Acer snaps up Glofiish-maker E-Ten for $290 million

It's barely been a month since Acer dropped a big chunk of cash to buy up 75% of Packard Bell, but it looks like the company still had plenty of money left to throw around, as it's now parted with a hefty $290 million to buy up 100% of Glofiish smartphone-maker E-Ten. According to Acer itself, the boards of both E-Ten and Acer approved the deal unanimously, and they expect the acquisition to close sometime during the third quarter of this year. Any other details, however, are expectedly light, including any word on how future devices would be branded, with Acer chairmen J.T. Wang only saying that the "acquisition of E-TEN increases Acer's global footprint by giving us a strong and highly credible presence in the mobility segment." No word on any future moves by Acer just yet but, given its recent spending spree, we wouldn't be surprised if it tried to expand that "global footprint" even further.

[Via Phone Scoop]

[ijyt @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:43PM]

Nooooo, I didn't know they bout PB. I don't like Acer.

[ijyt @ Mar 3rd 2008 2:43PM]

*bought.

[Colin B @ Mar 3rd 2008 4:00PM]

Alright seriously bro, 44 comments in the 5 days that you have been a member? And like 20 on the 9-inch Eee? Do you have a day job or anything, or devote your life to making your presence as omni- as possible on Engadget?

This isn't a chatroom, so take it easy on the volume please...plus you might break the already feeble Engadget comment server.

[jay @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:03PM]

die htc

hopefully now we'll have some quality competetion in the ppc phone arena.

[E71 @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:27PM]

I'm definitely going with an Acer phone if they match/exceed the latest HTC phone's specs. HTC, ya made a real big mess with this missing drivers debacle.

[JC @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:04PM]

Eten is a good, albeit small company. As an M600 owner, I was very happy with the phone, and even continued using it with a headset long after I dropped the phone and broke the microphone on it.

Let's hope Acer doesn't smother them and "assimilate" them the way a lot of mergers have gone in the past.

[Georg @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:16PM]

Hope Acer will find a softwaredeveloper who can fix the bugs of Eten phones!

[Reid B. @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:39PM]

After returning an utter crapfest of a computer that just wouldn't run right, I was cured of Acer. And I find their choice in acquisitions...uh...interesting. What is this, a convergence of crap?

[phanbouy @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:46PM]

nothing says consumer electronics awesomeness than a sea animal with a redundant vowel

[MindstormMaster1 @ Mar 3rd 2008 5:56PM]

O this is great we will soon have

Microsoft
Google
Apple
and Acer

I so hope Google buys up Acer that would be so cool.

O and while Google is at it I hope they buy out Ubuntu to.

[MadMax08 @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:07PM]

What would the point be of Google buying Ubuntu? Google already has gOS, which is in its beta testing, and i believe is based on Ubuntu.

[MindstormMaster1 @ Mar 3rd 2008 7:30PM]

Man you Know NOTHING you are I fool

Google has nothing to do with gOS.

Yes gOS is based on ubuntu but ubuntu is way better.

[skulldriveshaft @ Mar 4th 2008 12:58AM]

Acer is following ASUS?

Anyways, I haven't seen an Acer product for 10 years, are they banned from major metropolitan areas?