Acer has promised to launch its first Android smartphones during the fourth quarter of this year.

The announcement builds on recent comments by Aymar de Lencquesaing, the head of Acer’s phone division, who said last month that the company will launch around ten handsets this year.

He hinted at the time that only one will be based on Android, with the remaining nine running Windows Mobile.

However, Acer’s latest announcement said it would launch Android “smartphones”, plural, during Q4, so perhaps we should expect more than one Android-based device from Acer this year.

Acer’s also joined that Open Handset Alliance, a group of companies, including Google and LG, which combine efforts to develop open standards for mobile devices.

As part of its OHA membership, Acer’s promised to work with the group’s members to contribute to the Android platform’s development. ®