Acer Preps U.S. Smartphone Debut With $80 Liquid M220 Running Windows Phone 8.1
Acer already has a major presence in the United States, but up until now, it hasn't tried competing in the smartphone market on U.S. soil. That's about the change. As we head into the weekend, Acer announced that it's expanding its smartphone business stateside with the launch of its Liquid M220 handset in Microsoft Stores.
The Liquid M220 is Acer's first Liquid-branded handset to run on the Windows Phone 8.1 platform. It will also be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows Phone 10 when it comes out, presumably by the end of summer. In the meantime, Liquid M220 owners can enjoy Windows Phone 8.1 and supported software and services like OneDrive, Skype, Office, and Cortana.
Though Acer's looking to make a good first impression, it decided against a flagship handset. Instead, the Liquid M220 brings to the U.S. smartphone market a 4-inch WVGA (800x480; 233 pixels per inch) display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 dual-core processor clocked at up to 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage + microSD card slot, 2-megapixel fixed focus front camera, 5-megapixel auto-focus rear shooter with LED flash and 89-degree wide-angle lens, and a 1,300 mAh battery good for up to 3 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours in standby.
That's not exactly high-end, though neither is the price tag. Budget phone shoppers will be able to pick up the relatively nice looking Liquid M220 from Microsoft Stores and MicrosoftStore.com in June for $79.99 MSRP. It will be available in Mystic Black or Pure White.
The Liquid M220 is Acer's first Liquid-branded handset to run on the Windows Phone 8.1 platform. It will also be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows Phone 10 when it comes out, presumably by the end of summer. In the meantime, Liquid M220 owners can enjoy Windows Phone 8.1 and supported software and services like OneDrive, Skype, Office, and Cortana.
Though Acer's looking to make a good first impression, it decided against a flagship handset. Instead, the Liquid M220 brings to the U.S. smartphone market a 4-inch WVGA (800x480; 233 pixels per inch) display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 dual-core processor clocked at up to 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage + microSD card slot, 2-megapixel fixed focus front camera, 5-megapixel auto-focus rear shooter with LED flash and 89-degree wide-angle lens, and a 1,300 mAh battery good for up to 3 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours in standby.
That's not exactly high-end, though neither is the price tag. Budget phone shoppers will be able to pick up the relatively nice looking Liquid M220 from Microsoft Stores and MicrosoftStore.com in June for $79.99 MSRP. It will be available in Mystic Black or Pure White.
