Asustek Computer plans to launch 13-25 own-brand handsets in 2008, with 80% of the new handsets to be 3G models, according to Benson Lin, president for Asia Pacific business unit at Asustek.

Asustek also aims to ship 250,000 own-brand handsets in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming year as compared to 100,000 units projected for 2007, said Lin, noting that Asustek will also venture into the handset market in China in the first quarter of 2008.

As compared to the 400,000 own-brand handsets sold in the Asia Pacific and Taiwan markets in 2006, Asustek’s sales of own-brand handsets in the region this year are lower as the company has been focusing its efforts on the development of Windows Mobile-based devices, the Chinese-language Commercial Times quoted Lin as saying.

Asustek’s planned strategy for its handset business is in contrast to the one adopted by BenQ which went through a similar rebirth early this September.

In the case of BenQ, the majority of R&D staff remained at the ODM company, Qisda, which since then has targeted the telecom sector in Western Europe as its major market, while the new BenQ focuses on marketing own-branded handsets in Eastern Europe and China.