Dell may have unceremoniously dropped its Axim PDA like it was hot [1] (which it clearly, was not) but rumor has it that the company is hard at work on a smartphone heir to the throne. The somewhat unreliable DigiTimes is reporting that Quanta Computer, the Taiwanese contractor that builds Dell laptops, is prepping a Dell-branded smartphone for a late 2007 launch. The usual "industry sources" describe a device running on "the Windows Mobile 6 Professional platform and supporting HSDPA. It probably will feature a QWERTY keyboard, though feature details have yet to be determined." It's not out of the question, since Dell could use a killer consumer product to help bolster its flagging image. Unless done right, however, the Round Rock, TX company could have yet another mobile stinker on its hands. I wouldn't put too much stock in this one, for the time being, at least.

For more on the rumored smartphone:
- see this DigiTimes article [2]