What Fits In Your Pocket, Runs Android, But Isn't A Smartphone? Ask Dell
If reports about Dell developing a mobile device feel like deja vu, they should. Dell seems to constantly be trying to develop a portable device that it can put in the hands of its customers.
What may be most interesting about the latest round of Dell mobile device rumors is that this device isn't a phone. It will reportedly operate using Google's Android OS but won't be able to place phone calls. Dell smartphone rumors have been swirling since at least January. Google Android will, of course, be the OS of choice in those as well. And if that's not enough, Dell is also reportedly experimenting with the Android OS on netbooks.
The question is: What does Dell plan to do with a mobile device that fits in the pocket, runs Google's Android OS, but isn't a smartphone?
Apple has cornered the mobile music market since the 2001 release of the iPod. Microsoft's Zune, while not at the saturation point of the iPod, is an up-and-comer. Would Dell really try and jump into that market this late in the game?
The other option could be an iPhone without the phone " a sort of Dell iPod Touch. But instead of being used to play music, perhaps Dell is planning on using it as a Web-enabled tablet -- but not tablet PC -- device of sorts, hence the Android OS.
Dell is not known for innovation. Instead, the manufacturer is at its best when it takes a product, strips out the cost and delivers it at an inexpensive price. Developing some sort of a touch-screen tablet could begin to change that perception.