Acer Set to Launch Inexpensive Windows Phone Handset in Europe This Year

If you’ve been looking to get your hands on a Windows Phone device but the current crop is just too darn pricey, then Acer may have just the thing to add to your wish-list this Christmas. The Taiwanese company is set to launch an inexpensive Windows Phone smartphone in Europe later this year.

Dubbed the ‘Allegro’, Acer’s device is expected to launch at around €299 (approx. $407/£260) without a carrier commitment. That means that with carrier subsidies, the device could be incredibly cheap. It will boast 8GB of internal memory, a 3.6-inch display, and will come in black and white. It has very basic specifications — Microsoft’s bare minimum — but according to The Next Web, but it could be huge for Windows Phone:

Here’s the reason why this matters: Microsoft has managed to very effectively convince developers to build for Windows Phone. It has done a great job lining up partners, and carriers. But when it came time to find buyers, little has, seemingly, changed. This phone in and of itself is a small piece of a larger Holiday sales game that Microsoft is playing, but it could be a cornerstone; a cheap phone all over Europe could bump sales up noticeably. So when the dust settles, this phone could have been a real player.

It makes perfect sense. Windows Phone is an awesome smartphone platform, but at the moment, it’s not easily accessibly for everyone because the devices aren’t cheap. So for the “non-techy crowd,” as The Next Web describes them, the Acer Allegro could finally open the doors to Microsoft’s platform.

I’m very excited about the Acer Allegro, and I hope it will spawn a number of inexpensive Windows Phone handsets from other manufacturers.

What do you think about a ‘budget’ Windows Phone from Acer?