Acer, the personal computer firm who purchased E-Ten a little over a year ago, has set some ambitious targets for themselves according to an internal estimate that was leaked to Digitimes. By the end of this year Acer hopes to ship between 400,000 and 500,000 smartphones, while in 2010 they think they can do better with 1.5 to 2 million units. If they pump out attractive Android devices, like the A1, then there is nothing stopping them, but if they stick to Windows Mobile … the future really isn’t so certain. The source who leaked the internal estimate also says that Acer has some deals lined up with Taiwanese operator Far EasTone Telecommunications, CSL of Hong Kong, SFR and Bouygues of France, Wind of Italy, and a yet to be determined American operator in 2010. Hey Acer, how about making a 1700 MHz 3G device for T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)? They’re taking a lot of risks, so signing a company with no previous history of US sales should be right up their alley.

We told you about Acer’s renaming scheme and it’s happening now. The computer maker turned smartphone manufacturer has officially unveiled its Windows Mobile 6.5 lineup, consisting of two series of devices – beTouch and neoTouch.

beTouch are more affordable handsets and at the moment there are three models in the series – E100, E101 and E200. On the other end, neoTouch only has a single “member” at the moment and it’s the Snapdragon-powered S200 aka F1.

Detailed specs were not unveiled, and the same goes for exact prices. We do, however, know these babies will sell from £159 to £295 ($259 to $481) at retail, unlocked. If some carrier jumps in, expect the pricing to go further down. And yes, we’ll be watching for carrier partner announcements, have no doubts about it…

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

I can’t help myself. Doing some digging around this morning on the Android-Powered Acer Liquid A1, and have come across some new images. This comes to us via the folks at Pocket-Lint, seems as though they’ve had some hands-on time with the A1, but not the typical build we’ve seen thus far. This one was all dressed up in red. Slap a Ferrari logo on the back and call me a race car driver, me likey. Check out all of the images below.

Happy Friday, all! Remember the Acer A1 Android phone that went all official on us yesterday? Today I’ve stumbled across a full spec list for the A1, and it looks not half-bad. Key features/specs include:

• 3.5? WVGA (800 × 480) Capacitive
• Processor: Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) QSD 8250 1GHz (we will see who is actually to 768 Mhz)
• 256 MB SDRAM
• 512 MB FLASH ROM
• 115 × 64 x 12.43 mm
• Weight 135g (including battery)
• HSDPA Category 8/ HSUPA Category 5 /UMTS (2100/1900/900 Mhz) for EU
• HSDPA Category 8/ HSUPA Category 5 /UMTS (2100/1900/850 Mhz) for US
• GSM: Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• GPRS/EDGE: Class B, multi-slot class 10
• Messaging: MMS, SMS
• WLAN: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED network connection
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• Built-in AGPS Support
• 5MP camera with Auto-Focus
• Accelerometer
• Light sensor
• 3.5mm jack
• Capacitive button: Home, Search, Back, Menu
• Battery: Lithium Polymer rechargeable with 1.350 mAh capacity
• Up to 5 hours talk-time for WCDMA / Up to 6 hours for GSM

To top it off, the good folks at CNET have also posted some great images of the device. I’ve included a gallery below for your android-lovin’ eyes. I have to admit, I’ve never really been an Acer fan, but this one looks sharp.

[Via: Androinica]

Back in June, Dusan reported that a new Android-powered device may be coming to us via Acer in November. Looks like the details were deadly accurate, as Acer has officially announced the Liquid A1 Android Phone. No pricing or launch date details have emerged yet, but a November launch would make a lot of sense to me, especially if they’re just announcing it now.

Details on the Liquid A1:

• Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) Snapdragon chipset clocked at 768Mhz
• Android 1.6 ‘Donut’ installed
• 800×480 WVGA capacitive touchscreen
• 5MP camera with geo-tagging, ISO, self-timer, auto-focus and more
• Comes in 3 colors: white, red and black
• Excellent power management and battery performance
• Integration with your favorite social networks including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and more
• ‘Spinlets’ app provides free streaming of music and video from around the world. Share content with your contacts via email or the web (eager to learn more about this!)

She looks like a tight device. Can’t want to learn more. Stay tuned!

You can read the official release over at Acer.

We don’t know what will happen with all the upcoming Acer’s Android-powered smartphones, but we’ve heard the Taiwanese company will be renaming its Windows Mobile devices. Here’s what we know:

• Acer F1 will be Acer neoTouch
• C1 – beTouch E100
• E1 – beTouch E101
• L1 – beTouch E200

According to Clove, some of these will hit the UK market during next week with prices ranging between €200 (for beTouch E101) and €370 (for the F1/neoTouch)…

And that’s about all we have at the moment. We’ll certainly have more to share in coming days, so stay tuned…

[Via: Unwired View]

Acer, who only started making smartphones after purchasing E-Ten in March 2008, has been making a few Windows Mobile handsets, but “industry sources” have told Digitimes that over half of Acer’s 2010 models will be running Android. Their first Android device, the A1, will be announced this November. Take this with a grain of salt.

The date in question is 6th October, and although the F1 could be big news for the UK, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is doing it US-style on the same day by launching the HTC Imagio on the same day. Makes you wonder if Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) have been doing some co-ordinated marketing, doesn’t it?

Techwatch.co.uk has picked up an interesting piece on the release date of the Acer F1 – which will co-incidentally be the same date that WinMo 6.5 launches!

The date in question is 6th October, and although the F1 could be big news for the UK, Verizon is doing it US-style on the same day by launching the HTC Imagio on the same day. Makes you wonder if Microsoft have been doing some co-ordinated marketing, doesn’t it?

For those that are a bit memory-lite (like me), then the F1 is a Qualcomm-powered beast, clocking in what seems to be the new standard for high-end smartphones: 1GHz. In addition to that, there is a 3.8 inch touchscreen, and 5MP camera – all very respectable.

Of course, WinMo 6.5 is somewhat of a stop-gap until the bigger news of WinMo 7 arrives, packing a bunch of new features.

[Via: Techwatch.co.uk]

What remains of the 1Ghz barrier in the mobile world will largely come-a-tumbling-down this holiday shopping season as mobile phone makers like Acer and HTC get ready to launch power-packed smartphones featuring Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM)’s 1Ghz Snapdragon chipsets. DigiTimes is reporting that both Acer’s F1 and HTC’s Leo Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional smartphones will make some good use of the Snapdragon chipset’s dual processing cores when they launch later this year. With their arrival, Snapdragon will bring the hurt to a smartphone market largely lacking any Ghz-savvy hardware.

The common thread for Snapdragon-powered smartphones is their emphasis on multimedia. One of the Snapdragon processor’s two cores is a dedicated 600Mhz DSP processor, the other 1Ghz processor is dedicated to front-of-house business (apps, movies, web surfing, etc.). Like the Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) TG01 before it, the Acer F1 and HTC Leo both feature larger than life displays and slim profiles.

The Acer F1, which first showed itself at Mobile World Congress 2009, features an expansive 3.8-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 – all packaged in a slim form-factor reminiscent of the Toshiba TG01. We’d already heard that Acer’s F1 would be powered by Snapdragon bits, but it’s good to have confirmation.

What’s new here is the confirmation that HTC’s Leo hides a Snapdragon processor underneath its massive 4.3-inch capacitance touchscreen. The slate-style HTC Leo is a Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional smartphone, and is rumored to sport all the usual high-end smartphone trimmings (high-megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi, 3G data, Bluetooth, etc.). And, with one Snapdragon core handling voice calls and signal processing while another core handles applications processing, the HTC Leo is shaping up to be a seriously impressive smartphone. TouchFLO 3D never had it so good.

We’re also hearing that Snapdragon is making its way into many other smarphones this year. Unfortunately, we’ll likely have to wait out the holidays to see these handsets making it to market.

Bring the hurt, Qualcomm, bring the hurt.

[Via: DigiTimes]

We all know and love both eXpansys (the online retailer) and Acer (purveyor of laptops and smartphones) – but what happens when you combine the two in the current heatwave – you get a summer sale on Acer smartphones from eXpansys of course!

Acer Tempo M900 The Acer M900 Tempo features a large 3.8″ WVGA touch screen, Windows Mobile 6.1, Outlook Mobile and a sliding physical keyboard that – quite literally – puts your office in your hands. And don’t worry about data security – the embedded fingerprint reader makes sure only you can access your smartphone and the data you move with it. Normally £459.99 Now £379.99 Save £80

Acer Tempo F900 HD The Acer F900 Tempo HD lets you browse and interact with the web as easily as you do in your office or at home. Style meets simplicity in the Acer F900 Tempo HD The style of a large 3.8″ WVGA touch screen, with an easy to use virtual keyboard and a widget-based home screen; the simplicity of browsing the web and interacting online anytime, anywhere as if from your office or home. Normally £399.99 Now £329.99 Save £70

Acer Tempo X960 No compromises. Acer Tempo X960 has everything you’ve ever dreamt of in a smartphone: GPS, PDA, camera, MP3 player and a widget-based friendly interface for instant access to the web, email and your life online. Featuring a 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 640 X 480 VGA resolution and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro. Normally £319.99 Now £244.99 Save £75

My personal preference is the Acer Tempo F900 HD – can you say 3.8″ touchscreen?! I think all these devices are nicely-priced, and if you fancy having some Acer in your life (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t!), then click the links above for some online purchasing…