Dell, the company that makes the most boring computers to ever leave a Chinese labor camp, has been trying to get in the smartphone game for what feels like an entire lifetime. Funny thing is, Dell used to be known for their personal digital assistants, the Axim lineup, since they has some ridiculously impressive spec sheets. The last Axim launched in 2005 and then 4 excruciatingly long years later the company introduced the Android powered Dell Mini 3. That thing was supposed to be offered by AT&T, but it never hit the market. Then Dell released several devices that weren’t exactly smartphones, but also weren’t tablets; the Dell Streak 5 comes to mind. Anyway, towards the tail end of 2010, back when Windows Phone launched, Dell introduced the Venue Pro. It was delayed, several times, but it eventually hit the market in early 2011 and sadly it was largely ignored. Why? It’s a combination of questionable industrial design, an odd form factor (portrait QWERTY slider), and the fact that no one really wanted a Windows Phone back then.
So what about future Dell smartphones running Windows Phone? According to WP Central, Dell’s going to sit this round out. They had something in the pipeline called “Wrigley” that was purpose built for Mango, but in the end the said screw it and killed the project. The real focus will be on Apollo, the next version of Windows Phone, likely to be called Windows Phone 8. It’ll probably be launched at roughly the same that Windows 8 is supposed to ship. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Dell throw millions of dollars on ads promoting some sort of “buy a new PC and a new phone, all from America’s favorite computer company!” type deal.
That being said, it’s way too early for us to care at this point. By this time next year the real iPhone 5 will be landing on store shelves, Android will have become so advanced that the next Nexus can change your kid’s diapers and walk your dog, and as for Windows Phone—what’s there to say?