Dell To Storm Market With Thunder And Lightning Phones
PC maker Dell looks set to make major push into the smartphone market, after pictures of a number of new phones were leaked online
Dell has become the latest tech vendor to suffer from leaks, after pictures and specifications of a number of its forthcoming arrivals (including Android and Windows 7 powered smartphones plus a tablet device) were leaked online.
The Dell leaks follows the Apple iPhone 4G debacle that resulted in Apple asking for its iPhone prototype back, as well as leaked photos of Research In Motion’s latest operating system for its BlackBerry smartphones (not to mention a new clamshell handset).
Lightning
However now photos and information concerning Dell’s Windows Phone 7-powered portrait slider called the “Lightning” popped up on the technology blog Engadget.
The spec sheet specifies a 1GHz QSD8250 Snapdragon processor, a 4.1-inch display, GPS capability, 1GB of flash with 512MB RAM plus 8GB of storage on a MicroSD card, a compass, accelerometer, and full Flash support.
Looking Glass
The massive leak covered seven products, including the Lightning, as well as several handsets running Google’s open-source Android operating system and a tablet device called the Looking Glass. According to the details of a spec sheet obtained by Engadget, the 7-inch tablet will run Android 2.1 on a Tegra 2 processor, and will include 4GB of flash for storage, a 1.3-megapixel camera and an optional TV tuner module.
Thunder
The Android-powered Thunder smartphone offers a 4.1-inch OLED screen and promises an “integrated web video Hulu app,” streaming radio, an on-board video and a photo editor, as well as full integration with social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.
Aero
The Dell Aero, which comes equipped with a 624MHz Marvell processor, 3.5-inch capacitive multitouch screen and stylus, boasts one-click upload of photos from its 5-megapixel camera to social media sites, Microsoft QuickOffice (with support for ActiveSync and Exchange) and a customizable user interface.
Smoke
Pitched at the mobile office crowd, the Android-powered Smoke is a ways off (Q2 2011) but features a QWERTY keyboard, Qualcomm’s next-generation 800MHz MSM7230 processor, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and VPN access control for secure encrypted connections. The spec sheet also highlights the phone’s elliptical, slim form and stylish design.
Flash
Also included in the deluge of leaked photos and documents were specs for the Android Froyo-powered Flash, scheduled to hit the market next year. Froyo is the next version of Android following 2.1. Features for the Flash include a 3.5-inch WVGA LCD touch screen, 512MB of RAM, Bluetooth 3.0, and a 5-megapixel camera with blink and smile detection, all powered by Qualcomm’s 800MHz MSM7230 chip set.
Again, the company’s documents highlight the sleek build quality of the handset, the customizable nature of the UI and the multitude of social networking features.
