Dell is apparently set to enter the smartphone market, offering models running both Windows Mobile and Google’s Android system. The handsets may be on sale as early as mid-February.

There have been rumors of a launch for a couple of years now, but now the Wall Street Journal is reporting specific details. It says:

Dell is focusing on so-called smartphones, higher-end devices that include features like Web browsing and e-mail. One model includes a touchscreen but no physical keyboard, like Apple Inc.’s iPhone. Another is a slider-style phone with a keypad and that slides from beneath the screen.

The report also says Dell will make handsets running both Android and Windows Mobile, though it doesn’t clarify which system runs on the two models detailed. There’s no word on a deal with a network carrier either; without a good deal to subsidize handset costs it will be difficult to compete on price with other major players.

There are also no confirmed details of a launch date, though there’s speculation it could tie-in with next month’s Mobile World Congress trade fair in Barcelona.

How the Dell phones perform in a market will be an interesting lesson in how brands translate to new products. Though both its business and reputation have taken a slide in recent years, historically the Dell brand has been well-known in the mass PC market. Dell does best among computer buyers who don’t want to spend too long researching the best product or the lowest price, and instead are just looking for the first machine they see that does an OK job at an OK price.

Those aren’t necessarily traits which are as valuable in the smartphone markets were many buyers are either looking for the most advanced features or the most fashionable model, neither of which make you immediately think of a Dell. But it’s tough to see what Dell has to offer the smartphone market except for its brand.

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Entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 12:20 pm under Cell phones.

Read more entries by John Lister.
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