According to TechPulse, Michael Dell has confirmed the launch of his company’s first Android phone, the mini 3i, for 2010. The device is rumored to be coming to AT&T and should see a hardware upgrade from the version available in China, namely to add Wi-Fi and 3G support. Smart move, Dell. Launching a phone without those things would just put me over the edge.
The phone wasn’t all that well received when Dell first started shopping the thing around, and it doesn’t look like things have improved. Of course, it’s pretty hard for people to get excited about what looks to be an iPhone/Pre mashup running on Android. If anything had a shot at the iPhone in recent days it was the Pre because Palm had some pretty clear differentiators. Dell doesn’t have that. What it does have, though, is the pure gall to call underwhelming product releases an attempt at competition in essentially every market the company takes part in. As I’ve said before, this will be one long, agonizing death.
