Dell introduced the Android-running Aero smartphone, calling it its first U.S. smartphone � a designation that puts the Streak in clear tablet terms. With an AT&T contract, the Aero is just $99.99.
The Dell Aero is now available on the AT&T network, Dell announced Aug. 24. The smartphone, which Dell is calling its first in the United States, runs version 1.5 of Google�s Android mobile operating system, also known as �Cupcake.� It�s priced at $100 with a two-year AT&T contract, or $300, via the Dell Website without a contract.
The launch of the Aero follows the Aug. 13 debut of the Dell Streak � a �hybrid� device that in size and pricing is something of a large smartphone or a small tablet. The Streak is also available on the AT&T network, or unlocked at an unsubsidized price. With the Aero, however, there�s no second-guessing � it�s a smartphone all the way.
�The Dell Aero is built with a focus on style and performance to help people find new ways to connect with friends and express themselves socially, supported by the nation�s fastest mobile broadband network,� Ron Garriques, president of Dell Communications Solutions, said in a statement.
Long and lean, the Aero measures 4.8 by 0.46 by 2.28 inches and weighs just 3.67 ounces. By comparison, the Streak measures 6 by 0.4 by 3 inches and measures 7.7 ounces, and the Apple iPhone (still the measuring stick for all smartphones) is 4.5 by 0.37 by 2.31 inches and weighs 4.8 ounces. It features a 3.5-inch multitouch display (same size as the iPhone) with pinch-to-zoom functionality and a resolution of 640 by 360 pixels. (Last comparison: the iPhone display, notably, is 960 by 640 pixels.)
Staying focused on the Aero, Dell has packed in the features usually arriving on phones at twice the price. The 3G-running Aero supports quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz) networks. There�s also WiFi connectivity � users going for the AT&T contract will receive �free� access to the carrier�s 20,000-plus hotspots � as well as Bluetooth, GPS and assisted GPS.
Dell has included its own user interface on top of Android, and the Aero ships with Quick Office, Facebook, Twitter and a number of Google applications already installed. Facebook and other social-networking apps are additionally accessible with a single tap.
The Aero also comes with a 5-megapixel camera with 8-times zoom, flash, a dedicated camera key, and shooting and editing capabilities. Also on board are a 2GB microSD card expandable to 32GB and support for Adobe Flashlite, a full HTML browser, POP, IMAP and Webmail email accounts, and Microsoft Active Sync Email.
Dell was recently rumored to also have a smartphone called the "Thunder" in the works. While also long and lean and running Android, Engadget reported that the Thunder features a 4.1-inch display and an 8-megapixel camera.
Like rising smartphone giant HTC, Dell appears to have placed its smartphone bets with Android OS, which has proven to be the fastest-growing OS in the country. Dell�s Mini 3 smartphone � the very first phone offering from the Texas PC maker � was introduced in November 2009 and debuted on Brazil�s Claro network and in China on China Mobile.
Dell has not yet shared sales figures for the Streak, and during a conference call to announce revenue for its fiscal 2011 second quarter, executives kept the focus primarily on the company�s commercial business, offering little more than to express that it expects the tablet market to grow, and that there�s major buzz connected with Android.
�Certainly there�s a lot of excitement around Android,� CEO Michael Dell said during the call, �and we�re participating in that.�
EDITOR'S NOTE: The text has been corrected to reflect that the Aero runs Android 1.5, not 1.6.
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