Tantalising images of what purports to be Acer's next, Windows Mobile 5.0-based PocketPC have been tacitly confirmed as genuine by the manufacturer

The snaps, posted on Chinese-language website Mobile1, show a stylish black and silver unit sporting a 3.7in, 65536-colour, 480 x 640 display which takes up most of the device's front panel but for a bezel and a compact navigator and application key cluster.

The handheld pictured with the alleged Acer is a Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox.

Acer yesterday formally launched the n310 and n311 PocketPCs, releasing technical details that confirm specifications posted by Mobile1. The units are powered by a 400MHz Samsung S3C2440 processor backed up with 64MB of RAM. The n310 has 64MB of Flash ROM, while the n311 contains 128MB. Both handhelds provide Bluetooth 1.2 wireless connectivity, but the n311 also includes 802.11b Wi-Fi. Expansion comes courtesy of an SD IO slot, and the PocketPCs can act as USB hosts to allow them to download pictures directly from digital cameras.

Both machines measure 11 x 7 x 1.4cm and weigh 135g. Acer did not say when the n310 and n311 would go on sale, or how much they will cost. ®