Move over iPhone, there's a new player coming to town: Dell is expected to bring a Google Android-based phone to AT&T sometime in 2010, allowing the Roundrock, TX based company to go mano a mano with Apple's iPhone. The Wall Street Journal reported that it would be a touch-screen interface device (no keypad), citing unnamed sourced who were briefed on the product by Dell.
Dell first announced its desire to enter the cell phone market in August, where it showed a device being developed by Chinese manufacturing partners. The Android-based product is, apparently, similar to the product first shown at that time, but it includes a camera, too.
Android is Google's smartphone OS that it licenses to companies like HTC, Samsung, and now Dell. Existing Android phones offer touchscreen interfaces, and can tap into third party apps, though the number of Android apps is currently about 13,000 (according to Androidlib.com, as noted in the comments below), dwarfed by the more than 85,000 iPhone apps on the market.
Dell spokespersons declined to comment to the Journal for this story, but the company did say it was "focused on mobility." Dell was also focused on the digital media device market with the Dell DJ after Apple made such a huge hit with the iPod. The company quietly dropped the product line a couple of years later.
[Edit: The article was updated to accurately reflect the number of Android apps on the market. - Editor]