Business | Technology
Decent price for first Mango on shelves
Acer is the first vendor to launch a Windows 7.5 (Mango) smartphone in the Gulf with the Allegro
- By Naushad K. Cherrayil, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 February 4, 2012
- Image Credit: Supplied
Dubai: Acer is the first vendor to launch a Windows 7.5 (Mango) smartphone in the Gulf with the Allegro.
It is not going to impress people with its hardware specs, but of course, not everyone is going to want something packed with cutting edge technology. Rather, it's going to win some over on price. The new operating system is also going to make a difference.
It features a 3.6-inch WVGA (Wide Video Graphics Array) 800x480 touchscreen, 1GHz single-core processor, 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with no flash, 720p video recording, 512 RAM and 8GB internal storage. The chassis is shiny black plastic, with rounded curves on top and bottom and capacitive buttons for the three standard controls. It's lightweight rather than flimsy, weighing 126 grams and comfortable to hold. There's a place for budget Windows devices.
Biggest disadvantage
The biggest disadvantage is that it does not have an expandable memory slot and front facing camera for video conferencing.
But the Allegro has some advantages in terms of the apps and utilities on the handset. There's a ‘quick setup' app to give you a faster way to turn WiFi, Bluetooth and airplane mode on and off instead of delving into the settings
There's a shortcut to to your Gmail inbox and a Media Remote app lets you share media from your phone or play media on your phone from a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) device. That means you could stream music from a PC or home server on your phone, or send video from your phone to a DLNA TV over WiFi and Xbox Live.
The Allegro delivers a fast web experience with Internet Explorer 9, and quickly searches the web, allowing you to view HTML 5 enabled websites. The Windows marketplace offers very few apps compared to Android or iPhone, but it will grow when more handsets are rolled out.
For those who want to experience Windows Mango features without paying for a high-end device, Allegro is the best choice. It is priced at Dh1,699. The 1300 mAh Li-Ion battery is decent for the price and lasts more than a day.
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