I currently have a sony ericsson and, although it allows me to surf the net, it isn't too good for that, so I am considering buying an acer liquid mini android smartphone with 3G. Can anyone explain basically what are the advantages of an android phone over a run of the mill type?

Well firstly this Sony Ericsson whatever it is... You're positive that the phone itself is no good to surf the internet? Is the screen too small for you maybe? Too slow/doesn't have 3G? Have you tried other web browsers that may work better with the phone like Opera Mini or Dolphin? It really depends on what you have. Does it have (or do you really care about) Flash?

I think we would need to know more on what you're actually comparing the Liquid Mini to before telling you what advantages it would have.

It's really just the screen size. Plus I want to upgrade as mine is approx 5 years old. I just want to ensure I will use all the features of an android smartphone before paying over £200.

You are probably better off the with the high resolution San Francisco (free unlock available) which has the same CPU etc as the Acer.
A minor flaw is that at 3.5" the screen is too small, which means you have to zoom is more often.

but can you suggest a specific model?

The Sony-Ericsson phones of mid-decade are pretty lovely machines. I had a k-800 series phone myself for a long while and still remember it as the most aesthetically pleasing design I have ever held.

Besides using a touch-screen interface to maximize the surface area available for display, Android phones (and iPhones) feature more powerful processors and are in effect ultra-portable computers packed with many useful devices that make them into a kind of programmable Swiss Army Knife. For instance the built-in compass and GPS receiver, when controlled by a suitable application, make an Android phone or iphone into a satellite navigation system. Some built-in devices are mostly to make user interaction more pleasant--accelerometers and proximity detectors mean the phone can respond to being held and to the angle at which it is held and the way it is moved.

They are easy, even fun, for experienced software developers to program, so many thousands of applications (or apps) are available either free or at low cost.

Because they are used mostly as mobile computers, they are often used in conjunction with wireless routers which connect them to the internet without having to rely on expensive mobile data connections. I'm typing this on my Orange San Francisco running Android using my home internet through the household router. If that connection fails for any reason or I leave the house, it will obey its settings. I have set it to use mobile internet when the router is not available.

Typically Android phones (and, I assume, iphones) synchronize contact information, calendars, email and other data with online services. Being a Google design Android typically uses Google services such as Gmail by default.

Incidentally the San Francisco, the phone I use, is available from Orange UK on Pay as you Go for only £100, not the £200 you estimated. So although it's still more than you would pay for a simpler replacement for your Sony-Ericsson, it probably isn't that much more.

It's easily unlocked so it's a good buy if you want to stick with your existing phone service.

Elsewhere you may find it referred to as the ZTE Blade.

As you said that screen size matters to you, why not get something with a considerably larger screen? E.g. an HTC Desire HD?

<cough>an arm and a leg<cough>

On the other hand the Acer Liquid Mini seems to be overpriced (a review I've seen confirms the original poster's £200 estimate) and has a smallish screen with disappointingly low resolution (3.2", 320x480). There are much better phones around for far less money if you want a phone for internet browsing.

Bear in mind contracts - phones are often 'free' - think of the £25/30 month as spreading the payments. My Galaxy S cost me nothing and my contract went down £5/month for more texts/talk time than my previous contract (on Three)...

Yes, you make a good point that contracts can be an effective alternative to Pay as you Go. If you manage to get a high end phone on a £25 contract it's worth considering. The flexibility of Pay as You Go is valuable to some but if you don't need it a contract may be better value over the long run.

If your happy with sony ericsson, i recomend getting the sony ericsson xperia arc,i have got one and it has a nice big 4inch screen,a really good camera, is android and is just a great all round phone, and is really easy to use.
I just cannot fault it at all, and am really happy with it.

The K800 is my model, an absolutely brilliant phone which I am loathe to replace but advanced technology dictates that I should.

The new version of the HTC Wildfire (The Wildfire "S") is lovely, available for around £180 on PAYG. They've improved the screen res and processor, it's beautifully made and also pretty sturdy.
The main two advantages of an Android handset are ease-of-use and the massive apps market.

The camera on the k810/800 were the best of its time, even after the phone became quite old, I still felt that it took the best photos.

I have a picture on my wall which was taken with a k810. Nobody ever believes it was taken with a phone.

If you want a good web browsing experience the phone you should get is the Desire HD. It is seccond to none on the web front and was the selling point for me, i use it everyday on the way to work and the larger screen makes browsing simple.

I think your Android choice boils down to cost firstly, £200 for a small starter Android, up to £400+ for the speedy large screen Androids. This cost is absorbed by your contract monthly fees though so shouldn't be too painful to pay for.

Next is screen size, 3.2 inch screens on the smaller Androids (which is fine but a bit small for web browsing especially if your eyesight isn't what it used to be), ranging up to 4.3 inches on phones like the Desire HD (which is great for browsing, but could be considered too large for some hands and pockets).

Assuming then that you can go for any phone in this price range, go to a shop and hold each model in your hand or find a friend who has one. Slip it in your back pocket or your bag to give you an idea of how it fits in your hand.

As Bagsbunny mentioned, the HTC Wildfire S is a good phone in comparison with the Liquid Mini, and HTC have a good reputation with Android phones so far, Acers are quite new to the market and may be less proven.

I went for a Desire last year, and talked my wife into getting a Desire S this year, both have the same 3.7 inch screen which is a compromise I felt between a decent reading size screen, and having a bulkier phone. We are both very happy with Android phones, and I wish you luck in your choice, you can't go far wrong!

I agree, the camera is absolutely brilliant! I have always been on a contract, but I don't want to tie myself into a new 24 month one, so that is why I am considering buying a phone. Having worked out the calculations, it is going to be cheaper for me to buy the phone and stay on my current contract.

In daylight they were great, but no better than the N73 of the same time (I had both).

The biggest disappointment by far though was the flash - it was better than the LEDs in other phones, but it was very badly configured, had a pretty lousy range.

Still reckon than the prior model - the K750/W800/W810 produced more pleasing images, and with the plugin flash attachment they were leagues ahead of the K800 in nighttime ability.

It's a shame the K850i ruined the reputation of Sony Ericsson in my eyes. I bought one thinking it would be an improvement on the K800 but i couldn't have been more wrong!

As for android phones, they're great for the internet. I love my Desire and i don't have to do too much zooming thanks to the high res screen. Obviously there's newer models with higher res/bigger screens now but i would still struggle to choose my next phone to replace the Desire.

Funny thing I have a k800 and thinking of getting a
Samsung Galaxy Gio I can buy it here in Germany from
Amazon.de for € 150 unlocked
http://www.amazon.de/Samsung-Smartph...7410766&sr=8-1

English translation

http://translate.google.com/translat...n&hl=&ie=UTF-8

Seems a good phone for the price But I don´t think it has a flash but I have seen some reviews were it says it has one but when I look at the picture their is int one

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-pho...view-50002655/

Even today the K800 takes better photos than some 5mp phones, the camera is excellent, I upgraded it to a C902 and its camera was equally as good if not better. Sadly after that it all went down hill with Sony Ericsson, my Mrs has an X8, its totally dire, such a horrible phone to use and I hear reports that the current crop of SE phones aren't much better.

Not even an LED on it, let alone a flash.

Whilst the camera isn't as good, I'd suggest the ZTE Blade/Orange SanFran as an alternative - its cheaper (sub £100 in the UK), and has a much higher resolution screen (800x480).

I love my OSF but the camera part is not important to me. If it is to the OP then they should look elsewhere.