Dell Mini 3i prototype smart phone on show in China

The long-rumoured Dell smart phone surfaced on Monday -- and while the company was quick to deny it had launched anything, it did admit a prototype was out in the wild.

Details of the Dell phone, reportedly called the Mini 3i, began to circulate on the Web almost immediately after being spotted at the China Mobile event, with Cloned in China running photos from Chinese blog mobile.163.com. Dell, however, says it has not yet announced any smart phone for the Chinese market.

"Dell was there supporting China Mobile as a development partner. We did not confirm or announce anything," said Dell spokesman Matt Parretta.

There was, however, a "proof of concept mobile device prototype" shown off at the event, Parretta said. That explains the photos, which depict a black, candybar phone with a touchscreen and the Dell logo stamped on the back.

Reports from the China Mobile event, which introduced the wireless operator's Android-based Open Mobile System, or OMS, say the Mini 3i was confined to operate on a 2G GSM network -- no Wi-Fi access -- but had a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and a slot for a microSD card.

Industry observers and market analysts have been largely underwhelmed both by the idea of a Dell smart phone, and according to some who saw early prototypes, its execution as well.