Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) CEO Michael Dell today confirmed that his company will begin selling an Android smartphone in the U.S. next year, but industry watchers say the computer maker must also deliver a consumer experience backed by apps to be successful.

Dell said his namesake firm will issue an Android handset in the U.S. by early 2010, although he did not provide any further details. The news came during a question-and-answer period with a mocoNews reporter at the Firemobile conference in Seattle. A Dell spokesman declined to comment on the report.

Dell's Android play isn't entirely surprising, given it already sells an Android handset in China and there has been speculation for some time that it would parlay that experience into a stateside venture.

Recent reports say the Dell Android phone would arrive on AT&T (NYSE: T), which would be the carrier's first handset based on Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) open source mobile platform.

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