Dell confirms entry into smartphone market

Dell has signed deals with China Mobile and Claro in Brazil

Dell has confirmed long-standing rumours that it is getting into the smartphone market. The vendor said that it will launch its Mini 3 handset in China and Brazil, two of the fastest growing markets for handsets.

Dell did not reveal launch dates or specifications for the handset, but it is likely to be an entry-level platform using Intel hardware.

"Our entry into the smartphone category is a logical extension of Dell's consumer product evolution over the past two years," said Ron Garriques, president of Dell Global Consumer Group.

"We are developing smaller and smarter mobile products that enable our customers to take their internet experience out of the home and do the things they want to do whenever and wherever they want."

The firm has already signed deals with China Mobile and Claro in Brazil.

"As a leading innovation company in Brazil, Claro is proud of being the first wireless carrier in the world offering the 3G version of Dell's smartphone. This confirms the Brazilian market strength and Claro as a leading actor in introducing new technology products and services to the country," said Claro president João Cox.

Dell's move lets it build sales without entering the highly competitive US and European markets, where operators were apparently unimpressed with Dell's offering earlier in the year.

"This is an odd decision because superficially the business case is dubious; how can a company with limited mobile device experience hope to make an impression on a handset market which is owned by a few mega vendors each of [which] ships tens to hundreds of millions of units a year," said Nick Jones, a vice president at Gartner Research.

"The conspiracy theorists, however, have an explanation. Some suggest that this isn't about Dell but about Intel. Intel needs to line up some vendors to use the new Medfield and Moorestown chips in smartphones.

"They don't have much leverage with big mobile vendors like Nokia and Samsung, but they do have a lot of leverage with PC vendors like Dell."