From now on, “a Dell” can also refer to a smartphone. On Tuesday, the computer maker started selling its first smartphone in the U.S., the Aero.
The new device utilizes Google’s open-source Android operating system, has a 3.5-inch 640×360 touchscreen with pinch-to-zoom functionality, and is available for $99 with a two-year AT&T contract, or $299 by itself.
Android, Version 1.5
Ron Garriques, president of Dell Communications Solutions, emphasized the social orientation of the new device, which, he said, will “help people find new ways to connect with friends and express themselves socially.”
Features in the new device include handwriting recognition, support for Exchange e-mail with Active Sync, the Quick Office productivity app, a management tool for searching, Facebook with integrated calendar and contacts, Twitter, Google apps such as YouTube, 2GB of internal memory, a single-click upload to social-networking sites, and access to the Android Market.
There’s also a five-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, a customized user interface, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), and Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz). The five-megapixel camera has 8x zoom and flash, as well as a dedicated camera key and what the company described as “advanced shooting and editing capabilities.” User-accessible microSD offers expandable memory up to 32GB, and there’s a full HTML browser.
The smartphone uses the 1.5 version of Android, and Dell hasn’t yet confirmed when the most recent version, 2.2, will be available. Some Dell watchers have wondered why the company is releasing the device with a not-quite-up-to-date OS. Dell has said the company developed “a tremendous amount of customization and features” on top of the 1.5 version, so the Aero actually offers a “superset of 1.5.”
Flash, Streak
Dell previously released the Mini 3i smartphone in China, although the company hasn’t said how well that product fared. The Aero was announced by Dell in March.
Like many other Android-based products, the…