Acer’s E130 is a 2.6in-touchscreen smartphone running Google Android that looks very much like it means business. It features a finger-friendly BlackBerry-style qwerty keypad and trackball – rare gems in the touchscreen-heavy Android world.

Buttons on the keypad are raised in the middle yet smooth, allowing for fast. comfortable typing, while the trackball is ideal for scrolling, scrolling and more scrolling — a good job,  given the widescreen format of the small 2.6in display.

A strip encasing the trackball includes Call and End keys, plus Home, Back, Search and Options buttons. On the side is a volume rocker and micro-USB slot. at the top is a 3.5mm headphone jack  and at the back a 3Mp camera and speaker.

Connectivity options span the leatures of a modern smartphone, with the Acer supporting Wi-Fi, HSDPA, Bluetooth and GPS.

The beTouch’s budget price is evident elsewhere. Acer includes the outdated 1.6 version of Google’s software, which lacks Exchange and Flash support and won’t let you add multiple email addresses.

lt also comes with a slow 416MHz processor, a low-res 320×240 screen, and a 3Mp camera (without flash) that captures grainy images even in well-lit conditions. You’ll also need to install a microSD card first.

Acer’s beTouch E130 offers a relatively cheap entry-point to Gooqle, and its good connectivity options, social apps and touchscreenl qwerty combo impress. It’s restricted to version 1.6 of Android, however, and the slow processor, inaccurate screen, crashes and poor camera may disappoint.