Dell discontinues U.S. smartphone biz - for now

Dell has decided to stop selling smartphones in the U.S. market and will instead focus its mobile strategy more on emerging markets. The company confirmed to IDG News Service that it has decided to stop selling its Venue and Venue Pro smartphones, which run Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone platform, in the United States. "Mobility products have shorter lifecycles than laptops and desktops," a company spokesman said. Dell added that it will introduce new mobile products into the U.S. later this year, but declined to say if smartphones will be among them. Dell is expected to release Windows 8 tablets sometime in the coming months. Dell first tried to crack into the U.S. smartphone market with the Android-powered Aero in 2010, but that effort never gained traction. Though its U.S. smartphone business has been halted, the computer maker continues to sell its mobile devices in other countries. Dell offers the Venue Pro in India, the Venue in South Korea, a Streak smartphone in Japan and Streak smartphones and tablets in China. Article