Taiwan's Acer unveils first mobile phones

Taiwan-based computer manufacturer Acer Inc announced a move into the mobile-phone market Monday, unveiling its first range of high-end handsets at an industry event in Barcelona.

The group, best known for its laptops, unveiled eight "smartphones" that have Internet and powerful processing and memory capabilities as well as core phone functionality.

"The smartphone market is a natural direction of our long-term mobile strategy," said Acer Chief Executive Gianfranco Lanci during a press conference at Mobile World Congress.

The first four handsets are expected to go on sale worldwide in March or April, marketing manager Sylvia Pan told AFP.

The touch-screen phones, demonstrated here mostly in black with a design that resembles the top-selling Apple (AAPL) iPhone, will connect to the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection and run with the Windows mobile operating system.