Dude, You're Getting An Enterprise Ecosystem... What?

I'm sorry. Sort of. I just can't stop picking on CNet.

The following puddle of drool I found on the desk of Crave writer Matt Hickey, who apparently was sleeping in class, and then blurted this out as a response to a request for an analysis of the current smartphone market:

Consider this: your company has Dell servers, so what if Dell offered a special Dell suite of Dell software to connect your Dell servers to your Dell smartphones? Something like what RIM offers, but more compatibility with the Dell ecosystem many businesses already have. And better package deals on hardware when you buy everything together.

"Dell ecosystem"?

If Dell is going to make a cellphone that integrates with the "Dell ecosystem" then they're going to have to make the ecosystem first, since last I checked what they do is sell cheap boxes with Windows on it. Dell servers? Running Windows, or perhaps Linux. For communications-- probably running Exchange. What OS would Dell put on a smartphone? Probably some flavor of Windows Mobile, presumably.

What the heck part of this constitutes a "Dell ecosystem"? Why would a Dell phone care what brand hardware its Exchange server runs on? Is Dell going to try and replace Exchange? Good luck with that one, companies have been at it for years without coming up with much (all due respect to Kerio, which is probably the best of those).

What would distinguish the interaction between a Dell phone and a Dell server from the normal interaction between a Windows Mobile handset, Windows desktops and Windows server-- and what track record does Dell have in providing such custom software, or consumer hardware to go with it?

The current players in the phone/smartphone markets all have something they bring to the table. Apple has brought its excellence in interface and industrial design. (Palm is trying to recapture the lead in those areas with the Pre.) The various Windows Mobile licensees bring compatibility and a wide range of hardware features. Nokia brings their excellent Symbian interface, honed over many years of attention to detail and consistency. Google is bringing their "open source" mentality.

What, exactly, would Dell be bringing? The author tries to answer this unanswerable question by throwing out the buzzword "enterprise". Since Dell sells (cheap) servers, and didn't do well at all with its consumer MP3 player, the Jukebox, it should focus on "enterprise", and the equivalent device is a smartphone. Nevermind that the WinMo space is pretty crowded these days with vendors who can be better or cheaper than Dell-- perhaps even better AND cheaper-- and the iPhone has it beat on design and fashion and the Blackberry has it beat with a real ecosystem.

If their background in PCs says anything at all, what they should be bringing is price-- make a WinMo handset with most (not all) of the features people want, and make it so cheap it's practically disposable. That would be recognizable as a "Dell ecosystem".