Specs leak of Dell's first smartphone
updated 02:10 pm EDT, Fri August 14, 2009
Dell mini3i specs leaked
Full, albeit unofficial specs of Dell's mini3i smartphone have been leaked, answering nearly all questions about its first handset. The Android-powered phone will reportedly be more advanced than most Android phones with a 3.5-inch, 640x360 display as well as one of the first implementations of multi-touch on the Google platform. If so, the launch might come before the formal release of Android 2.0, which is rumored to get official multi-touch support.
Otherwise, the phone will be on par with devices like the Magic with a 3-megapixel camera that supports autofocus and video as well as GPS; Wi-Fi isn't mentioned, however, and is likely absent due to Chinese restrictions on the format. The government-backed Open Mobile System interface appears to be onboard and partly mimics the iPhone's interface.
The mini3i could be released within days, but despite quad-band GSM and EDGE support is unlikely to reach the US as-is given the company's failed attempt to launch a phone in the US earlier this year. Dell has regularly tried to compete with Apple in the handheld device space but has had no response to the iPhone; its Axim PDAs had no phone functionality and were canceled as the PDA market thinned out two years ago. [via BGR]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2009
No WiFi, No Sale
Not introducing the phone in the USA is a smart move on Dell's part. A smartphone without WiFi is a non-starter at this point.
WiFi gives you the choice in whether or not to get a data plan. After all, if you are normally in environments that have WiFi, why pay for a data plan?
In a recession, saving $30 /mo/phone is not trivial.