Acer prepares for smartphone market assault

by Stevie Smith - Feb 17 2009, 09:46

Already established as a manufacturing heavyweight in the computer industry, Acer Inc. has this week announced its intention to storm the increasingly popular smartphone market by unveiling no less than eight new handsets at the Mobile World Congress in Spain.

Acer’s sudden arrival comes hot on the heels of a smartphone partnership forged between trend-setting Netbook giant ASUSTeK (maker of the ubiquitous Eee PC) and in-car navigation specialist Garmin, which has already resulted in the creation of the ‘nuvifone’ G60 handset.

In venturing out on its smartphone journey, Acer has said it is “extremely serious” about entering the mobile phone space and fully expects handset sales to contribute some 10 percent of total revenue by 2012. Acer’s confidence even stretches so far as to boldly claim its line of devices will secure it a top-five manufacturing place within five years.

“We genuinely believe that we can be actually one of the top five. Over time I hope we can be better than top five,” said Aymar de Lencquesaing, Acer’s head of smartphone business during the press announcement.

“I think it’s going to take us anywhere between three to five years,” added Lencquesaing, regarding Acer’s long-term plan. “Being the size that we are gives us fairly sizeable marketing budger. We understand that we need to spend, to create the awareness that Acer is not just a PC company.”

In terms of Acer’s opening salvo of smartphone offerings, all eight handsets will run on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile – although the company has also intimated that mounting interest in the Android platform could well see future Acer devices functioning with Google’s open operating system.

Interested consumers can expect to receive a varied handset choice that will accompany unsubsidised price points ranging from a basic €49 through to a feature rich €500.

The Tech Herald: Specs revealed for ASUS/Garmin nuvifone G60

The Tech Herald: Microsoft planning smartphone invasion

The Tech Herald: iPhone loses out as Adobe confirms full Flash for smartphones

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