Dell May Finally Be Close to Releasing a Smartphone

Dell is reportedly considering releasing either Windows Mobile or Android smartphones, with an announcement possibly coming next month.

Several anonymous sources have told the Wall Street Journal that Dell has had people working on this project for more than a year, talking to software developers, component makers, and device manufacturers.

The group has reportedly created prototypes in a couple of the standard smartphone designs: a slider with a hardware keyboard, and a tablet with a touchscreen and an on-screen keyboard. There's no word on whether Dell prefers one of these over the other.

The question of which operating system to use may come down to which potential market Dell executives are targeting. A Windows Mobile device would have a greater appeal to business users, while an Android-based one would be more consumer oriented.

Coming Next Month?

Just because this has been looking into a "Dellphone" doesn't automatically mean that it's going to release one. It reportedly canceled plans to release a wireless MP3 player not too long before its launch.

If this project gets approved, this device could be announced at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow, which will be held next month.

A Bit of History

In the early part of this decade, Dell was a major player in the handheld computer market with its Axim series. However, the company dropped out as interest in traditional handhelds waned and the market switched to smartphones.

Since that time, there have been unconfirmed but persistent reports that Dell is prepping a smartphone, especially after it hired Ron Garriques, a former Motorola executive, to be the head of its consumer group.

Garriques has supposedly been under a non-compete clause with Motorola, but that expires next month.

via Wall Street Journal