PC giant Dell launches Android smartphone in US

Paul Nesbitt

Dell has launched its Mini 3 smartphone in the US in a bid to expand its brand into a sector which is fast growing, innovative and profitable, unlike the PC market.

Dell may be the world's second largest PC vendor but the company will find it hard to replicate its position in the smartphone market, where there is a greater emphasis on innovation and hardware design, than in the PC market.

Hardware-wise the Mini 3 doesn't appear to be anything special; it has a 640 by 360 resolution 3.5in screen, a 3 megapixel camera, GPS and Bluetooth.

But neither are Dell's PCs renowned for their hardware specs or design. Dell PCs are bought in large volumes by corporations because they are priced cheaply.

So far Dell has not revealed pricing for the Mini 3 in the US.

Dell has positioned the Mini 3 in the US as 'one of the first Android-based smart phones to run on AT&T' and the rising interest in the Android platform could help Dell win some customers over. On the other hand, it faces competition from Motorola's popular Droid smartphone as well as and Google's own Nexus One.

Dell has already launched the Mini 3 in Brazil and China and the company is planning to offer it in the UK by the end of this year, according to sources.