Acer Inc, the world's third-largest PC brand, entered the increasingly crowded smartphone market with the unveiling of its first eight models at the World Mobile Congress trade show in Barcelona.

"We are extremely serious entering this space," Aymar de Lencquesaing, the head of Acer's smartphone business, told a news conference, adding the company plans to break into the top five of smartphone makers in five years.






Acer is the latest in a string of companies to launch its own line of smartphones, with cross-town rival Asustek recently also announcing a tie-up with navigation device maker Garmin to sell co-branded mobile devices.

The company said that it expects the business -- its first foray into mobile phones -- to account for 10 percent of revenue by 2012, as lines between portable PCs and increasingly sophisticated mobile phones start to blur.







The smartphone market has become increasingly crowded in the last two years, with Apple, Research in Motion and HTC winning market share at the expense of top smartphone provider Nokia.

"We genuinely believe that we can be actually one of the top five. Over time I hope we can be better than top five," Lencquesaing said.







He said Acer was planning to invest in building up the business before it can turn profitable. "I think it's going to take us anywhere between three to five years," he said. "Being the size that we are gives us a fairly sizeable marketing budget. We understand that we need to spend, to create the awareness that Acer is not just a PC company."

Acer intends to develop the business by using its existing sales channels for laptops. It will also use its large scale to get lower prices for some components, Lencquesaing said.
 





Acer said all eight of its newly launched smartphones would use Microsoft's Windows software, but it was also looking at Google's Android system.

"There is a clear interest right now for Android devices, and we believe so too," he said.Acer expects the cheapest new models to retail for less than 49 euros ($62.70), helped by operator subsidies, while the most expensive models would retail for around 500 euros when not subsidised.






"This is a step really showing to the market that they are not playing with one or two devices ... it looks like they are committed to try hard," said IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo.

The smartphone industry is expected to be one of the few bright spots in the tech sector in 2009, growing 10-20 percent even as the global financial crisis saps demand for tech buys and hurts the bottom line of many technology companies.






However, many analysts point out that the sector is already crowded and new entrants may find it difficult to break into the smartphone supply chain.

"It will be quite tough for them to enter carriers' portfolios. They do not have brand awareness in terms of mobile," said IDC's Jeronimo.

"They will probably have a small portion of the market in 1-2 year's time, but it is a first good step," he said.

My first phone was a Nokia 5110. Back in the days, if you had to get a cellphone, it had to be a Nokia. So much that it became a household name and is now one of the largest brands in the Indian mobile market. What works for Nokia? Ease of use!

So was I excited to hear that Nokia came out with a touchscreen phone that could beat Mr Steve Jobs himself? You bet I was. In this case, my anticipation did not meet my expectation, well almost. When I opened the box, the almighty `iPhone killer’ didn't feel much of that at all. Here's why

Phone's in my hand, how does it feel?

Remember the slim candybar Xpressmusic 5310? The 5800 has the black and red colours of the family, but wait, it is not that shiny! Not that it matters much to me but it may to an average user who is looking for pure flaunt maal. It is thick, plasticky and instead of being wider, its actually longer -- inadequate design. Turn the device to its side, and there's the hard lock switch.

With the hard switch you can be rest assured that your phone is really locked away in your pants! I have used the iPhone, and while the "slide to unlock" is pretty cool, it doesn't like me very much sometimes! The call buttons are also put as “actual” buttons on the outside. Since I am so used to a Nokia interface, this was just great. Familiarity breeds customers, doesn't it?

How good is the touchscreen?

Size of screen: 3.2 inches. Now that you know that, let’s get to how good the touchscreen is. And trust me, this is a tricky thing to explain, so keep up with me on this one! The touchscreen is very responsive, in terms that the screen understands every movement of your finger on it. One touch will get you to your desired location on the phone, but only the second click activates the function.

Why a DOUBLE CLICK? One wasn't good enough for you? You can navigate with your fingers or with the additional stylus (subtext: plastic stick!). Here I am trying to keep 10 fingers in control, and I had to get another plastic stick to keep a check on?

Music Menu

The music menu is similar to any other Nokia with the menu speed of a horse on a racetrack! The menu speed is not song-by-song, but more like 10 songs by 10 songs! Took me forever to find my favourite Metallica track!

The biggest disappointment of all was the accelerometer. Bad in terms, that it is a little too sensitive!

Is the multimedia capability good?

As for storage, the phone has lots: 8GB. Also, multimedia is one space where Nokia can never go wrong. Music capability is simply great, in terms of storage, sound quality, everything! It comes with a 3.5 mm jack, so you can plug in your favourite headphones! I did try to put in my iPod headphones, and surprisingly the phone gave me a message" Accessory not supported!"

Now that's what I call rivalry man! Music management is easy with drag and drop! The 3.2 MP is good for your MDKs (Mobile Kodak moments!) and so is the video recording. All good on that front.

Talking about OS

The Symbian S60 OS, the most stable OS that Nokia ever made adorns Touch Xpressmusic. But shouldn't they have changed it for the touchscreen? The OS and the touch just don't go that great together.

Although the interface is simple, it is no different than my current Nokia. If it’s not different from my current Nokia, then why do I buy it? Simple. It makes me look cool.

Touch Add-ons

It has got Bluetooth, Nokia maps, USB transfer, memory card slot, good battery life… and blah blah (should we redirect you to the Nokia site yet?) All this is good. Top notch!

Finally, who is the phone made for?

The ultimate question: Who is going to buy this touch phone: smartphone users or the touch junkies? 

I would say a category that comes right between the two. It is a perfect phone for a first-time user who is desperately looking for a touch phone that doesn't take him out of his sweet familiar space. Oh yeah, It costs Rs 22,000. Reason enough, oh first time user?

BARCELONA: South Korean electronics group Samsung showcased its first solar-powered mobile phone at an industry event in Barcelona, promising a commercial launch later this year.

The sleek-looking, touch-controlled "Blue Earth," the centerpiece of Samsung's drive to be more environmentally friendly, has solar panels on its back which the company claims are able to charge the battery in 10-14 hours.

This would offer approximately four hours of talk time, a company representative said at industry event Mobile World Congress where the phone is on display for the first time.

The device, expected to be launched in Europe in the second half of 2009, can also be charged normally via a plug, with the solar panels used to top up the battery to extend its power.

Fellow South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics also has put a prototype solar-powered phone on display here but the company has no launch date or name for the device.

Industry watchers say the market for a solar-powered phone would include outdoor types in developed countries such as fishermen or campers who head into the wilderness without access to electricity.

If the price was low enough, Samsung has not revealed details yet, such a phone could also help link up the millions of poor worldwide who live either without or with very limited access to electricity.

Did you know that there is actually a word that describes fear of wealth, and that it’s ‘Plutophobia’? Or that a kid who’s afraid of school may be suffering from a touch of ‘Scolionophobia’?

You will find these and many more words describing particular fears at today’s resource, which lists virtually the entire A-Z of human phobias on one, long page. While this site will certainly enhance your awareness, this huge repository of phobias may just give you ‘Logophobia’ – the fear of words!

If you’re the forgetful type, here’s a simple little tool for you. ‘Urge Me’ is a service that allows you to set a self-reminder in three steps: Type out your email address; specify the job; and select the date to do it by. The site will then send you periodic reminders to ensure you finish your tasks on time.