However, AT&T have confirmed that they – along with Dell – have worked to reskin the Aero’s UI, replacing the standard Android interface.  So far we don’t know the extent of that customization, since Dell have only released a single image of the Aero, nor when we might be able to pick one up.

[via Android Community]

Update: AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega just confirmed that the carrier will offer two Palm webOS device in the first half of 2010 too.

The specific Android handsets AT&T has in mind aren’t mentioned in their press release; however there are a few clues and some assumptions we can make.  The Motorola model is described as “powered by MOTOBLUR, with a unique form factor”, which sounds a lot like the recently glimpsed Motorola Backflip with its distinctive backward-facing QWERTY keyboard.  Meanwhile the Dell device is described as the company’s “first smartphone, based on the Android platform” which we’re guessing means it’s a US version of the Dell Mini 3i. Update: Confirmed! It’s the AT&T Dell Mini 3.

As for the HTC handset – or handsets – there’s little detail we can glean; it could be that AT&T have worked with HTC to produce some aesthetically different versions of existing devices, or it could be any number of models from HTC’s leaked 2010 roadmap.  All three are apparently exclusive to AT&T, and the carrier has also confirmed that it will offer the Android Market and the Ovi Store with carrier billing.

Press Release:

AT&T Launches Major Initiative to Bring ‘Apps to All’

Company Also Plans to Launch Five Android-Based Devices in First Half of 2010

Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6, 2010

AT&T today announced plans to launch five new devices from Dell, HTC and Motorola based on the Android platform. The company also announced a major initiative to expand the universe of mobile applications beyond smartphones to more mobile phones – and spur future app development for emerging consumer electronics devices, its U-verse TV platform, and enterprise and small business workplaces.

At the 4th annual AT&T Developer Summit in Las Vegas, executives outlined details including:

New devices that will give customers the most robust choices of major operating systems (OS), including Android™, in the U.S.
A goal to offer all major smartphone OS app stores
An agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development for mid-range Quick Messaging Devices using BREW Mobile Platform. These devices are used by millions of customers who historically have not had the same convenient access as smartphone customers to the market’s hottest apps
A new AT&T SDK (software developer kit) to help developers immediately begin to develop apps for these devices
A significantly enhanced developer program and new relationships with global carriers that are intended to make it easier for developers to distribute apps in markets outside the U.S.
Future initiatives to enable developers to create more apps for AT&T’s U-verse TV, emerging consumer electronics devices, and businesses
A new AT&T Virtual Innovation Lab and two new Innovation Centers, which will help developers and spur apps development
“Applications help consumers realize the full value and benefits of mobile broadband networks, services and devices,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Today some AT&T customers can take advantage of more than 100,000 apps – but only if they have the right handset. Our goal is to bring more apps to millions more of our customers who want convenient access to the market’s hottest apps. At the same time, in the future, we plan to go well beyond mobile devices to spur apps development.”

In addition to ultimately giving more customers more choices of applications, the long-term strategic initiatives announced today will make it easier for developers to cost effectively create applications and reach broader audiences, and help AT&T drive data revenues.

Extend Smartphone Leadership
AT&T will further its leadership in smartphones with the planned launch of five new devices from Dell, HTC and Motorola based on the Android platform. Those devices, which are scheduled to be available during the first half of 2010, include:

A Motorola smartphone, powered by MOTOBLUR, with a unique form factor and an AT&T exclusive
Dell’s first smartphone, based on the Android platform and an AT&T exclusive
A HTC smartphone, based on the Android platform, and an AT&T exclusive
AT&T customers with these devices will benefit not only from the nation’s fastest 3G network but also the ability to simultaneously talk on the phone while surfing the Web or reading email. Customers can sign up for email notifications as more details are available at www.att.com/android.

In addition, AT&T announced its goal to lead the industry in application choices for smartphone customers by offering all major app stores. It will preload the corresponding store for each device — giving customers convenient access to thousands of apps optimized for their smartphone. Today, AT&T added to existing agreements with Nokia for Ovi store and Microsoft for Windows Marketplace by announcing an agreement for Android Market. It expects to announce more app store agreements in the near future and will offer carrier billing as an easy and convenient payment option for as many stores as possible.

‘Apps for All’ by Standardizing Apps Development with Brew Mobile Platform
De la Vega also announced a significant new agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development by adopting BREW Mobile Platform. With this agreement, AT&T intends to make BREW Mobile Platform its primary operating system platform for Quick Messaging Devices, one of the company’s fastest growing categories of devices.

AT&T customers with these devices historically haven’t had the same convenient access as AT&T smartphone customers to thousands of compelling, new applications. Since AT&T launched its pioneering line-up of Quick Messaging Devices in fall 2008, about 30 percent of the company’s postpaid customers who are new or upgrading have purchased this type of device. AT&T is committed to spurring innovation and apps development for the millions of customers in this category.

Quick Messaging Devices are integrated devices that are value priced and texting centric; they have full QWERTY keyboards, either physical or virtual, and, since this past fall, full Web browsing capabilities. Customers with these devices are more likely to demand apps, subscribe to messaging and data plans, and are a large potential market for application developers, according to AT&T research.

AT&T Chief Marketing Officer David Christopher announced plans to begin rolling out Quick Messaging Devices with BREW Mobile Platform in the second half of the year, so that by year end 2011, about 90 percent of AT&T’s devices in this segment are planned to be based on BREW Mobile Platform. AT&T announced that Samsung will be its first device maker to launch a Quick Messaging Device featuring BREW Mobile Platform. HTC, LG and Pantech also are building devices featuring BREW Mobile Platform for planned availability in late 2010 or early 2011.

“Today, developers must essentially rebuild apps for different handsets and operating systems, increasing their costs, slowing the pace of innovation and stalling the delivery of mobile apps to customers,” Christopher said. “We want to tear down the barriers and make it much easier for developers to reach our customers – and for our customers to access apps. Moving to one platform for this fast growing segment of devices will help developers reach millions more customers who want easy access to the hottest mobile apps.”

To help developers jumpstart apps development for AT&T’s BREW Mobile Platform devices, Christopher announced a new AT&T SDK which features support for BREW Mobile Platform, continued support for Java and widgets, and includes tools to help developers tap into AT&T network capabilities as they design and code their applications. The new AT&T SDK is available starting today at sdk.developer.att.com.

Taking the AT&T Developer Program to the Next Level
AT&T has a longstanding commitment to the developer community. It was among the first major carriers to offer a developer program and has been rated the top carrier development program for the past three years by Evans Data. Today, AT&T executives also announced plans, including some launch schedules, for a series of new or enhanced developer resources including:

Technical support for developers via live chat — something no other carrier, operating system provider or handset maker offers today – and a tripling of overall tech support by mid-2010.

Revenue share featuring a standardized 70/30 split for third-party developers in the AT&T App Center.
AT&T Sandbox, a virtual network environment for developers to test and evaluate applications, which is planned to be available in 2Q 2010.
AT&T Developer Dashboard, a tool that will let developers track the status of their app once submitted to AT&T, support digital signing of business agreements with AT&T, allow developers to set prices for their apps, and provide performance metrics and customer satisfaction feedback. The dashboard is available now for enterprise application developers and the certification of emerging devices. And for AT&T’s consumer development community, the dashboard will also provide needed automation which is planned for the first quarter of 2010.
New marketing and referral relationships announced today between AT&T and other global carriers using GSM, the de facto world standard for wireless technology. The companies intend to create streamlined processes that help developers make their applications available to their combined base of hundreds of millions of customers.
AT&T Developer Council, an advisory group hosted by AT&T and made up of leading development and technology companies and other influencers, such as EA Games, Telenav and Bonfire Media.
AT&T also announced a trial program with WaveMarket to make network location information accessible through Veriplace, WaveMarket’s cloud location aggregation platform currently in use by more than 1,000 developers. Veriplace allows SMS, Web, WAP and IVR developers to develop location-aware apps and services across device categories and participating carriers. The trial program will launch in the coming weeks.

AT&T Chief Technology Officer John Donovan also said that a new AT&T Virtual Innovation Lab will open in Atlanta in the second quarter to provide developer support for speech, location and messaging APIs (application programming interfaces). In addition, two new Innovation Centers, one in the East and one in the West, are planned for late 2010 to provide 3G and 4G RF (radio frequency) development support, testing and demos.

The mod involved completely replacing the Mini 10′s original case with a new, custom-made Mini 3i replica.  A touchscreen layer was added and then – no mean feat in itself – Android coerced to run on x86 hardware complete with Dell’s own Mini 3i interface.

It’s not the most pocket-friendly of smartphones, and less comfortable to talk on than even a first-gen Nokia N-Gage, but we’ve got to give the modder kudos for his efforts.  We’re hoping to hear some more about the US/European release of Dell’s Android smartphone at CES next week.

[via jkkmobile]

The device is expected to have a 5-inch touchscreen and see a UK launch “in the new year”.  Although the site gives no details on its sources, it does suggest that the information has come from several insiders rather than just the one tipster.

Of course, just as we said about ASUS earlier, Dell is no stranger to rumors about upcoming Android devices.  While the company has officially announced a smartphone that runs the open-source OS, the Dell Mini 3i, there was speculation earlier in the year about an Android MID after reporters spotted a prototype in Dell’s engineering labs.  That was followed by leaked images and video of the so-called Dell Streak, a 3G Android MID with – you guessed it – a 5-inch touchscreen, believed to be landing on AT&T at some point in 2010.

Dell Streak gallery:

It also has a 3-megapixel autofocus camera with digital zoom, which can record both stills and video.  Unfortunately the lack of 3G and WiFi is also confirmed; the latter will be remedied, Dell have said, in later iterations of the handset, but the first batch was manufactured during the Chinese government’s ban of the wireless technology.

Elsewhere there’s Bluetooth, GPS and a microSD card slot content with up to 32GB media.  Wired connectivity is via micro-USB; unfortunately there’s no 3.5mm headphones socket, though as we’ve seen from an early unboxing Dell do at least include a micro-USB to 3.5mm adapter.

Pricing is still not confirmed, but Dell have said that the Mini 3i – or at least a 3G variant of it, perhaps the Dell Mini 3iX already spotted navigating the FCC – will reach foreign climes at some point in the future.

Press Release:

China Mobile Becomes First to Sell Dell Mini 3i Smart Phones

The Mini 3i, in Red Passion and Oiled Bronze colors, will begin arriving across China later this month

China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator, serves more than 500 million subscribers
China Mobile will soon become the first mobile operator to sell the Mini 3i, a sleek and slim new multi-touch smart phone from Dell designed to leverage the power, flexibility and applications of China Mobile’s new OPhone and Mobile Market platforms. Available in Red Passion and Oiled Bronze colors, the Mini 3i will begin arriving through China Mobile’s nation-wide channels (its authorized stores) by the end of this month and Dell direct to follow.

The Mini 3i runs China Mobile’s flexible OPhone open source platform, and includes the latest in popular entertainment including pre-loaded 139Mail e-mail, Fetion chat and digital maps for navigation. A large 3.5-inch widescreen creates a big-screen experience, making photos and videos bigger and more intense. The Mini 3i is also compatible with a range of consumer applications, e-mail platforms, and office productivity software.

“People today want to carry their lives with them – they want to discover, capture and share new content as they roam around the world,” said Michael Yang, vice president and general manager for Greater China Consumer of Dell. “We believe Dell’s year-long development collaboration with China Mobile will amplify those experiences better than anyone else in the industry.”

“This signals an important milestone in the long term partnership between China Mobile and Dell,” said a China Mobile spokesperson. “We are excited for Dell to be among the first manufacturers to introduce new technology based on the OPhone platform. We look forward to working with Dell as it brings innovative new products and services to add value to our customers’ lives.”

The Mini 3i is the result of a year-long collaboration with China Mobile and further illustrates Dell’s ongoing investment in smarter and more mobile products. China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile service provider with more than 500 million subscribers, teamed with Dell earlier this year to develop a new product for the rapidly growing base of mobile broadband users in China, embedding 3G technology in the Dell Mini 10 netbook.

With the recent launch of the OPhone platform, industry analysts are estimating that the current base of 180 million mobile broadband users in China will continue to grow at a rapid pace. The Mini 3i is specifically engineered to give those customers a smart phone that delivers fast, easy and fun access to the internet, e-mail, chat, music and video.

Popular Mini 3i Features:

Entertainment: Access to China Mobile’s Mobile Market suite of services, games, productivity tools, wallpapers, ringtones and applications. Discover China’s popular Internet sites including 51.com, Kaixin and Renren.
Customization: Personalize MP3 ring tones, icons and shortcuts. Run widgets on the home screen: sports, stocks, news and weather tickers.
Navigation: GPS navigation.
Search: Search contacts, appointments and e-mail from the home screen.
Camera: 3 megapixel camera with zoom, auto-focus, flash, video capture and photo-editing capabilities. A 3.5 inch, widescreen (16:9), 640 x 360 display that’s ideal for viewing photos and videos.
Popular Messaging: Support for the wide range of messaging platforms and services, including e-mail, IM, MMS and SMS.
Dell Mini 3i OPhone Specifications:

Form Factor: Tablet/PDA
Dimensions: 58.35 x 122 x 11.7
Display: 3.5” nHD, 640×360
Bands/Modes: Quadband GSM/EDGE
Weight: <105g (grams)
Bluetooth
GPS
Micro SD (up to 32GB)
Connector: Mini USB
About Dell

People worldwide can buy Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) online, by phone and through more than 43,000 stores.

About China Mobile

Officially established on April 20, 2000, China Mobile Communications Corporation (“China Mobile” for short) has a registered capital of RMB 51.8 billion and assets of over RMB 700 billion. China Mobile has been playing a leading role in the development of the mobile communications industry in China and holds an important position in the international arena as well. Listed among the Top Fortune 500 companies for 8 consecutive years, China Mobile’s latest ranking is No.148; China Mobile was also a partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Now before you raise your arms and scream blue murder about resistive touchscreens, relax: the Mini 3i does indeed use a 3.5-inch capacitive panel.  Dell’s stylus is a special one, intended for capacitive displays – similar to the Pogo stylus for iPhone – and handy for those wanting to input Chinese characters.

There’s also a miniUSB to 3.5mm headphones adapter socket, though Dell also include a handsfree kit of their own.  We’ll have to wait for the first reviews to come in before we find out whether the whole thing works out, but the Mini 3i has been a long time coming and we imagine Dell have put a lot of thought into making a splash into the smartphone market.

[via IntoMobile]

Update: Dell’s official blog has confirmed the news, together with dropping strong hints that the company will be leveraging existing carrier relationships for embedded mobile broadband netbooks for future Mini 3i releases.  Vodafone in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and AT&T and Verizon in North America, are both name-checked.  More photos of the Dell Mini 3i after the cut.

Update 2: And now the official press release is out; still no hard specifications.

Early adopters in China will also miss out on WiFi, as the first batch of Mini 3i handsets there was produced during the Chinese government’s ban on the wireless connectivity.  However Michael Tatelman, vice president of sales and marketing for Dell Global, has confirmed that future devices would gain China’s own wireless alternative.

Other than that, the company is keeping quiet on definitive specifications.  All Tatelman would confirm is that the Mini 3i will have a 3.5-inch touchscreen, though previous leaks have indicated a three megapixel camera and Bluetooth support.  As for a US launch, all the exec would say is that “you have to assume that this is a global strategy”; a US-spec wireless version of the handset, the Dell Mini 3iX has already been spotted.

[via Engadget]

The non-China version is also expected to have WiFi b/g, along with the handset’s 3.5-inch 640 x 360 touchscreen, multitouch support and A-GPS.  There’s also a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and USB 2.0, while the camera has autofocus and an LED flash.  Earlier rumors that the 3iX version of the Android smartphone would have a 5-megapixel camera seem to have amounted to nothing, but it’s possible that this prototype simply hasn’t been updated with the new CMOS.

As for the UI – screenshots of which you can see in the gallery below – that’s been changed as well.  The original 3i prototype had a very iPhone-inspired design, whereas this new version (likely to avoid Apple’s legal wrath) has been tweaked to a more typical Android look.  Still no word on when we might see an official announcement for the Dell Mini 3iX.

[via Electronista]

They’ve also heard that Dell will be doing some serious hacking to the Android stack, with various libraries from the open-source OS either modified or missing altogether.  The tipster claims that some apps won’t run on the US Mini 3i, though it’s unclear whether that’s in reference to the “with Google” software that demands handset manufacturers deliver an untampered, unfettered Android build.

Presumably Dell will also be updating the Mini 3i’s radios, since the Chinese version has only 2G and not 3G or WiFi.  No word, either, on whether the iPhone-style UI will make it across the ocean either.

The absence of decent, clear photos of the handset is seemingly because it was not properly announced at the China Mobile event.  In fact, according to Dell’s Anne Camden, “it wasn’t officially, formally introduced so much as it was waved around.”

Specifications of the prototype are believed to include a 3.5-inch 360 x 640 capacitive touchscreen, 2G GSM connectivity, Bluetooth and a 3-megapixel camera, along with a microSD card slot but no WiFi or 3G.  While we’re quite willing to accept that Dell aren’t ready to announce the 3i quite yet, don’t expect us to be too surprised should their production handset for China Mobile turn out to be strikingly similar in design.

The display is a 3.5-inch 360 x 640 capacitive touchscreen, with a light sensor to dynamically adjust the backlighting.  There’s also a microSD card slot, miniUSB port and volume keys, but other than that the Mini 3i is entirely touchscreen-controlled.

A 950mAh battery strikes us a little low for something with such a large touchscreen, but then there’s no power-hungry 3G to drain it.  No official word from Dell themselves, but they’re tipped to announce their Mobile Market app store later on today; right now it’s listed as coming soon.

[via Cloned in China]