“Dell reportedly took the wraps off its China-only smartphone project early Monday in China with the launch of the Dell Mini3i, according to the Chinese blog Netease. I’m not sure how this device relates to earlier attempts by Dell to enter the smartphone market, but judging by the Mini3i’s specs, it’s not hard to see why U.S. carriers have so far been unimpressed with Dell’s mobile device efforts,” Ian Paul reports for PC World.

“The biggest downside to the Mini3i is that it is a 2G phone with no 3G or Wi-Fi capability. Reported specs on the Mini3i include a 3.5-inch touch screen with 360 x 640 resolution, mini USB port, SD card slot (no word on maximum storage size) and a 3.2-megapixel camera. Netease also says the Mini3i has no physical keyboard, and runs an Android-based operating system designed by China Mobile called Open Mobile System (OMS),” Paul reports. “The Mini3i’s design is reminiscent of the Palm Pre with its rounded edges.”

Paul reports, “There was no mention of a launch date for Chinese customers, and it’s not clear if a similar device would launch in the United States. Must have features for a U.S.-version of this device are obviously 3G capability and Wi-Fi, without those two basic ingredients the Mini3i wouldn’t be able to gain any traction against some of the more popular smartphones available today such as the iPhone…”

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Dell fails to wow. In related “news,” water is wet.

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