Acer to launch Windows phone at Mobile World Congress show

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Taiwanese computer maker Acer Inc. (宏碁) is set to unveil a new smartphone running on the mobile version of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system, at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Spain next week.

The Windows-based handset will be released alongside Acer's new Android-powered Jade smartphone and a wearable device at the MWC, the world's biggest mobile show scheduled for March 2-5 in Barcelona.

Acer is returning to the Windows phone market more than three years after it released its Allegro, which was a 3.6-inch device that ran on the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system and was sold at NT$11,900 (US$380) in Taiwan.

Acer CEO Jason Chen (陳俊聖) said at a press conference Tuesday that Acer is "one of the few" companies that offer Windows-based devices in all sizes, from smartphones to tablets and notebooks, underlining its close partnership with Microsoft on Windows software.

The release of Windows 10, a cross-hardware-platform operating system, will be a "big initiative" for the PC industry, and Acer would not underestimate the impact on the whole market landscape, Chen said at the press event at which his company launched two new cloud application solutions.

Microsoft is hoping to play a bigger role in mobile devices through the release of Windows 10, which is built on a common core of operating system elements that will work across a variety of devices, including phones, tablets, PCs and ultimately Xbox gaming consoles.

The U.S. software giant released a preview of the Windows 10 mobile version in early February and is expected to officially launch the full version of the operating system in fall this year.

(By Jeffrey Wu)ENDITEM /pc