Dell mobile phone launch just days away?
Mole claims imminent China unveiling
Dell is poised to launch a mobile phone within days, it has been claimed.
A source with “knowledge of the situation” has said that Dell will announce the handset in China within the next day or two, according to a report by website TechCrunch. If the source’s information is correct, the launch will mark Dell’s entry into the mobile phone market.
Aside from saying that the handset is touchscreen operated, the source doesn’t appear to be blessed with much data about the mystery device’s technical specifications.
Michael Dell has previously admitted that his firm is working on small-screen devices, but has always steered clear of defining exactly what he means by that: smartphones, basic phones, internet tablets or whatever.
However, rumours have long been doing that rounds that Dell is secretly working an Android-based smartphone. So it’s entirely possible that this latest news nugget may refer to Dell’s entry into the Android arena. Although China is, admittedly, an odd place to unveil such a phone.
The PC manufacturer has already displayed some willingness to embrace Google’s OS. Back in May, a Dell Technology Strategist released a video blog in which he ran through three versions of the Mini 10v netbook – one of which was running Android’s Cupcake edition. ®
COMMENTS
@Michael C
Don't listen to the others mate.
I used to be brought laptops at the rate of 2 a week by people "which didn't seem to be working right". They were either Dells, or clogged up with Norton anti-virus which could not be removed. Or worse of all, both. I grew to hate them.
Then they started to ship Ubuntu. I was delighted. But an Ubuntu laptop cost more money and had less ram/disk/Ghz as a windows one.
So buggerm. Millenium hand and shrimp.
@Michael C
Interesting comments - not sure fully justified. Head to head the poweredge servers we have had have p*ssed all over the HP (compaq) proliants that a consultant twisted my arm in installing (they were epically awful - every component, + motherboard, was replaced in both boxes in the first 12 months).
WRT to Laptops: we have run Dell, HP, Toshiba and Sony in various forms over past 10 years and all have had their moment but Dell have generally been the ones to last longest / easiest to fix. Batteries were Sony fault.
If you're running a rack nest then maybe enterprise-wise they come up short - I have no idea - but in the SME sector they do just fine.
"Although China is, admittedly, an odd place to unveil such a phone."
Not really. Saves on the shipment cost, I guess. Probably manufactured there. If a customer can get through the Great Firewall of China and order one, then Dell justs pops it in the post, rather than worry about the "Customs" malarkey. Will it fuc*k Nokia? Yep, if it's any good. Pity. (Crocodile tears icon required)
@ Michael C
While I mostly agree with your anti-DELL rant, I have to take issue in regard to DELLs handheld range...
Although made by HTC for DELL, theiR PDAs were always class leading and the last models (The X50v / X51v) remain to this day the highest spec most powerful PDA's ever made and the only PDA's ever built to have 3D accelerated graphics.
If DELL go the same way and have phones built by HTC then they will likely be fairly high build quality / specification with reasonable price point.
Is that a Dell in your pocket...?
I presume it's launching in China because this is the handset that all Western networks viewed as so gawdawful that they couldn't bring themselves to launch it in the West.
If it's anything like their clunky and style-absent laptops, I'm not surprised...
