Jul. 30, 2009 (China Knowledge) - Taiwan-based Acer Incorporated, the world's third-largest PC brand, on Wednesday denied the rumor that said the firm will not launch any new netbooks in the second half of this year due to the weak demand of Android-based netbooks, sources reported.

A representative of Acer said the firm did not change its plan to launch a new version of its Aspire One netbook in the third quarter, which will run Google's Android mobile operating system.

The upcoming Android-based netbook model will be equipped with an Intel Atom microprocessor and a 10-inch display. Currently, Acer has similar netbook models with Windows XP OS.

Acer showcased a dual-OS netbook model running both Windows XP and Android in Computex Taipei last month. However, the firm's executives said the Android-based Aspire One netbook would not have Windows XP installed.

It was also reported that Acer will continue to reduce budget in netbook relevant marketing and R&D activities. As for the second half of this year, Acer will mainly focus on super slim notebooks and will provide high performance notebook products with independent graphics cards, said the company.

Separately, ASUSTeK Computer Inc also has plans to launch Android-based netbooks in H2 2009, and it is estimated that the products will not be available until the end of October.