Trend Tracker: Dude, Dell’s No. 2

Dell’s move into mass retail appears to be paying off. According to research firm DisplaySearch, Dell reclaimed its No. 2 ranking among computer suppliers during the first quarter with a 15.1% share of the market, edging out Acer, but still lagging behind Hewlett-Packard, which topped the market with 20.8% of sales.

Dell moved away from its online roots last year when it began selling computers in Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

DisplaySearch also reported laptop sales increased 35% during the quarter to 31.1 million units sold, compared to 23.1 million during the same quarter in 2007.