Acer's First Android Smartphone Due in Q4

Acer plans to launch its first smartphone with Google's Android software on board in the fourth quarter of this year, the company announced Monday.

The world's third largest PC vendor had already said it planned to launch a smartphone running Android software, but had not previously made the time frame so clear. A number of companies have rushed to jump on the Google Android bandwagon on hopes the mobile operating system will gain acceptance by users and help them build market share.

So far, only a handful of companies have announced Android smartphones, including High Tech Computer (HTC), which has already launched three. China's Huawei Technologies and South Korean mobile phone giant Samsung Electronics have already said they're making smartphones that use Android.

Acer also said it will join the Open Handset Alliance, which was formed to promote Android.

Executives at Acer have said their researchers have been working on several different devices for Android.