Acer announced two new Windows phones, plus an overall brand for its smartphone product line. The latest entries in the "Tempo" series are the F900 and M900, which offer 3.8-inch WVGA displays, GPS, HSUPA/HSDPA, and home screens with "3D" widgets, says Acer.
The F900 and M900 are based on 533MHz Samsung processors, Windows Mobile 6.1, and the SiRF starIII GPS chipset, according to the company. Both models include extra-large 3.8-inch displays, with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution.
Apart from their large displays, the F900 and M900 are notable for widget-based home screens that feature a graphical representation of a physical desktop (right). Users can populate their desktops with "3D" icons representing contacts, appointments, photos, and applications. The icons are placed by dragging and dropping them from a "drawer" that pops from the bottom of the screen (see video clip below).
Though Acer didn't say so, this user interface may be a version of Spb Software's Spb Mobile Shell 3.0, which Spb says is being released to manufacturers this month. Spb's earlier version 2.0 was regularly used by E-ten, which was acquired by Acer last year, after which several of its phones were re-badged.
As mentioned, both the F900 and M900 include 3.8-inch WVGA displays. However, the M900 supplements its display with both a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a fingerprint scanner. The fancier M900 also has a five megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, while the F900's camera is 3.2 megapixels, and has no flash, according to Acer.
Acer says both phones use 533MHz Samsung S3C6410 processors and have quad-band GSM connectivity, with support for both HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access and HSUPA (high speed uplink packet access). Also on board are GPS, 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0, according to the company.
Features and specifications listed by Acer for the Tempo F900 and M900 include:
Processor -- Samsung S3C6410 clocked at 533MHz
Memory -- n/s
Display -- 3.8-inch touchscreen with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution
Keyboard -- Slide-out QWERTY keyboard and fingerprint reader (M900 only)
Camera:
5 megapixel (M900)
3.2 megapixel (F900)
Wireless:
WAN -- Quad-band GSM (frequencies n/s), with HSDPA and HSUPA
LAN -- 802.11b/g
PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
GPS
Other I/O:
USB
2.5mm headphone jack
Expansion -- microSD slot
Battery type/life -- n/s
Dimensions:
F900 -- 4.62 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches (117.5 x 63.5 x 12.85)
M900 -- 4.68 x 2.44 x 0.67 inches (119 x 62 x 17.1mm)
Weight:
F900 -- 5.29 ounces (150g)
M900 -- 6.63 ounces (188g)
Background
Acer claims to be the world's third largest vendor for PCs overall, and number two in the global notebook market, with 2007 revenues of more than $14 billion. The company's netbook sales have been a particular bright spot; in the third quarter of 2008, the company's Aspire One had a 35 percent share of netbook sales. Now, Acer President and CEO Gianfranco Lanci (right) has reportedly said he wants smartphones to make up 10 percent of his company's revenue.
The other smartphones in Acer's Tempo line, leaked in advance of MWC, are the following:
The DX900, featuring dual SIMs, a 2.8-inch VGA display, video output, dual cameras, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS
The X960, similar to the DX900 but without dual SIMs
The DX960, an unusual design with a 2.8-inch touchscreen display on one side, plus a numeric keypad and a monochrome OLED (organic light emitting diode) display on the other side
This video demonstrates the Tempo F900's widget-based desktop Source: Engadget Spain (click to play)
Availability
Acer did not release pricing for the Tempo F900 or M900 but said the phones will ship in early April.
The F900 and M900 are based on 533MHz Samsung processors, Windows Mobile 6.1, and the SiRF starIII GPS chipset, according to the company. Both models include extra-large 3.8-inch displays, with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution. 
Acer claims to be the world's third largest vendor for PCs overall, and number two in the global notebook market, with 2007 revenues of more than $14 billion. The company's netbook sales have been a particular bright spot; in the third quarter of 2008, the company's Aspire One had a 35 percent share of netbook sales. Now, Acer President and CEO Gianfranco Lanci (right) has reportedly said he wants smartphones to make up 10 percent of his company's revenue.
