Dell is slowly evaluating the market with the release of the Dell Mini 3i for the Chinese and Brazilian market, but the PC maker is showing signs of a strong commitment to working on smartphones. Dell is said to have created a smartphone division with Ron Garriques, former Motorola executive, at the helm.

If and when Dell enters the US market, it will have to compete with rivals HTC, Research in Motion, Apple, Garriques’ former boss Motorola, Palm, Samsung, Nokia, and HP in a competitive market with some dominant players. Its closest rival, HP, which makes smartphones and PCs, is seemingly committed to Microsoft and Windows Mobile at this point.

The company’s first smartphone, the Dell Mini 3i, will run on Google’s Android operating system. In the past, Dell has made–and to a large degree–and revolutionized the PDA market with its Axim line, which promised to deliver high-end features in an affordable package.

(via: Engadget)