Dell set to launch smartphone

Dell, the world’s second largest PC maker, is hoping to capitalise on the growing popularity of smartphones with the launch of its own handset.

Dell

Chinese mobile operator, China Mobile, yesterday (August 18) unveiled a prototype of the handset which runs Google’s Android operating system.

At this stage however neither company would reveal details of its roll out and the territories it would be available in.

It comes as the Apple iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry continue to grow in demand in spite of consumers reigning in spend during the recession.

Dell’s latest move is a u-turn from comments once made by founder Michael Dell who said that it would not look to enter the mobile phone market due to the market dominance of Nokia and the slim profit margins.

But research company Gartner has revealed that worldwide mobile phone sales totalled 286.1 million units in the second quarter of 2009, a 6.1% decrease from the second quarter of 2008.

In contrast, smartphone sales surpassed 40 million units, a 27% increase from the same period last year, representing the fastest-growing segment of the mobile-devices market.

The research company is also predicting that smartphones will reach 70% penetration in the European market by 2012.

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