The world’s third largest maker of PCs, Acer, has struck a $290 million deal with E-Ten (makers of the Glofish line of Windows Mobile smartphones) which is expected to complete in the third quarter of 2008. With the worldwide market for smartphones expected to grow by 30% by the year 2011, Acer is expected to fully utilize E-Ten’s strong R&D and its own global market power to establish itself in the growing smartphone market.
Glofish has never been sold in mainstream channels in the United States, however it has received mild popularity in Europe. The GSM/UMTS phones are viewed as high-end alternatives to HTC’s line of advanced smartphones and PDAs.
Acer has recently also acquired Gateway and Packard Bell, in an effort to re-vitalize the company’s business operations, and strengthen their position as a leading PC and consumer electronics manufacturer.
