Next week's Mobile World Congress is shaping up to be a spectacular event for mobile phone fans, as computer manufacturers reveal they are getting in on the smartphone action.

The immense popularity of smartphones has grown over the last year, thanks to continued development of new phones and platforms - like Apple's 3G iPhone and Research in Motion's coveted BlackBerry range - and it seems that computer companies are now considering helping themselves to a slice of the smartphone pie.

Laptop company Acer will be launching its first ever smartphone at the Mobile World Conference next week, a device that is very similar to the Glofish DX900 - which was manufactured by a company Acer acquired last year. According to tech news site vnunet, Acer's upcoming offering is likely to share many features with the DX900 - like its 2.8 inch VGA touchscreen.

Also expected is Windows Mobile 6.1 and space to hold two sim cards for switching between business and personal setups - as well as being able to surf the net and make a call at the same time as the cards can connect to different networks.

Acer is not the only computer manufacturer making an appearance at the MWC. Rumour has it that popular desktop and laptop maker Dell will also reveal its own smartphone device, though the company has not confirmed this yet.

The Mobile World Congress will take place in Barcelona February 16-19.

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