Could the First Android Phone Come from Dell?

That's what MarketingWeek is reporting, citing speculation that the two titans, Dell and Google, could be putting together a partnership to bring a handset featuring the highly-anticipated Android cell phone OS to the masses.

The deal makes a lot of sense: Dell has the production capacity to churn out millions of devices on a dime, virtually ensuring that any rush on the phones (a la iPhone's first day on sale) would end with everyone happy that they got their gPhone. As the linked story notes, Dell also has experience building PDAs; its Axim line of Windows Mobile-based PDAs (pictured) was warmly received, at least critically, in its era (that is, the early 2000s). Dell has been out of the PDA game for a while, though, and those old PDAs were hardly cut out of the sleek and sexy mold that modern cell users have come to expect. Can Dell come through with something that will be competitive with Apple? I think it's possible. (Check out some of Dell's XPS notebooks if you want to see how far its come as a design shop for the style conscious.)

As for evidence, MarketingWeek notes that Dell recently hired a Motorola executive away for a new "global consumer group." As well, "senior industry sources" claim that this deal is all wrapped up, and that the two will be announcing it publicly at the Mobile World Congress (formerly known as 3GSM), which kicks off on February 11.

If it's true, this is good news for Android, which has not picked up much buzz or momentum since its breathless announcement late last year. Signing on a massive partner like Dell could legitimize the project considerably, especially if Dell has a prototype of some sort which it can show off next week, you know, Jobs-style. (Memo to Michael Dell: Get a celebrity ready to back you up if it crashes!)

LINK: Google and Dell tipped to reveal iPhone rival plans