We are all aware that Acer is one of the many companies planning to dip their hands in the telecom industry and apparently with this announcement, people who feel that they were just rumors may finally take Acer seriously. Mobile distributor Data Select and IT distributor Micro P will distribute Acer’s smartphones as the manufacturer attempts to break into the mobile handset market. Discussions with operators are still ongoing.

The manufacturer revealed four Windows Mobile handsets at Mobile World Congress this year in Barcelona named the M900, F900, X960, DX900. The handsets will come with the new Windows Mobile 6.5 software.

Acer bought fellow Taiwanese manufacturer E-TEN in March 2008 in a clear bid to go for the mobile phone market. There are 10 smartphones set for this year. Acer has already released prices of two low-end smart phones costing just €49 (£43). The handsets are codenamed the C1 and E1.

(Source) Mobile Today

Tags: Barcelona, Cell Phones, handset market, Mobile News, mobile phone market, mobile world, smart phones, smartphones, software acer, taiwanese manufacturer, telecom industry, windows mobile handsets, world congress

Here is another big blow for businesses who are getting big bucks by partnering with Nokia. Nokia has reportedly decided that it would not use any more outside contract manufacturers for the fabrication process of its phones. According to the company, due to weak global demand on the phone market, it would stop outsourcing its production to Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers or to Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs).

Back in 2008, the Finnish mobile phone maker outsourced around 17 percent of the manufacturing volume of its mobile phone engines. The outsourcing included phones and the software that enabled its basic operations, while the companies involved were Foxconn International Holdings, BYD, Elcoteq and Jabil Circuit. Nokia’s announcement is bad news for contract manufacturing and mobile handset businesses, yet it shows that the company is able to adjust according to changing market demand.

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Samsung seems to be following the lead of Nokia as far as targeting a different market segment. Since Nokia shifted towards mass producing low-priced phones, Samsung has set its sights on the same niche amidst the economic downturns to reduce global handsets this year.

Expanding the low-priced phone shipment, Samsung’s Handset average sales price (ASP) will be expected to decrease continuously while its handset ASP in 2008 decreased 10% compared with the previous year.

“In the global handset market, the demand will be polarized with high-end and low-end phones, not mid-tie,” Samsung said. In addition to low-priced phones, Samsung will focus on expanding the smartphone market with double its smartphone lineup to cope with high-end market competition.

(Source) Telecoms Korea

Tags: Business, Cell Phones, handset market, Nokia, Samsung, Samsung