Aiming to rapidly expand its share in the global GPS and PDA market, Acer plans to add two Taiwan-based ODM makers, Wistron and Compal Communications, to its supplier list for GPS and PDA devices in addition to Lite-On Technology, according to market sources.
Acer chairman JT Wang said earlier that Acer aims to boost sales of its handheld devices, including GPS devices, GPS-enabled PDAs and PDA phones, to US$1 billion a year.
As part of its plan, Acer will launch two GPS devices (one handheld model and an in-car-use model), one GPS-enabled PDA and one PDA phone in the second half of this year, according to company sources.
Wistron will be Acer's new contract maker for the planned handheld GPS device, which features a 2.8-inch display, with volume shipments to begin this month, said market sources. Lite-On will manufacture the in-car GPS device with volume shipments set to start in the third quarter, the sources added.
Compal Communications is expected to secure Acer's orders for its new PDA phone, in contrast to an earlier report that Quanta Computer is likely to be the contract manufacturer for Acer's PDA phones, indicated the sources.
| Acer's planned launch of GPS/PDA devices for 2H 2006* | ||||
| Item | OS | CPU | Display size(inches) | Contract maker |
| GPS PDA | Windows Mobile 5.0 | Samsung S3C2410 | 2.8 | Lite-On |
| PDA phone | Intel PXA-272 | 2.8 | Compal | |
| In-car GPS |
Windows CE Net 4.2 |
Samsung S3C2440 | 4.0 | Lite-On |
| Handheld GPS | 2.8 | Wistron | ||
Source: Compiled by DigiTimes, June 2006
*Specifications of Acer's GPS/PDA devices are tentatively fixed.
Article translated by Steve Shen and edited by Eric Mah
