Dell Mini 5 will run 'something newer' than Android 1.6 at launch

We've been able to confirm in a chat with Dell spokesfolks this evening that the lovely Mini 5 won't ship with the Android 1.6 build (also known as Donut) that we've seen so far -- instead, it'll be running "something newer." They wouldn't say what that newer version would be -- and to be fair, we're not sure they even knew since Android is always a moving target on account of Google's breakneck development pace -- but it was specifically mentioned that Flash compatibility was something they had on their radar, suggesting that something really, really fresh might be needed. Then again, they also mentioned that the giant phone / MID / thingamajig is going to be totally upgradeable, something that fellow Android skinners HTC and Motorola have both had to reassure the Android-buying public over. How this all shakes out remains to be seen, but let's put it this way: Eclair, at minimum, seems to be a lock by the time the Mini 5 is on a shelf near you.

Dell Mini 5 hands-on at MWC 2010

[perpetual98 Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:00PM]

@Spiritbeast

Get bigger pockets! Or a satchel...

[jaleman Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:01PM]

@Spiritbeast

Oh please. Five inches isn't really all that big.

[eddiet29 Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:07PM]

@jaleman

thats what she said

[ddwisdom Posted Feb 16th 2010 4:10AM]

@jaleman

...Thats what she said

[gentlefury Posted Feb 15th 2010 3:55PM]

This device really baffles me. It's too big to be a phone, and too small to be a tablet....it's one of those Dell devices that will never really catch on and go the way of the Axium.

[espentan Posted Feb 15th 2010 3:58PM]

I really like the lay it looks, and I can imagine a few good uses as well. Perfect for holiday traveling when you don't really need a phone in order to be available all the time, but rather something a little bigger for browsing the web, watching videos etc. and still have the ability to make a call home every now and then.

[lpcity32 Posted Feb 15th 2010 3:59PM]

Well I think its perfect size and really want one. Hope they actually confirm a release date in the next few days instead of just being available in a couple months.

[bluefisch200 Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:00PM]

Can someone tell me what for a device the DELL Mini 5 is? MID, Smartphone, Tablet PC? I am confused...

[jaleman Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:04PM]

@bluefisch200

The answer is: Yes.

[lpcity32 Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:05PM]

I think its gonna be a new type of Hybrid, (part phone, tablet, &MID) if done right and right price I think it will be a hit.

[Serryl Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:09PM]

@bluefisch200 It's a bit of each. As Chris Zeigler described in one of the podcasts it's sort of at the intersection point of two or three usefulness curves for MID/tablets, and smartphones. It's on the very large size for a phone, but somewhat small for a tablet. It's probably to biggest screen size you could implement and still be able to hold it comfortably in one hand.

[therodt Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:56PM]

@bluefisch200
It is an android phone...Why is everyone getting passive aggressive confused. This is not new news or anything its a android phone. that is big. Buy it or dont. But dont act ignorant about it. then try and dish on it with passive aggressive ignorance.

[portlander Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:10PM]

There are plenty of people complaining about the size of this device. To those I say, please go get something small and be done with it.

There are plenty of us who use our phones for data, far more than we do for phone calls. I personally make only a couple of calls per week. However I use the browser and the email client on my phone, several times a day every day. So, people like me would probably will value a bigger screen size than your average smart phone. If you need something to make a lot of phone calls, this isn't it.

Now, go away and complain about something else.

[Hark Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:15PM]

It's a bit like the iPad, nobody really knows what it's for, but they want it anyway.

[speculatrix Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:52PM]

@Hark
it's like the ipad, only it's small enough to be portable, DRM-free enough to not be an enslavement, big enough to be an ereader, and run flash.

[Gregorian Posted Feb 15th 2010 5:15PM]

@Hark

The difference is that you can carry this thing about with you.
The iPad is too big for that.

[Hark Posted Feb 15th 2010 6:23PM]

@Gregorian It's certainly easier to carry, wouldn't fit into any of my trouser pockets though.

Both of them (iPad & Mini5) would be better with WinMo7 by the looks of it.

[jakey Posted Feb 15th 2010 7:50PM]

@Hark
Looks to me like it'll easily fit into a coat/jacket pocket, or a purse.

The iPad looks like it'll only fit in my backpack or messenger bag, and I can fit a laptop in both of those, so it really doesn't provide much portability beyond a smaller laptop or netbook.

[Electrofreak Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:19PM]

Okay Engadget. We know you have it. You told us earlier this week. Now stop stalling and tell us more about the Mini 5. None of this "Oh but MWC is going on" excuse.

:-p

[Look4Wally Posted Feb 15th 2010 4:49PM]

It looks like the whole touch enabled phones thing is making the cell phones grow bigger and bgiger, making them more unconmpfortable...

[gerrrg Posted Feb 15th 2010 5:12PM]

This just in from Asia...it's officially official:

2010 - Year of the Android Tiger.

[mlayer Posted Feb 15th 2010 5:15PM]

I had heard that the Mini 5 would ship with 1.6 and once the user starts using it, it would automatically update to 2.x. That was nearly 6 weeks ago so things have probably changed. One thing that bothers me is that Google is pumping out revs so quickly that manufacturer QA groups are having a hard time keeping up, or they have to sort of lock into a build for shipping and test a more current one separately. I'm sure that's a big reason why 2.1 availability for Droid is so uncertain.

[LionelatDell Posted Feb 15th 2010 5:16PM]

More details to come down the road, but Adobe recently published a video of the Mini 5 running Flash 10.1 demoing video and gaming playback.

I've embedded that video and published details from a chat with Neeraj Choubey, Dell's GM of tablet products here on our blog Direct2Dell: http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell/archive/2010/02/15/a-discussion-with-dell-gm-of-tablet-devices-neeraj-choubey.aspx

[McPOW Posted Feb 16th 2010 3:44AM]

@LionelatDell Very slick. That seems to perform better on that Android tablet than flash on my Macbook Pro ;)

[LionelatDell Posted Feb 16th 2010 9:15AM]

@McPOW As a Mac customer, you are always welcome to buy Dell products. :)

[Gregorian Posted Feb 15th 2010 5:17PM]

I hope Dell can sell this unlocked.
If it costs a bit, that's cool, but I don't want to be forced to buy it with an expensive monthly plan. I just don't use the phone that much.

[wtgig Posted Feb 15th 2010 5:44PM]

most likely I will be buying a wp7 device but I am still intrigued to find out if that really is a windows-eske taskbar on top of the screen, based on the short demo we got of the phone a few days back it looked like a task-bar to me, maybe Im wrong... but I think that would be pretty cool and the closest any phone besides the pre has gotten to looking like a pc home-screen, and having multitasking similar to a pc

[ASRRGR Posted Feb 15th 2010 5:45PM]

Exciting! Can't wait for the review and USA release!

[cdf74dc9 Posted Feb 15th 2010 6:20PM]

Let all just hope it's not an IE browser.

[TheHardware Posted Feb 15th 2010 6:22PM]

currently sporting an Xperia X1

thinking of getting the HD2 and this,......that too much?

[JohnDeSilva Posted Feb 15th 2010 7:42PM]

I like it and as long as it can fit in my pocket I wouldn't have any problem using it as a phone.I think it could be a perfect "Happy Medium" device, certainly better than carrying around a Smart-phone and a Laptop.

[Ducman69 Posted Feb 15th 2010 7:43PM]

So there is no chance this could get Windows Mobile 7 or 7 series or whatever the hell they are calling it now? =/

[reliant Posted Feb 15th 2010 9:29PM]

Has Dell indicated whether or not wifi only version will be sold? There seems to be enough demand for such a device like the Archos5 and lower end IPads based on number of 'is it a phone?' comments that appear ever time the Mini 5 is in the news. Not selling a version without 3G is a deal breaker for me because I’m not paying full price for an unsubsidized, unlocked model that I have no intention of ever using on any cellular network.

[badwolf42 Posted Feb 15th 2010 9:44PM]

Get rid of the ugly skin and run TAT Home on it, and I'm sold. :)

[badwolf42 Posted Feb 15th 2010 9:45PM]

The skin looks just like old WinMo.

[Inspector Gadget80 Posted Feb 15th 2010 10:08PM]

I could care less for a Dell Phone and their PC's. Not getting this one for my next upgrade.

[JaysFreaky Posted Feb 15th 2010 10:40PM]

@Inspector Gadget80 Do you go around to each post about this MID and express your hatred for Dell?

[palomosan Posted Feb 15th 2010 11:28PM]

Now give this babe with the TAT software I just saw and a 1.2Ghz Snapdragon, HDMI out, 720p and Flash...$400 no contract and I'm in.

[iCello Posted Feb 16th 2010 2:25AM]

Oh great. Now instead of every single post about a winmo phone saying " put Android on it!" we'll have every single post about android say "put Windows phone 7 series on it!"
by the way, what are we going to call it? WinPho? That's just weird...