• October 7, 2009

Jumping into the U.S. cell phone market, Dell plans to launch an Android-based smartphone on the AT&T network early next year. According to a Wall Street Journalreport Wednesday afternoon, the phone would have a touchscreen and a tiny camera. There were no details on pricing.

Dell confirmed in August that it's working with China Mobile, China's largest wireless operator, on a new smartphone called the Mini 3i. CrunchGear reported Tuesday that Mini 31, which also runs on Google's Android operating system, is rumored to be coming to the U.S. in the next few months.

The Dell phone would be another coup for Android, giving it distribution through all four major U.S. carriers following Google's pact with Verizon Wireless this week to offer two new Android-powered phones by year's end. Conversely, the choice of Android over Windows Mobile would be a snub of longtime Dell ally Microsoft. Palm announced last month that it was dumping Windows Mobile from future phones in favor of its own WebOS.  --Mark Walsh