Taiwan's Acer to launch 'smartband' wearable device

Taiwan's leading personal computer maker Acer announced Friday that it will debut its first wearable device at the upcoming Computex trade show before shipping the products later this year.

Liquid Leap, a one-inch touch-screen smartband with fitness tracking, phone and SMS notification and music control, will be sold together with the Liquid Jade smartphone in selected markets from the third quarter, Acer said.

Consumers will get a peek at the device at Computex, Asia's largest tech trade show, set for next week in Taipei, the company said.

"With the introduction of the Acer Liquid Leap, Acer now offers a comprehensive range of touch devices from 1 inch to 27 inches in display size for different customer needs," it said in a statement.

Founded by Stan Shih in 1976, Acer was the world's second largest PC maker in its heyday and remains one of Taiwan's best known brands.

But the company's fortunes have worsened in recent years with sales hit by competition from Apple and other rivals. Acer has been struggling to branch into mobile devices to offset shrinking demand for PCs.

Acer declined to disclose its sales target for the new wearable device.

Market tracker IDC said in a report last month that wearable tech is moving beyond a small group of early adopters and going mainstream, as sales are expected to triple this year to 19 million units worldwide.