Dell Aero available today for $100 with AT&T contract

We'd actually kind of assumed this thing had been deep-sixed as faster, better phones have passed it by all summer long, but nay: Dell's Aero is finally in the land of the living. You can score the 3.5-inch 640 x 360 Android phone today with two-year AT&T contract for $99.99, though only through Dell's interwebs -- it's still "coming soon" to AT&T's site. Features include 2GB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, triband 3.6Mbps HSDPA and quadband EDGE, a 5 megapixel cam, and a 3.67-ounce claimed weight that makes it "one of the lightest" Android devices money can buy. Follow the break for the full press release.

Update: After checking with Dell, we've learned that the Aero is indeed still running Android 1.5, though the company is quick to note that it's actually a "superset" with a "tremendous amount of customization" with features like handwriting recognition and Facebook baked into the platform. We'd argue Dell still has a bit to learn from HTC on how to iterate its customizations as quickly as Google can pump out Android versions -- but maybe they'll figure it out by the time the Thunder comes out.

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Dell Creates Freedom, Style and Performance to Explore Life's Biggest Moments on New 3.5-Inch Android Smartphone

Date: 8/24/2010
Round Rock, Texas

NEWS:
· Dell's first U.S. smartphone, the Dell Aero, is available today in a polished graphite finish at Dell.com/mobile, by phone at 1-800-308-DELL, and coming soon to www.wireless.att.com. Dell Chat representatives are standing by 24 x 7 to answer Dell Aero related questions.

· The Dell Aero is available for $99.99 with new AT&T* two-year contract†, and $299.99 without.


FREEDOM IS CALLING
Dell Aero, one of the lightest multi-touch 3.5-inch Google Android-based smartphones in the U.S., is designed to deliver a powerful, flexible, and entertaining experience in a stylish and compact design. Packed with today's popular features, the Dell Aero will ship with Quick Office, Facebook with integrated calendar and contacts, Twitter and additional applications by Google, including YouTube and Android Market.

With AT&T's Wi-Fi network, and the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, today's social media mavens can simultaneously make voice calls and Tweet friends, post Facebook updates, share pictures or browse the Web. AT&T has the nation's largest Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots.*

Dell is a member of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a group of technology and mobile companies working to accelerate innovation in mobility. Together, the OHA created Android, the first complete, open and free mobile platform to provide people a rich, inexpensive and exceptional mobile experience.

QUOTES:
"The Dell Aero is built with a focus on style and performance to help people find new ways to connect with friends and express themselves socially supported by the nation's fastest mobile broadband network." – Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions

DELL AERO FEATURES:
· One of the lightest Android smartphones in the U.S., on the nation's fastest mobile broadband network

· Experience YouTube and other Flash content in nHD

· 5-megapixel camera with 8x zoom, flash, dedicated camera key and advanced shooting and editing capabilities

· Connect with friends with one-touch access to social networks

· Multi-task with GPS, plus hands-free conversations

· Wi-Fi access at more than 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots with qualifying AT&T service plan


DELL AERO SPECIFICATIONS:
· Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements

· 3.5-inch (640 x 360p) capacitive multi-touch display with pinch-to-zoom functionality

· Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

· Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)

· WiFi + Bluetooth

· 2 GB* on board user accessible Micro SD with expandable memory available up to 32 GB*

· Full HTML Browser with Adobe Flashlite

· GPS/A-GPS navigation

· POP, IMAP, Webmail and Microsoft Active Sync E-mail