Acer's first Android handset, the A1, has finally gone up on pre-order, this time from Expansys. However, for some odd reason it's not listed on any of the English language Expansys websites at the time of writing.

The design seems to be near enough identical to the E1 and C1, both in terms of looks and features. However, according to the detailed specifications provided by Expansys, it seems like the A1 has been given what is at least for now, the fastest CPU in an Android handset thanks to the 768MHz Qualcomm 8250 processor.

The A1 shares the same 512MB of ROM and 256MB of RAM as the E1 and C1, but the screen is slightly larger at 3.5-inches rather than 3.2-inches and it's also good to see that the resolution has been bumped to WVGA (800x480 pixels) from WQVGA (400x240 pixels).

Other features improvements include tri-band 3G support, although rather than supporting the 900 and 2,100MHz band of the C1, the A1 operates on the 850, 1,900 and 2,100MHz bands which should make potential US buyers happy. Another plus for the A1 is built in 802.11b/g WiFi which its Windows Mobile siblings lack. The camera has also been given an upgrade to 5 Megapixels and Acer also fitted the A1 with a more powerful 1,350mAh battery.

Common features with the E1 and C1 includes Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, A-GPS, a micro SD card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack.The A1 measures 115x62.5x12.5 mm (HxWxD) which makes it slightly taller and wider than the E1 and C1, yet it manages to be a smidgen thinner. At 135g it's also slightly heavier than its Windows Mobile counterparts.

The Acer A1 is listed for €389.99 ($570) which seems a little bit steep, especially considering that the C1 is some €120 cheaper, albeit offers less features. However, we'd expect the price to come down once the handset has launched. You can find the Expanys.de product page here