Hasta La Gadget!

Looks like Acer may release a smartphone this year after all. The company has announced the Liquid A1, an Android-powered touch screen smartphone. It’s also the first Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered Android device, with a 1 GHz clock speed that should banish all talk of sluggish user interface response.

As SlashGear reports, the Snapdragon processor also means the Liquid A1 will support accelerated 3G graphics. The Liquid A1 will come preloaded with Android 1.6. So far, we know about a few other Snapdragon devices, including the Toshiba TG01 and the drool-worthy HTC HD2–but those devices run Windows Mobile instead of Android, the report pointed out.

The Liquid A1 will feature WVGA resolution; Acer’s own proprietary UI; a geotagging 5-megapixel camera; and Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Picasa, and Flickr integration. No word yet on a price, release date, or even country–though this signals we may see 1GHz smartphones in the U.S. sooner rather than later.

The Android-powered HTC Hero smartphone is now available on Sprint, according to eWEEK. It also faces tough competition.

The Hero joins the BlackBerry Tour 9630, the Palm Pre, and the HTC Touch Pro2, giving Sprint subscribers four powerful, capable smartphone choices.

The HTC Hero features HTC Sense, an interesting UI overlay that combines with the capacitive touch screen to make an eminently usable phone. As we found in our review, it’s not the fastest performer, and it’s a little buggy. But it includes a 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, 3G Rev A, and plenty of multimedia capabilities.

Look for the HTC Hero in Sprint stores or online for $179.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates.

Now this is killer: HTC has unveiled the HD2, a Windows Mobile 6.5-powered smartphone that’s just 0.4-inches thick. That’s despite its enormous 4.3-inch, 480-by-800-pixel capacitive touch display and next-generation 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile CPU. (That display is almost an inch bigger than the iPhone’s 3.5-inch panel.)

The HTC HD2 will be the first Windows Mobile smartphone to feature multi-touch. HTC also outfitted the HD2 with HTC Sense, the company’s less-radical, alternative interface to TouchFLO 3D that made its debut on the Android-powered HTC Hero. Whatever interface it has, that processor should make Windows Mobile 6.5 fly.

Like other Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets, the HD2 will also let users browse, buy, and download new apps from Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The device includes a 5-megapixel camera, a proximity sensor that prevents false screen touches when on calls, and an optional car kit for better in-car GPS navigation.

The HD2 will land later this month on several carriers across Europe, before “rolling out to other regions in the coming months.” Here’s hoping.

Kempler & Strauss has launched the W PhoneWatch, which it claims is the world’s smallest GSM quad-band cell phone watch, along with the Communicator, a Bluetooth hands-free device.

Like just about everything these days, Kempler & Strauss bills the W PhoneWatch “ideal for individuals with an active lifestyle.” In K&S speak, that means a 1.5-inch, 128-by-128-pixel touch screen, a camera, a video recorder, an MP3 player, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot that works with 4GB cards.

The W PhoneWatch also includes a bevy of PIM apps, including a calendar, address book, a calculator, and stopwatch, plus the usual SMS, voice mail, speed dial, and a vibration mode that must feel great on your arm.

The Communicator, meanwhile, sports a suspiciously short range of 16 feet (most Bluetooth devices list 33 feet these days). It also works with MP3 files–could be great for wireless podcast listening–and features a noise-canceling mic and internal windscreen. The W PhoneWatch lists for $199 and is available via K&S dealers nationwide; no word yet on a release date or a price for the Communicator.

AT&T and HTC have unveiled the HTC Tilt 2 and the HTC Pure, two Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones that could potentially signal a comeback for Microsoft’s eroding market share in the wireless industry.

The HTC Pure is essentially a successor to the Touch Diamond, but with a larger, higher-resolution (480-by-800-pixel) screen and a 5-megapixel camera. The Tilt 2, meanwhile, is a spiritual successor to the popular, two-generations-old QWERTY-equipped AT&T Tilt–which HTC had also built, although it wasn’t branded as such, along with last year’s Fuze. The Tilt 2 now includes a 3.6-inch touch screen and a 3.2-megapixel camera.

Both devices feature HTC’s TouchFLO 3D interface, which offers a smooth interface for basic tasks like browsing the Web, managing contacts, and listening to music. Windows Mobile 6.5 itself is a significant update, with direct access to the new Windows Marketplace for Mobile app store and Microsoft’s My Phone service. Its refreshed interface is largely irrelevant with these two devices, though, since HTC grafted TouchFLO 3D on top.

The HTC Pure will be available online today and in AT&T stores for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. The Tilt 2 will cost $299.99 after mail-in rebate and with contract when it arrives in the next several weeks.