Dell Cell?

ONE OF THE more interesting announcements at this year's CES was Dell announcing its presence in the smartphone market with the Mini 3i.

The Android powered device was shown at a private event away from the show floor amidst little fanfare. The device will first see action in China and that's the device we played around with.

mini31-backPhysically the Mini 3i looks suspiciously like Google's Nexus One. Dell is adamant that it designed and produced the handset itself and in some places it shows. The device lacks the solid feel of other high-end devices. Different fascias should be available depending on what the network operator chooses to offer.

Weighing in at just over 100 grams it's hardly obese, however the screen isn't the 480x800 resolution we're starting to see on top-end devices. The camera is 3 megapixels, coupled with a useless flash. External storage comes in the form of a microSD slot.

When it was launched, Dell insisted that this isn't just another Android device with a custom skin and that it's made some serious changes to pre-installed applications. Firing up the Mini 3i, it's initially hard see where these serious changes have occurred but slowly you see some modifications.

For China Mobile the obvious difference is the script but aside from that there's a "Flip 3D" home screen which had jerky transitions.

That's not to say the phone is slow because the browser fired up fairly sharpish. For the browser there's multi-touch zooming, like the Iphone. In truth, aside from a few changes it was hard to see how the Mini 3i is drastically different from the Motorola Milestone, Google's Nexus One or the slew of other Android smartphones that are about to hit the market.

mini31-frontDell has said it will work with mobile operators in order to push the Mini 3i.

We saw another version of the Mini 3i with a massively cut down interface aimed at a developing South American nation. The changes were drastic, however it was obvious that the GUI niceties hadn't slowed down the full fat China mobile unit.

Dell has said that the Mini 3i won't be available through Dell Stores and was unwilling to commit whether it'll be available, even with a contract through its own outlets. It's rare that you find a Dell product that isn't being peddled by its own stores.

No details were given about if, when or who will be flogging the Mini 3i in Britain.

Frankly there are too many other handsets either available right now or about to launch soon, which will make it hard for Dell to get a foothold without serious operator discounting, we reckon.