Dell may enter smartphone arena as early as next month
The Wall Street Journal is weighing in on Dell's rumored smartphone offering, adding further weight to rumors predicting the PC maker will enter the arena to take on Apple's iPhone.
Citing sources familiar with Dell's plans, the financial paper reported the Round Rock, Texas-based company has an office in the Chicago area where a group of engineers have been working on the phone "for more than a year."
"They produced prototypes built on Google Inc.'s Android operating system and Microsoft's Windows Mobile software," said the report.
One model has a touchscreen with no physical keyboard, like the iPhone. Another is a slider-style phone with a keypad that slides out from beneath the screen, like the Pre. The report also notes Dell's recent hiring of two former Motorola employees.
"We haven't committed to anything," a Dell spokesman told the Journal, which concluded Dell hasn't finalized its plans and could still give up the effort without releasing a device.
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