San Francisco: Dell plans to unveil a smartphone with Google's Android mobile software on carrier AT&T's network. According to a source, this will mark the entry of the PC maker into the competitive U.S. cellphone market.
Being the latest tech manufacturer in the cellphone market, Dell would attempt to make its presence felt in a segment dominated by Apple and Research in Motion (RIM). This planned phone can also improve the share of Google's mobile platform, which competes with Apple's and Microsoft's platforms. A source close to the matter said to Reuters that Dell plans to launch a U.S. version of its 'oPhone' for China and that the device had been certified by AT&T for its domestic network. The Wall Street Journal, which broke the news, cited people who said Dell's phone could be launched as soon as early 2010.
Smartphones are phones that come with an array of complex functions from email to multimedia. They have exploded onto the corporate and consumer market as users increasingly access information and entertainment on the go. Worldwide factory shipments of smartphones are expected to rise to 235.6 million units in 2010, up 27.9 percent from 184.2 million in 2009, according to research firm iSuppli. That is a far cry from a 12.3 percent decline projected for cellphones overall in 2009.
But analysts warn that the world's second largest PC maker would face a tough challenge in a market already crowded with competition. On Wednesday, South Korea's Samsung said it would also begin selling an Android phone through Sprint Nextel's network. Others including Taiwanese rivals Acer and Asustek Computer are moving into smartphones, which tend to offer higher margins than PCs.
