google Nexus One. Expect to get excellent response to commands, accurate finger tracking and most importantly, impressive visual quality.

Acer recognizes the need to address the mid to low range smart phone market, and that is why they have come out with the beTouch series. While Acer’s Liquid line focuses more on the high end range, the Acer beTouch E130 juggles the tight balance between providing good hardware with keeping a low price tag.

The device’s 416MHz processor is undoubtedly slow by today’s standards, but it still gets the job done. Running the Android 1.6 Donut OS also means that the handset is able to access many of the Android’s newer features such as Map navigation and Google Goggles. So far, it has not been stated if the device would ever be updated to a later version of the OS.

The phone’s biggest charm is its front facing QWERTY keyboard. It may seem a little cramped for people who are not used to the layout, but anyone who has used a BlackBerry or a Palm would feel right at home. The keys are layered flat and are indistinguishable from each other; this means that users should expect the occasional typo when doing fast repetitive keystrokes. Aside from that, learning to use the beTouch E130’s keyboard takes only a short while. Users will be able to type long messages

Overall, the beTouch E130 is a great handset for anyone in a budget. With the Android operating system and the phone’s impressive keyboard, it’s a successful combination that is hard to beat.