14 DAY TRIAL // Acer, the third largest vendor in the PC market around the world, announced the launch of four Pocket PCs, falling into three groups, according to what the company says would consist with the consumer's needs and views over the mobile market. Acer targeted its new devices at various mobile Internet usage preferences and consumer attitudes, after surveying over 30,000 consumers. The new devices unveiled by the PC vendor include M900, F900, X960 and DX900.
According to the manufacturer, there are several smartphone consumer groups that would have different needs and usage preferences. The first group would include trendy and demanding users who need their smartphones to offer a lot in communication, information and entertainment experience. More pragmatic users would form the second group, focusing more on efficiency and reliability. They would require continuous connectivity, security and confidentiality at the same time. The third group of users would include stylish and up-to-date consumers, in search of devices to reflect their personality.
The Acer M900 would be a device aiming at the power user. It includes a 2.8-inch VGA touch screen, high speed HSPA connectivity, pre-installed GPS software, a 3.2 camera with auto focus and flash, and a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, while running under the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system. The handset also includes Outlook Mobile, Office Mobile, Fingerprint reader and expandable memory slot.
The Acer DX900 comes with dual SIM handling, allowing users to keep business and personal calls separate, while having a single handset on their pocket. It comes with a 2.8-inch display with VGA resolution, a 3.2 megapixel photo snapper with auto focus and flash, as well as HSDPA. The phone's user interface has been designed to facilitate navigation, and a speed dial panel, video calling capabilities and microSD expandable memory slot are present on the device as well.
Style-conscious users are targeted by the new Acer F900, which provides good web browsing. The phone's homescreen includes various widgets, while the handset sports Internet Explorer Mobile 6 with JavaScript and Flash support. The specs also include HSDPA/HSUPA support and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as a 3.8-inch WVGA display, a 3.2-megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, integrated GPS and expandable memory.
The list of new Acer handsets ends with the X960, a device that comes with a 2.8-inch VGA screen and a widget based UI able to deliver fast access to contacts, messages and calendar details. Other features are integrated GPS for navigation, a 3.2 MP camera with flash and auto focus and a secondary camera for video calls.
The new handsets the company announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona are not the only ones that will come from Acer in 2009; more are expected to be unveil later this year. According to the PC vendor, the handsets it plans to introduce will all be crafted in accordance with the different needs of the above mentioned groups.
