Acer unveils smartphone lineup

Acer unveiled an entire lineup of smartphones last night at Mobile World Congress and said it plans to be one of the top 5 smartphone makers in the next five years.

Aymar de Lencquesaing, Acer's senior corporate vice president and president of Acer's handheld business group, introduced the phones at a press conference at Casa Batlló Monday night in Barcelona. The computer firm said it reached out to 32,000 consumers across three continents in the development process for input before finalizing the plans for the phones.

All of the phones will have a widget-based user interface, with a new version expected to come in the fall. Those phones shipping in the first half of 2009 will have Windows Mobile 6.1, and those shipping in the second half will have Windows Mobile 6.5. There are currently eight models in production, and the company said it was considering using other operating systems in the future.

Lencquesaing said carrier agreements would be announced market by market in the coming months, and that some markets may not get all of the products.

For more:
- see this release
- see these pictures of the phones and of the press conference

Related Articles:
Acer to launch smartphone at Mobile World Congress
Acer in talks with Europe's operators for 3G mini laptop
Huawei to launch Android phone at Mobile World Congress
RadioShack to sell $99 Acer netbook with AT&T service
SPOTLIGHT: Acer buys smartphone maker E-Ten