Acer Android phone coming 2009

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 21 May 2009 at 08:53

Acer has confirmed that it will launch a smartphone running on the Android operating system this year.

Acer, the world's third largest PC maker, says it plans to sell around 10 new smartphone models this year, with nine of them running Windows Mobile 6.5.

Acer only entered the smartphone market in 2008, following the acquisition of Taiwan's portable device-maker Eten Information Systems.
Acer aims to take 6% to 7% of the smartphone market by 2012-2013, boosted by volume growth of cheap smartphones.

Gartner says it expects the smartphone market to surge 27% in 2009, even as the overall phone market shrinks. Acer says it's likely more PC makers, such as Dell, will look to move into the smartphone market as PC sales plummet.

"For a handset maker to move into the PC business, I'd say it was almost impossible," says the head of Acer's phone unit. "One way is acquisition, another way is, if you're willing, to invest massively and lose a lot of money for a long time."

"If you do not have large volume then you're at such a handicap it's very hard to compensate."