Dell smartphone "coming next month"

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 30 Jan 2009 at 07:39

Dell is plotting a foray into the mobile phone arena as early as next month, in a bid to revitalise a business walloped by crumbling PC sales.

The world's second biggest maker of PCs, which has been designing prototypes for over a year, is focusing on smartphones, according to The Wall Street Journal.

If launched, the phones will be based on Google's Android and Windows Mobile. One model will feature a touchscreen, not unlike the iPhone's, the newspaper claims.

However, Dell has not finalised its plans and may still abandon them, the Journal reports.

Representatives for Dell and Microsoft declined to comment, and Google representatives were not available for comment.

Smartphones are the fastest growing segment of the mobile phone industry. IT consultancy IDC expects smartphone shipments to climb 8.9% globally in 2009, far outstripping a decline in the overall worldwide mobile phone market.

Dell, which lost its mantle of world's largest PC maker to HP about two years ago, has toyed with the idea of selling cell phones since early 2007.

Chief Executive Michael Dell, who returned in 2007 to the firm he founded, has explored new markets, but earlier attempts to diversify into new areas, including a plan to sell digital music players, were dropped.

Dell hired Ron Garriques, Motorola's former mobile phone chief, to re-energise its consumer products division. But, under a non-compete agreement, Garriques was barred from working on mobile phones until February 2009.