Dell About to Launch a Smartphone (yawn)

The latest rumor in the tech industry is that computer manufacturer Dell is about to launch a smartphone running the Windows Mobile operating system. Unknown is the sales model Dell intends to use for their new phone. If they use their traditional direct to the consumer model then how does the consumer go about activating the phone with a carrier. Cell carriers have been so far been unwilling to activate or support any cell phone they didn't originally sell. That is supposed to change when Verizon is going to open up their CDMA network to unlocked phones. A deal with Verizon would be a good fit for Dell.

The problem with any upcoming smartphone from Dell is that it's going to be just like every other smartphone running Windows Mobile. It's true that Dell built their company selling PC's that worked and looked like every other PC on the market but in smartphone market Microsoft's operating system doesn't dominate the market. Blackberry with their own operating system is still the market leader.

The best approach is to partner with Google and put some money to speed along development of the Android operating system for smart phones. That's what will make consumers who aren't Blackberry or iPhone fanboys want to buy Dell's smartphones