Dell Mini 3i Hitting China, Brazil “In The Coming Days”

Dell’s entry into the smartphone market has been expected, and although once “highly anticipated”, excitement has wavered. They’re suffering the same sort of condition that seems to have overtaken Garmin’s smartphone intentions but not all is lost. At some point the Dell Mini 3i will land on AT&T but first, and in the coming days, the first Dell Android Phone will land in China and soon after in Brazil.

The Chinese and Brazilian phones will land on China Mobile without 3G and Claro with 3G, respectively. Although Dell’s entrance was seemingly laughed off, the company is positioning it as a strategic move into BRIC countries – the fast-growing developing countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China. Either way, Dell is the 3rd largest computer manufacturer in the world and whether or not the company’s first foray into smartphones and/or Android is an overwhelming success, it won’t make or break the company or the initiative.

I think Dell has largely missed the boat here and the Mini 3i doesn’t seem positioned to make many waves, but I’m rooting for Dell. It can’t hurt to have such a successful company pushing Android. And, in a bottom-line least common denominator kind of way, they could certainly bring low-cost Android phones to the masses with their Supply Chain and logistical cost savings knowledge.

What might prove a huge opportunity for Dell is tight integration between their Android Phones and their PCs. I’m eager to see if they offer any innovation in this area throughout 2010.

[Yahoo Brazil via EngadgetMobile]