Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/10/08/dell_android/
Dell preps Googlephone for AppleT&T network
Android all around
Posted in Mobile, 8th October 2009 08:43 GMT
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Dell is preparing to launch a Googlephone on AT&T's iPhone-happy US wireless network.
According to sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal [1], the PC seller could introduce its Android-based phone as soon as early next year. This would give Google's open source mobile OS a foothold on all four major US wireless networks. Earlier this week, Google and Verizon Wireless announced [2] a partnership around Android phones, following Googlephone landings on the Sprint and T-Mobile networks.
Dell's Android plan would also put Googly devices on the same US carrier as Apple's iPhone. At the moment, the Jobsian status symbol is exclusively tied to AT&T's (rather overloaded) network.
A Dell Android would also be the PC manufacturer's first foray into the US handset market. The company showed off a handset prototype in China this summer, and according to The Journal's sources, the Android phone is a similar device, offering a touchscreen and a camera.
The Journal also says that Dell is in discussions with other US carriers about the new phone, including T-Mobile. The Deutsche Telekom-owned outfit was the first to offer an Android device, when it introduced [3] the HTC G1 last fall.
In August, Dell said it would produce phones for China Mobile Ltd, China's largest cellular carrier. ®