Microsoft and Acer expand partnership to bring Microsoft services to more customers on more...

REDMOND, Wash., and TAIPEI, Taiwan — Feb. 10, 2016 — Microsoft Corp. and Acer Inc. announced on Wednesday the expansion of their global partnership to bring Microsoft mobile productivity services to more consumers. From the second half of 2016, Acer will begin pre-installing Microsoft services and apps on its portfolio of Android smartphones and tablets. Specifically, customers will benefit from the productivity tools including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype on select Android smartphones and tablets from Acer.

“We’re excited to partner with Microsoft to provide enhanced mobile productivity to our products,” said ST Liew, president of Acer Smart Products Business Group. “By integrating the Microsoft software suite, Acer customers will enjoy productivity on-the-go along with the familiar computing experience on their smartphones and tablets.”

Nick Psyhogeos, president of Microsoft Technology Licensing, said, “We’re pleased that we have been able to enhance the already strong partnership that exists between Microsoft and Acer. Mutually beneficial and collaborative agreements such as this one promote innovation and lead to better products and experiences for consumers.”

Microsoft’s commitment to licensing IP

The patent agreement is another example of the important role intellectual property (IP) plays in ensuring a healthy and vibrant technology ecosystem. Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program in December 2003, it has entered into more than 1,200 licensing agreements. More information about Microsoft’s licensing programs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/iplicensing.

About Acer

Established in 1976, Acer is a hardware + software + services company dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of innovative products that enhance people’s lives. Acer’s product offerings include PCs, displays, projectors, servers, tablets, smartphones, and wearables. The company is also developing cloud solutions to bring together the Internet of Things. Acer employs 7,000 people and ranks No. 4 for total PCs globally (IDC 2014). Revenues for 2014 reached US$10.39 billion. Please visit http://www.acer.com for more information.

About Microsoft Technology Licensing

Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC was formed in 2014 to acquire, manage and license Microsoft’s patent portfolio.

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.

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