Acer Joins Open Handset Alliance, Android Phone to Come Late 2009

All signs have been pointing to Acer joining the Android Phone brigade and it's finally official: Acer has announced that they're joining the Open Handset Alliance and bringing an Android Phone to the market by late 2009.

The Open Handset Alliance and its members work towards the develop Android and stay committed to openness. Currently there are over 40 members in the Open Handset Alliance and the number hopes to grow even larger in the future.

With so many Android phone announcements, that 18-20 Android Phones in 2009 prediction is looking more and more likely.

full press release after the jump

London, 1st June 2009-Acer announces its joining of the Open Handset Alliance and expects to launch smartphones based on the Android platform in the fourth quarter of this year.

As a member of the Open Handset Alliance, Acer will work with its members to contribute to the development of the Android platform and bring consumers a far better user experience than much of what is available on today’s mobile platforms. By joining the Open Handset Alliance, Acer demonstrates its support for Android as an open mobile platform and its commitment to Android’s commercial success.

Android is a complete and open mobile phone software stack, featuring an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. It includes everything a manufacturer or operator needs to build a mobile phone. Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer.

There are over 40 members in the Open Handset Alliance, including mobile operators, handset manufacturers, software companies, and semi-conductor companies.