Despite all the big fuss over the Apple iPhone, the smart phone industry is saturated with the Android operating system. Of course, the fact that the open source mobile platform is not tied down to just one manufacturer is key reason why the OS is so well distributed, and why it has gained so many users in so little time.

Now, another smart phone has just been added to the growing list of Android handsets: the Acer beTouch E130. We already know that Acer has been making Android devices –the Liquid series is basically their high end line for the Google OS. The beTouch E130 on the other hand has been designed for the mid to low range smart phone users. Since not everyone is willing to spend so much for a phone, it is great to have a good alternative that is available at a budget price.

Despite the slow 416MHz CPU, the E130 will still perform well (as seen with similar handsets running Android 1.6 Don’t), and the addition of the front facing QWERTY keyboard also gives the device an added charm as it makes typing messages and long emails a lot easier. Overall, this handset is a great phone to have for anyone looking for a cheap Android smart phone that does not lose out in functionality.

In other upcoming Android smart phone news, there have been some leaked images of three Sony Ericsson handsets. The Shakira, W150 TeaCake and a yet to be named 5 inch touch screen smart phone have been shown to running the Android OS. As one might expect, the device with a 5 inch display is a high end Android (it even comes with a slide out QWERTY keyboard and can tilt to be used as a mini netbook). The Shakira and TeaCake are reported to be based on the XPERIA series.