Acer to launch massive new Android handset line

UPDATED 12/11/09: Acer has received FCC approval for its first Android smartphone, reports ZDNet.

"Acer’s first Android smartphone, the Liquid A1 (S100), has gotten FCC approval. That filing includes approval for 850MHz and 1900MHz bands of HSDPA, so critics are theorizing that we will soon see the Acer smartphone available with AT&T 3G service."

12/10/09: Acer executives said the company plans to launch up to six new Android smartphones in the first half of 2010. Acer, the world's second largest PC vendor, started by this week rolling out its first Android handset, the Liquid smartphone in Hong Kong.

Liquid is a 3.5-inch touchscreen smartphone with a Qualcomm 8250 Snapdragon chipset inside, announced earlier this year. The device uses version 1.6 of Android, comes with a built-in GPS receiver for location services and a 5-megapixel camera. While the phone is currently only available in Asia, next up will be a launch in Europe and then the rest of the world, Acer said.

Acer also plans to develop Android apps for use on its handsets. A number of rival Android smartphones have entered the market this year, including new handsets from Samsung Electronics, High Tech Computer (HTC), LG Electronics and Motorola.

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