The Dell Axim X50v is one of my all-time favorite PDAs. I still keep it charged up and generally use it a couple of times a week to look up some information that is in a spreadsheet, Word document, or encrypted file. It emerged in 2004. So, my X50v is nearing 5 years in age. And yet, with its 624MHz XScale processor, it is probably still the fastest Windows Mobile device I own. I've been looking forward to seeing Dell re-enter the PDA or smartphone market. So, I was disappointed to read this item in CNET...

Report: Carriers 'pass' on forthcoming Dell handset

If this is true, it appears that Dell can't find a U.S. mobile phone carrier to partner with. This is very bad news for any smartphone manufacturer. But, given that the largest phone maker in the world, Nokia, has had problems gaining a foothold with U.S. carriers, perhaps this is not too surprising (you can hear ZDNet/NokiaExperts blogger Matt Miller and I talk about this issue in a recent podcast).