Acer joins NFC crowd with Liquid Express Android phone

Android 2.3 Gingerbread handset available now from T-Mobile and Orange

Acer is the latest vendor to unveil a smartphone with NFC capability in the form of the Acer Liquid Express, the follow-up to the Liquid handset launched in 2010.

Available now in the UK from T-Mobile and Orange, the Liquid Express runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and boasts a 3.5in touch-screen, Wi-Fi and HSDPA wireless support.

The new handset seems to be an updated version of the original Liquid, with a speedier 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor and 5-megapixel camera.

However, the Liquid Express is Acer's first handset with NFC, which Acer sees as a key enabling technology for applications such as contactless payment. In fact, the firm said that all its future Android smartphones will be equipped with NFC transponders.

"As a technology of the future, NFC is a priority for Acer as it can be used for multiple purposes: payment, transport, tickets, loyalty cards and cultural information," said Allen Burnes, vice president of Acer's Touch Handheld Business Group, who predicted that thousands more applications will follow.

Acer also said it is working with Orange and T-Mobile to make such services widely accessible for Liquid Express users.

The handset is available free on 24-month contracts from both networks, starting on a £15.32 per month tariff from T-Mobile and £20.50 per month from Orange.