Dell Lighting To Boast Microsoft Windows Phone 7, Sliding Keyboard, Big Display

The Dell Lightning will apparently be among the first models with Microsoft's Windows Phone 7. The models running the upcoming operating system will be high-end, and Dell's offering will be no exception.

It's going to be a slider, with a small portrait-oriented keyboard below its 4.1-inch, WVGA (800 x 480 pixel) OLED display, according to a description that has leaked from Dell.

The Lightning will run Microsoft's next OS on a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 512 MB of RAM. It will supposedly include 1 GB of internal storage and bundled with an 8GB microSD card.

In addition to the standard apps Microsoft is going to include with Windows Phone 7, it also have Adobe Flash Player 10.1.

This GSM device support both AT&T's and T-Mobile's 3G networks and an upgrade to the 4G standard LTE is supposedly coming in 2011. In addition, the Lightning will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Other features will reportedly include a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera, GPS, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, an FM tuner and a 1400 mAh battery.

Overall, it will be 4.8 x 2.5 x 0.6 inches (122 mm x 64 mm x 15 mm).

In Time for Christmas?
Microsoft has said that the first Windows Phone 7 models will be on the market in time for the holiday shopping season, and the Dell Lightning will allegedly be among them.

There is no word yet on whether AT&T, T-Mobile or both will offer this high-end device or what they will charge.

A Return to the Microsoft Fold
Dell has unveiled several models running Google's Android OS, but the Lightning will apparently be its first smartphone with Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.

In the early part of the decade, Dell was a major player in the handheld computer market with its Axim series, which used Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS. However, the company dropped out for several years as interest in traditional handhelds waned and the market switched to smartphones.

Source: Engadget