Google partnering with Dell on mobile handset?

The rumor mill is abuzz with speculation that Google is partnering with computing firm Dell to launch a mobile phone based on the web services giant's fledgling Android OS. According to MarketingWeek, senior industry sources claim the two companies will reveal their collaboration at February's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, although Google insiders deny such an announcement is imminent.

A December 2007 Forbes profile spotlighting Michael Dell and his second go-round as CEO of the technology firm bearing his name speculated that Dell is at work on a smartphone, developing the device in collaboration with Taiwanese hardware maker Quanta Computer. The phone, said to include video, an MP3 player and Internet access, is scheduled to debut in early 2008, Forbes said.

Last February, Dell hired Ron Garriques, executive VP of Motorola's handset division, to run its entire consumer business, the first indicator the firm was mulling entry into the smartphone market. In mid-August, it acquired ZING Systems, a consumer technology and services company emphasizing always-connected audio and entertainment devices.

For more on the Google/Dell buzz:
- read this MarketingWeek article

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