The Dell phone uses Google Inc.’s Android mobile-operating system, said the people briefed on the matter. The phone, like Apple Inc.’s iPhone, has a touch screen instead of a keypad as well as a tiny camera, these people said. Dell’s AT&T phone is similar to a device Dell showed in China in August, but has some different features, they said. The phone for AT&T’s network would be Dell’s first dive into the competitive U.S. cellphone market. Dell is also in discussions about offering the Android device on other U.S. carriers, said the people briefed on the plans. While it is hard to get excited about the prospect of a Dell phone, those following the mobile phone industry have to see the Android platform as a big trend and something that Apple will have to contend with. Gartner sees it passing the iPhone in the next two years, even as iPhone market share grows. While the OS is certainly less polished, the many different configurations and carrier agnosticism are certainly plusses. It is hard not to ask: Is Android the new Windows?
Perhaps it is time Apple starts talking with other carriers?
