By Dow Jones
Dell Inc. (DELL) confirmed plans Friday to launch the Mini 3, a
so-called smart phone designed around Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android
platform.
Dell, Round Rock, Texas, said it will distribute its new smart
phones through China Mobile (CHL), which has more than 500 million
subscribers, and Claro, which serves more than 42 million people in
Brazil as part of the network operated by America Movil (AMX).
More details about the smart phones will be released on a
partner-by-partner basis when the devices are available in stores,
the company said. It expects the Mini 3 to be available through
China Mobile by late November and through Claro by the end of the
year.
"Our entry ... is a logical extension of Dell's consumer product
evolution over the past two years," said Ron Garriques, president
of Dell's global consumer group.
In August, Dell began hinting that it would enter the
mobile-phone market when it showed off a small, mobile device at an
event in China.
Dell said it was the first mobile PC manufacturer to embed China
Mobile's third-generation technology and services into its
netbooks.
Android, the much-discussed software platform developed by
Internet-search giant Google, is part of the Droid handset from
Motorola Inc. (MOT) that reached the market earlier this month.
Dell shares were up less than 1% in recent premarket activity to
$15.48.
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