David Flynn15 October 2009, 10:10 PM
Reports say the PC powerhouse’s long-awaited Android smartphone will be exclusive to US carrier AT&T , which also enjoys a US stranglehold on the iPhone.
Everyone from Michael Dell to the security guard outside the company’s Austin, Texas headquarters seems to be ceaselessly hammered with the same question: what’s the deal with Dell’s Android-powered smartphone?
Now
The Wall Street Journal claims to have the answer. The deal is that it’ll be released in the US early next year but be available solely on the mobile network of AT&T.
AT&T is of course the same carrier which worked with Apple to develop the iPhone, and was rewarded with US exclusivity for the revolutionary smartphone.
Dell has already announced it will develop handsets for China Mobile, China's largest cellular carrier. Chinese Web site Sina.com snapped some shots of Dell’s
prototype for the China Mobile tie-up, tagged as the ‘Mini 3i’, and it’s speculated that the Android phone will be based on the same platform.
Dell's forthcoming Android phone is said to be based on this prototype model developed for China Mobile
(pics courtesy of Sina.com) The WSJ report cites “people briefed on the plans” as source for the timeline and the AT&T deal. Like the iPhone, Dell’s device will rely on a touchscreen rather than a keyboard. The company is also said to be holding discussions with European carrier T-Mobile.