Dell and Acer: newcomers to the smartphone market?

With HP taking first place in the PC market share, Dell, now second, seems to be eyeing the growing smartphone business.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Dell could well introduce 2 new models of smartphones at Barcelona’s GSMA Mobile World Congress. One would run Windows Mobile software (Dell and Micrososft have already collaborated together on PDAs) while the other would operate Google’s own Android. The latter would be -we imagine- touchscreen whereas the first one would have a real keyboard and address the professional market.

As far as design in concerned, there are no leaks. Dell does not exactly have the reputation of offering the most stylish products. Hopefully the company will have made their smartphones desirable, a criterion that matters in higher-end devices.

Dell will indeed have to offer a strong product straight from the start if they want to enter the competitive smartphone business. Apple, HTC and Nokia have already established themselves and Palm about to take its Pré to the market.

The GSMA Mobile World Congress should also be the opportunity for Acer to present their “communicating device” (rumoured to run on Windows Mobile 6.5). Some have gone as far as to calling it a touchscreen phone…

More reports soon, from Barcelona.