Dell has finally confirmed officially that it will enter the smartphone market with its Mini 3, scheduled to launch in China and Brazil before the end of the year.
Rumors about the possibility of a Dell phone have circulated for more than six months, but the U.S.-based computer company had remained quiet about product launches until now.
"Our entry into the smartphone category is a logical extension of Dell's consumer product evolution over the past two years," Dell senior executive Ron Garriques said in an interview with the WSJ. "We are developing smaller and smarter mobile products that enable our customers to take their Internet experience out of the home and do the thing they want to do whenever and wherever they want."
China Mobile subscribers will be able to purchase the phone later this month, while Brazilian Claro subscribers can expect the Dell smartphone before the end of 2009. Phone specifications and additional information about the phone will be released during the China Mobile launch.
China Mobile has 500 million subscribers, with the company offering its 3G mobile broadband technology with select Dell netbooks. Claro has 42 million subscribers in Brazil.
Last month, unconfirmed reports indicated Dell would launch an Android-based phone for AT&T at some point, but nothing has been confirmed.
The smartphone market continues to bring in new CE manufacturers, with Acer, Asus, and Apple well known in the PC and phone industries. Analysts predict smartphone shipments will increase from 184.2 million this year up to 235.6 million by the end of 2010.
