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Dell: bigger Venue Pro launch coming, keep hands off microSD
Didn't get a Venue Pro when Microsoft threw a few on its store shelves? Why, that'd be enough to make us mad, too -- Ballmer mad, in fact. Fear not, though: as Dell tells it, the company has production ramped up for a "timely" launch on T-Mobile's network. When? Won't say. Holiday season, at least? No release windows is given. And one more thing, too... Dell read our piece on the Windows Phone 7 microSD and wants you all to know that, no, you shouldn't mess with the Venue Pro's card, either. There's no eject mechanism, and that's supposed to be a not-so-subtle hint to stay back. Consider yourself warned, again.
Dell's mobile chief Ron Garriques is out
Ron Garriques, who has been leading Dell's mobile communications group ever since its formation a year ago, is leaving the company. Ron originally joined Dell in 2007, after a high profile career at Motorola, and has overseen a rather ambitious entry for the company into the phone industry. Now Dell is folding the communications unit into its "core operating structure," and Garriques won't be along for the transition. Of course, it's not like there haven't been some missteps and head scratchers along the way (we still don't know if the Streak is a phone or a tablet or a phonelet or a tabset or whatever), and it's a little hard to tell whether Ron decided to leave willingly when he heard his unit was being absorbed, or if Dell gave him a little "push." True or not, it would be the perfect comeuppance for the man who re-dubbed the Lightning the Dell "Venue Pro." Not that we're bitter or anything.
Dell confirms protected WiFi problems, mislabeled batteries on the three Venue Pros sold so far
If you detected a hint of anger in our headline, please forgive us, but we're sure many of you are going through the same rollercoaster of emotions -- after all, Dell's lovely portrait QWERTY Venue Pro has only been sold in ridiculously limited quantities through Microsoft's seven retail stores so far, making them virtually impossible to buy for most of us. Anyhow, in the event you were lucky enough to get one, you'll be pleased to know that Dell is aware of the problems you might be having connecting to secure WiFi networks, and the next batch won't be afflicted -- which might explain why they haven't offered a steady stream of devices through the stores this week. They also mention it's a "software glitch," but there's no mention of timing on an update for phones in the field. There's also been a problem with batteries on these inaugural devices being labeled as "engineering samples," apparently, but Dell assures that they're production-quality cells that have simply been mislabeled. They say that customers wanting an exchange either for the WiFi issue or the mislabeled battery can get one at their local store "beginning at the end of next week," so we'd take that to mean there won't be any stock filtering in for anyone until then. Patience continues to be a virtue we don't believe in.
Dell Venue Pro has a microSD card slot, you'll just need to void your warranty to use it
Remember the good chap that brought us pictorial evidence of the Venue Pro in Microsoft stores on Monday? Well, he was fortunate enough to snag one of those precious devices for himself and today he's back on the path of spreading enlightenment by revealing that Dell's 4.1-inch WP7 slider comes with a microSD card slot. Storage expandability is something of a running joke backstory for Windows Phone 7, with HTC hiding its expansion slots deeply within the 7 Mozart and HD7 and Samsung's more readily accessible one on the Focus also throwing up issues. The Venue Pro's approach is closer to Samsung's, insofar as you don't have to tear down the phone to stick a new microSD card inside it, but it does expect you to bust through a warranty sticker to get at the port. So it's there and can be used, but the risk will be all yours if you do. [Thanks, dawookie]
Poll: Did you get a Windows Phone 7 device today?
You may have heard that Microsoft unleashed its new mobile platform on unsuspecting Americans today (see our reviews here), and we were curious to see how many of you broke out the credit card. Let us know how you played things in the poll below, and we're welcoming everyone into comments for an open (and totally not trolltastic) conversation about what Day One with a WP7 handset feels like. So get to it! %Poll-55476%
Dell Venue Pro on sale at Microsoft stores, but good luck getting one
So, just as was rumored, it seems Dell pushed a small handful of Venue Pros to Microsoft's seven flagship stores for sale today. We just spoke with a friendly rep who told us they were "going fast" and didn't sound too confident that we'd be able to get one by the time we got down there, but theoretically if we did, it'd be $199 for a new line (or an eligible upgrade) or $449 outright. If you manage to score one, that'll put you about a week ahead of everyone else -- they aren't expected to be available straight from Dell's site until the 15th. On a related note, Dell's website is showing two configurations for the phone -- an 8GB and a 16GB model -- though none of the stores we called could tell us which one they were stocking. Let's hope for 16, eh? [Thanks, Andrew and @FocusedProverbs]
Windows Phone 7 now on sale in the US
Check it Microsofties, it's time to get back into the game. While some phones have already launched in Europe and beyond, today is the first day that you can put down cash in the US for a Windows Phone 7 device all your own. The Microsoft online Store just loosed the HTC HD7 (T-Mobile), HTC Surround (AT&T), and Samsung Focus (AT&T). Rumor has it that the 4.1-inch Dell Venue Pro (T-Mobile) will be out on shelves at Microsoft retail locations today as well. So why not use that extra hour of wakefulness that Apple provided to think it over? Update: Prices drop to as low as $149.99 at Dell Mobility (which still doesn't list its own Venue Pro) and $99 at Amazon Wireless when purchased with new service plans. The LG Quantum is up for pre-order too with Amazon claiming an 8 to 9 business day delivery. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Dell Venue Pro launches November 8th at Microsoft stores, November 15th at Dell website?
We're finding it hard to hold back our enthusiasm for Dell's Windows Phone 7 slider, but come launch day the 4.1-inch Venue Pro may be a tricky one to find -- you'll need to line up at one of only seven Microsoft retail stores on November 8th (a likely date) if this allegedly leaked document is right. If you're willing to wait until November 15th, however, there's also Dell itself, which will apparently double as the only place you'll be able to go to get any support for the T-Mobile device. Neither niggle will stop us from nabbing one, however. For all we know, Lightning might not strike Windows Phone 7 twice. [Thanks, Ryan]
Dell offering free Venue Pros to employees in exchange for their BlackBerrys
You'd think working for a big tech company would have its gadget-related perks and in Dell's case that's very much true. The big PC vendor has demonstrated its commitment to building up its own smartphone services by offering to trade employees' old and busted BlackBerry devices for the shiny new hotness that is the Venue Pro. If everyone takes up Round Rock on its offer, there'll be 25,000 RIM smartphones looking for new homes soon, along with a sprightly start to Windows Phone 7's time in the limelight. The Wall Street Journal reports this'll cut Dell's mobile communications bill by a quarter, thanks to no longer having to support BlackBerry servers, while also noting that Android variants will be made available in the future as well. Where there's Lightning, there's gotta be Thunder, right?
Dell Venue Pro gets Expansys listing: £499.99 for November 8th (update: Amazon, too)
Don't take this as the gospel, but online retailer Expansys has gone ahead and listed Dell's Venue Pro -- affectionately known as "the Windows Phone 7 device with a portrait QWERTY slider" -- with pricing and availability date in tow. Which, if you're wondering, is £499.99 (or about $783 in US dollars, when crudely converted) and Monday, November 8th, respectively. That's just over two weeks away, which means if it is true, you won't have long to wait... and if it's not true, you'll know soon enough, anyway. Update: PC World's spotted the same date and price for the Venue Pro on Amazon UK. You lucky Brits.
Windows Phone 7 launch guide
Windows Phone 7. We came, we saw, we took lots and lots of photos. Today, Microsoft unleashed its global domination plans on the world, and we wanted to give readers some insight into what happens now, what happens next, and what the more distant future holds for Redmond's smartphone play. As we saw today, the WP7 push is going to happen in multiple countries (more than 30), on multiple carriers (more than 60), and involve lots and lots of hardware. Ten devices to start -- all announced today -- and a slew of others likely to follow. Overall, the first approach of Windows Phone 7 into the marketplace looks strong. Microsoft has built a surprisingly solid new OS (which we previewed in-depth back in July), has a strong set of carrier relationships in place, and is introducing hardware that if not revolutionary, is certainly competitive. So, where are the holes in the plan right now?
Windows Phone 7 handsets: spec comparison
Having trouble keeping track of all the new Windows Phone 7 handsets today? We don't blame you -- even we had trouble remembering all the minor differences between the similarly specced devices. To end our frustration, we've compiled a big chart that lists out the carriers and specs for all 10 devices (with a couple extra MIA) to make our lives a tad easier -- head on pass the break if you need the peace of mind.
Microsoft announces ten Windows Phone 7 handsets for 30 countries: October 21 in Europe and Asia, 8 November in US (Update: Video!)
It may have "Windows" in the branding, but Windows Phone 7 is not the desktop PC experience shoehorned into a cellphone. Microsoft tried that with Windows Mobile... and we all know how that turned out. Today, eight months after the Windows Phone 7 OS unveiling in Barcelona, we're finally seeing the official launch of the retail hardware: nine new WP7 handsets, some available October 21 in select European and Asian markets and others from early November in the US. The phones will find their way to over 60 cellphone operators in more than 30 countries this year. Microsoft tapped Dell, HTC, LG, and Samsung to deliver the Snapdragon-based handsets with a carrier list that includes AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Vodafone, TELUS, América Móvil, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, and Telstra. And that's just for the first wave -- Microsoft has even more handsets coming in 2011 including the first for Sprint and Verizon in the US. Here's the lineup of 480 x 800 pixel (WVGA) phones announced today: HTC 7 Surround -- The 3.8-inch T8788 with slideout speaker for AT&T and Telus HTC HD7 -- Schubert comes of age as a 4.3-inch HD2 cousin for T-Mobile and beyond HTC 7 Trophy -- the 3.8-inch Spark headed to international carriers HTC 7 Mozart -- another heavily leaked int'l player with 3.7-inch display Dell Venue Pro -- 4.1-inch portrait QWERTY slider for T-Mobile we broke as Lightning Samsung Focus -- AT&T's 4-inch Super AMOLED slate we broke as Cetus Samsung Omnia 7 -- the i8700 is a 4-inch Super AMOLED jobbie for Europe LG Optimus 7/7Q -- the E900 is the official 3.8-inch global workhorse LG Quantum -- AT&T's 3.5-inch landscape slider first seen as the C900 HTC 7 Pro -- a 3.6-inch QWERTY slider for Sprint (2011) "Glance and Go," is the slogan Microsoft is using to differentiate itself from an already crowded smartphone market. Something we've already seen alluded to in that leaked AT&T ad. As Ballmer notes, "Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience - one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a 'glance and go' format." He's referring to WP7's customizable Live Tiles, of course. Xbox Live integration is another biggie with EA Games just announcing its first Xbox Live-enabled wares coming to Windows Phone 7 in the fall including "Need for Speed Undercover," "Tetris," "Monopoly," and "The Sims 3." The other big differentiators are the slick Metro UI, integrated support for Zune media and Zune Pass subscriptions, Bing search and maps, Windows Live including the free Find My Phone service, and Microsoft Office Mobile. Now quit stalling and jump past the break for the full list of handsets per carrier and country. Update: Added the official WP7 overview videos after the break.
Dell Venue Pro (aka Lightning) first hands-on!
You see that? That, comrades, is what happens when Lightning strikes! Or, you know, when Venue Pro strikes. So, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but no matter what you call Dell's Windows Phone 7 portrait slider, it's downright awesome. We got a chance to play around with an early build of the phone a few weeks ago -- as you'll hear us say in the video below, it was still codenamed the Lightning -- and we haven't been able to get it out of our minds since. The handset has a very similar look and feel to its Android brother, the Thunder -- its rounded chrome sides are reminiscent of an iPhone 3G/S, the black contoured back has a nice grippy feel, and the curved, WVGA AMOLED, Gorilla Glass screen is just stunning. The 4.1-inch capacitive, multitouch display is joined by additional back, home and search touch-sensitive buttons, all of which seemed responsive in our short time with the device. The back is also home to a 5 megapixel cam with flash while there's a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the device and a micro-USB port on the bottom edge. But obviously, it's that glorious slide-out QWERTY keyboard that makes the Venue Pro, well, so pro. The rubber-feeling keys remind us a lot of those on the Droid 2 -- though, they feel a bit firmer -- and the slider mechanism felt sturdy when we slid it open and closed a number of times. On the spec front, we were told it was packing a Snapdragon processor, and while the phone seemed to briskly run an early build of WP7, we didn't get to test much out as Dell was lacking both a SIM and a nearby WiFi network. We'll be hoping to grab some more time with the T-Mobile version today, but from what we've seen so far we're fairly confident that Dell's struck pretty darn close to gold here. Oh, and don't forget to hit the break for a short video walkthrough of the hardware and keyboard.%Gallery-104723%
Dell Venue Pro gives WP7 a 4.1-inch QWERTY slider with Lightning heritage and a T-Mobile future
To say we've been eagerly anticipating the Dell Lightning would be an understatement along the lines of suggesting Microsoft's launching a few Windows Phone 7 devices today. Dell's AMOLED-equipped WP7 debut has just gone official with a cringe-worthy renaming to the Venue Pro for T-Mobile, who has in turn announced its intention to carry the 4.1-inch portrait QWERTY slider "in time for the holidays." Notably, you won't be able to purchase the Venue Pro directly from T-Mo stores, as Dell and its choice of handpicked retailers are set to handle the purchasing experience. Don't look for any AT&T hookups, either -- Dell has acknowledged T-Mobile as its "launch partner" for the device, giving team Magenta a second major exclusive, even if this one doesn't last much beyond the launch period. Needless to say, we'll seek to confirm the full spec sheet as soon as we can, though the officially known 1GHz Snapdragon chip and 5 megapixel imager agree with the Lightning's original leak. For more on the fresher than fresh Dell Venue Pro, check out our hands-on pictures and impressions.%Gallery-104726%