Acer Betouch keeps you in touch

WITH A SHOWER OF SELF PRAISE, Acer has launched the Betouch smartphone.

Acer said at CES in Las Vegas that the Betouch E210, which we should remember is a mobile phone, has a refined design that is characterised by its rounded body and thin shape.

Pausing to draw breath and have a sip of its own kool-aid, the firm added that the phone has a "Forever perfect grip" and is an example of style and practicality. It also has a convenient small size and, if we hadn't worked it out yet, is compact, linear and professional. But it's still just a mobile phone.

Convenient size, for those not in the Acer in crowd, starts at around the 116mm mark for width and about 100g for weight.

Acer also made something of the fact that it combines a touchscreen with a Qwerty keyboard, the Android 2.2 Froyo OS, and an optical trackpad. In fact, Acer said that it is one of only a handful of phones with these features, which we guess it can be proud of.

The company further said that the Betouch was designed specifically for those people that want "To join the fantastic world of the touchscreen phone without giving up the convenience of a conventional keypad". Fantastic indeed.

By this time the firm was apparently feeling more confident and flushed with its success, so it added that the handset permits maximum ergonomics, and is "the best choice for" messaging, sharing, and browsing. Predictably enough, it includes a decent 3.2MP camera as well as 3G+, HSDPA, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.

Acer did not suggest that the Betouch handset will also cure rheumatism and treat snake bites, but we were almost expecting something like that.

The Betouch smartphone, Acer's latest gift to mobile mankind, will be released in the UK in March, but pricing is yet to be provided. µ