Checking Out Dell Phones, The Thunder Prototype

On December 11, 2010, in Dell Thunder, by
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We have know for a while that there were a few Dell phones scheduled for a 2010 release. We saw previews of what where Lightning, Thunder, Flash, Smoke and Streak, and all looked pretty good. Time has moved on, and so have the original models that we previewed earlier in the year.

The Lightning, is now released under the name Venue Pro, Thunder we have here, Flash is an Android phone we don’t have much news for. Smoke is another Android phone in Froyo guise and Streak is the tablet/smartphone hybrid launched earlier this year.

The Dell Thunder looks also to have been renamed, to the Dell Venue. It’s currently with the FCC awaiting approval, but we got a look at the prototype model and we’re here to share the views.

Dell-Thunder

On the surface the Thunder looks like the other Dell phone in the news, the Venue Pro. The main differences are that is has ditched the slider for a longer body, and uses Android instead of Windows 7. Other than that, it looks much the same phone.

Bear in mind, these were engineering test models and they will probably change quite a bit before release. Anyway, to the phone. The Dell Thunder is a sleek looking device. The large LCD screen covers most of the front body, with just three recessed buttons on the bottom.

The release version is due to have an OLED panel, but the one we saw was LCD. Even though there was no evidence to support that, it looked too dim for OLED. The screen size is just right. Big enough for everything to be crystal clear and easily readable, while not being too big that it will make an uncomfortable bulge in your pocket a la Streak.

The software we saw was Android 1.6, which was again, a pre-release test version. It worked well, all the applications included booted and worked as advertised, so no problems there, even in pre-release. We had trouble getting the camera to work, but once working, was quick to adjust and took pretty decent pictures. We didn’t try video though, as we didn’t have time, but there’s no reason to doubt video quality would be any worse than stills.

Performance wise, the test phone was fast. The Dell phone has a 1GHz Snapdragon QSM8250 CPU with Qualcomm Adreno graphics to drive it. These specs are much like the Nexus One, which seems to handle most things. There was a bit of lag when using the apps drawer, but was snappy everywhere else.

The GPS was disabled, as was FM radio and a few other features, this was an early model after all. It’s difficult to make critical judgments about pre-release hardware, so we won’t.

From what we saw, the Dell Thunder, Venue, or whatever the final name will be, is a decent phone, with decent specs. It looks like it will fill a middle ground rather than set the world on fire, but will be a solid phone nonetheless.

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The Dell Streak Tablet is like an Android Phone on Steroids

On November 28, 2010, in Dell Streak, News, by
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The dell streak was launched in June across the world, and has been relatively quiet since. As is our habit, we review new gadgets when they first appear, then revisit them a few months after to see how they fare. This give the manufacturer a chance to get a handle on bugs, issues and anything else that slipped through quality assurance before launch.

The big news at the moment is the new Dell phone, the Venue Pro. This new handset is set to compete with BlackBerry, and only time will tell how that one will go. However, the new phone looks to include lessons learned throughout the past couple of years, and seems a step up from previous releases. But we aren’t here to talk about that Dell phone, we’re here to revisit the dell streak.

The Streak is an awkward beast. It’s like the tall guy you knew at school, too big for class, too big for you, but really good at soccer or long jump. He seems awkward in some situations, but perfectly suited to others. That was my initial impression of the Streak, and it hasn’t changed much since.

The unusual form factor is what gives me pause. It’s a 10 millimeter thick lump of plastic, with a 5-inch LCD screen that looks not unlike a Sony PSP. This Dell phone makes a bold statement in a pocket, as it barely fit into my jeans. There is a nice lump in the front pocket that illicit a glance or two as I walk down the street.

It fits nicely in the hand and doesn’t weigh as much as the earth, despite how it looks. It has a smooth, reassuring feel to it. The Gorilla Glass front is clear and thankfully scratch resistant. There are four buttons along the side, a front-facing VGA camera and a headphone jack. There is also a USB port, which is nice.

The big battery is a 1530nmh, out of which we managed a little over ten hours continuous operation. Compare that to barely six for the HTC Desire, and things are looking good.

Performance-wise, the interface is fast and intuitive. The newest Dell phone firmware has speeded things up considerably and now we can flip and slide to our hearts content. Media is handled well, with our test MP4 clip playing seamlessly on the large screen. Detail was good, sound was great and it didn’t kill the battery.

Call quality is also good, sound attenuation is effective, and it seemed to clear out a lot of background noise in our tests. The dull Dell dialer interface is still there though, but doesn’t detract much from the overall feel of the device.

While marketed as a tablet, the Streak is a smartphone in our eyes. Yes it might reflect the fact that society is getting bigger, but it’s capable, colorful and can handle everything you throw at it. The camera is good, call quality is good, applications are good, it’s just, well, good.

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Dell Will Replace Venue Pro’s With Battery and Wi-Fi Issues

On November 15, 2010, in Dell Venue, by
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A release from Dell said the company will replace Venue Pro handsets that have either the mislabeled battery or Wi-Fi issues with their new Dell phone. A post on the Direct2Dell blog said both issues stem from manufacturing dell-venue-proerrors.

The battery issue doesn’t affect the quality of the unit or the battery, the release said. It was merely a mislabeling issue. The post said that the factory that produced the batteries has simply put the wrong label, so they carry the message “engineering sample.”

Dell insists the batteries are production units and stand by their quality. However, they have also offered the opportunity to Venue Pro owners with such a battery to exchange it at a Microsoft store. They are keen to stress that the batteries are retail quality, and will server their intended life as normal, and that the move is merely to reassure customers and provide good customer care. These replacements will be available at the end of next week, according to Dell.

There is also news of poor Wi-Fi performance of Dell phones, specifically the Venue Pro, the company has announced a plan to replace those that are having problems. While certainly not the only phone to have connection issues, Dell has to have credit for coming right out and saying it instead of telling customers they are holding the phone wrong!

In this particular case, users have complained of poor Wi-Fi connections in certain situations. Dell say they have engineers working on the problem and may have identified a software issues that is causing the poor performance.

Several blogs reported users with issues with their Wi-Fi and Dell seemed to have got onto the case right away. A further update to their blog reports their engineers identified a software glitch that slipped through QA and into manufacturing. This affects the first Venue Pro Dell phones, and not those produced later.

Those who have the early phone, and who are experiencing this issue are encouraged to go to a Microsoft store for a replacement new phone. Dell assures that the new phones don’t share the same problem.

To quote Dell directly:

“We have addressed and corrected the oversight and are working with our partners at Microsoft to replace Venue Pro units to ensure people are 100% satisfied with their purchase.”

No new model is ever problem free at launch, look at other high profile devices that have had similar issues. Credit to Dell for acknowledging the issue and getting onto it straight away. Other manufacturers would do well to learn from this and not treat customers as fools. Dell wins much kudos for holding their hands up and tackling the issue head on.

*UPDATE* According to the company, the Wi-Fi issue only relates to Dell phones bought on November 8 or 9. This must have been the initial batch rushed to retail. Phones bought after that should be fine.

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Dell Venue Pro Hands On

On November 12, 2010, in Dell Venue, News, Reviews, by
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The Venue Pro is the new Dell phone that uses Windows 7, and is coming to a store near you. It has had a lot of media coverage over the past week or so as it’s Dell’s new flagship phone. Despite that, it actually seems to be quite good. Considering the state of the previous Dell Aero and the Android phone they produced for AT&T, it’s going to have to be.

The Venue Pro smacks of being primarily a phone for business users. It’s solid, weighty and has a reassuring bulk about it that hints at longevity. It has a raised area on the back, and tough, scratch resistant glass on for the screen. It’s the same material Dell uses on the Streak, so we know it works quite well.

The Venue Pro just feels more like a corporate mobile than a sleek, shiny consumer unit. There isn’t anything in there especially for businesses users, not as far as we could see, but much like the Blackberry, even though consumers can still use them, they lack the appeal of the iPhone or others.

That said, the new Dell phone packs quite a punch, whoever uses it. There’s a large 4.1” screen, which is ideal for the Windows 7 interface. While the screen size does make the phone a little bulky, it’s much easier to see what’s going on, and to use the applications effectively. It’s a little larger than an HTC or LG Optimus, but not so much that it becomes unwieldy.

The phone comes with a QWERTY keyboard, with rounded raised buttons. Even pudgy fingers like mine could tap out a text message in a few seconds, and had no problem navigation my way round. Dell phones are relatively new, so we don’t know how hardy these guys are, but the solid construction gives us a feeling of confidence. Let’s just hope the electronics are up to the job.

The Venue Pro is a slider phone, which keeps the orientation vertical, which neatly circumvents the Windows 7 screen issue where it prefers portrait mode to landscape.

Hardware wise, it has a 1-GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 processor, a 5-megapixel camera, and 16GB of storage. This seems pretty standard for Windows phones right now, and so far has been more than capable of running the OS and applications.

With the phone comes some Dell phone goodies, such as a year’s subscription to Pageonce Personal Finance. If you get it through T-Mobile you also get Netflix, T-Mobile TV, Slacker, Telenav and other apps. To get the phone through T-Mobile you’re going to have to order direct from Dell, as these aren’t going retail. No T-Mobile store will have these in stock, so it’s mail order only I’m afraid.

From our brief test, the Venue Pro looks like a significant step forward for Dell phones. It’s slick, quick, and seems perfectly capable of handling anything you can throw at it.

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Dell shifts from Blackberry to Windows 7 Phone

On November 11, 2010, in Dell Venue, News, by
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TIN BOX MAKER Dell has done a deal with Microsoft to move to its own mobile phones running Windows Phone 7.

Dell has 25,000 employees who until recently were using Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberrys, but it plans to move them to the Windows Phone 7-powered Dell Venue Pro.

According to the Wall Street Journal Dell is in discussions with T-Mobile USA, the carrier for the Venue Pro, for buying voice and data in bulk.

Dell’s CFO Brian Gladden said that the reason for the switch is because the company competes with RIM.

Dell claims that the switch will save money and is part of a larger effort for the PC maker to convince its business customers to switch to the company’s smartphones.

But it is not all going the Vole’s way. Dell will also offer employees phones running Google’s Android, which is already used in some of the company’s devices.

Still, Microsoft will be pleased at seeing so many phones switched to its mobile operating system at one go.

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Dell buoys Windows Phone 7 as it drops BlackBerry

On November 11, 2010, in Dell Venue, News, by
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win7-dell-venueRIM suffered a massive blow as one of the world’s biggest computer manufacturers, Dell, has just shifted 25,000 of its employees off BlackBerry phones over to Dell handsets sporting the new Windows Phone 7 mobile OS platform.

Venue Pro over BlackBerry

Dell will shift 25,000 employees – about one quarter of the people it employs – onto its own Venue Pro handset powered by Windows Phone 7, and expects the move will slash the company’s mobile communications costs by 25 per cent. Not only is this good from a cost-savings perspective, it will also give Dell staffers some insight on their own products’ strengths and shortcomings since they will be eating their own ‘dog food’, so to speak.

As for those 25,000 used BlackBerry’s? Dell CFO Brian Gladden says that: ‘We actually had a conversation last night around creating a site on eBay where we can actually sell these BlackBerry devices.’ Ouch.

Cracking at the seams or just strategy?

This is definitely a major blow for BlackBerry to lose that many customers at once, particularly in such a high profile organisation, but it may also just be a strategic play to boost Dell’s smartphone ambitions. In this respect, it may be premature to say RIM is losing its touch with its core customer base – the enterprise space – but this does not bode well for the company.

Major Phone 7 boost

Furthermore this is a massive boost for the Windows Phone 7 mobile OS platform. Sure, 25,000 subscribers is a mere drop in the ocean when compared to the tens of millions of Android handsets shipping and the 14 million iPhones shipped in this last quarter, but it’s that particular customer base that matters. Having that many concentrated users sharing professional networks could be a massive seed and a catalyst for growth in the enterprise space.

And for Microsoft and the Windows Phone 7 mobile OS platform, any growth potential is good, especially with the all-out assault Apple and Google have launched.

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Dell’s 3G phones XCD28 & XCD35 hit the Indian market!

On November 10, 2010, in News, by
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Kolkata: Dell’s 3G phones XCD28 & XCD35 hit the Indian market! Android phones have already made to the India market, but Dell has recently launched its own Android-based smartphones — XCD28 and XCD35.

The features that will enamor the 3G phone are 3.2 megapixel digital camera, a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, high speed connectivity, WiFi and Bluetooth, FM Radio and access to Microsoft Email Exchange through Active sync, 200MB of internal memory that can be expanded upto 16GB using Micro SD memory cards.

Dell XCD28 also offers full internet browsing, a media player supporting multiple formats for videos, music and photos and features such as location awareness.

The 25 years old company that is spreading its holds tp capture the internet computing world into more accessible ways like cell phones at an affordable cost are looking to offer technology solutions to a much larger audience through their new launches.

And to add to all the delight of the tech savvy customers, Dell XCD28 is priced at Rs 10,990 while Dell XCD35 will sell for Rs 16,990 only.

Relevant sources confirmed that Dell, XCD28 will be immediately available in the market while XCD35 will be available by December 2010.

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Engadget’s Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

On June 12, 2010, in Dell Streak, News, by
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As Joel pointed out back in January Michael Dell showed a glimpse of the Dell Android tablet then known as the Dell Mini 5. The device launched this past week on O2 in the UK and is officially known as the dell streak. The folks at Engadget picked one up and posted a full review of this 5 inch display tablet. The dell streak should be launching here in the US in July for around $500. With my new Sprint HTC EVO 4G sporting similar specs and a 4.3 inch display for $200, I have to wonder if the slightly larger display will appeal to many looking for an iPad alternative.

Key features and specifications of the Dell Streak included:

  • Google Android 1.6 OS (should get an upgrade to 2.2 this year)
  • 1GHz Snapdragon processor
  • 5-inch multi-touch WVGA (800×480 pixels resolution) display
  • 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and VGA front facing camera
  • 3G/WiFi/Bluetooth radios
  • HDMI out
  • 2GB internal storage and microSD expandable memory card support for up to 32 GB

Most all of the specs of the Dell Streak are the same as the HTC EVO 4G (processor, display resolution, HDMI out, microSD card) with the display size, camera resolution, and current operating system being the major differences. Personally, the higher resolution camera and 2.1 Google Android operating system are more compelling to me than the slightly larger display. The display size makes this much less like a smartphone while the EVO 4G is still very pocketable. Engadget shows Google Maps Navigation on the Dell Streak compared to the Nexus One, but I would like to see how the HTC EVO 4G looks instead.

The Dell Streak will be an interesting tablet device, but I personally think making the jump to a tablet over a smartphone requires a display size of at least 7 inches. Is there enough appeal in the Dell Streak over Google Android smartphones?

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iPhone 4 vs Dell Streak vs HTC Desire vs Samsung Galaxy S vs iPhone 3GS

On June 12, 2010, in Dell Streak, News, by
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The iPhone 4 has arrived with all the fanfare of Gollem launching a new model of Precious, but does the Apple attack look likely to thrash the other smart phone big boys once more?

We’ve taken five of the hottest new and upcoming smart phones (and one wild card) and thrown them in the ring for a clash of the titans. Screens will shatter and hearts will be broken as we sort the phones from the fools.

We’ve put the iPhone 4 is up against the Dell Streak, the HTC Desire and the Samsung Galaxy S — and just for kicks, the old iPhone 3GS too. If we haven’t matched up your favourite heavyweights, let us know in the comments, and let battle commence. Fight!

Dell Streak

dell streak

The dell streak is part of a huge-phone trend that includes the HTC HD2. The focus is on surfing the Web, rather than making calls, and with the Android OS on board, the Streak is well up to the task.

Big and beautiful

The Streak flaunts a 127mm (5-inch) screen, which backs up its claims to be a tablet computer rather than a phone. But you can still make phone calls on it, and even slip it in your pockets if you wear baggy jeans. Add that to a sleek, good-looking case and you’ve got a great smart phone for people who’d rather chat on Facebook than talk on the phone.

Lagging behind

The Streak runs the older, 1.6 version of Google’s Android operating system, until an update to version 2.2 comes later this year. When it does, the Streak will go from good to great, because right now it’s missing some key features, such as native support for Outlook email.

Read our full Dell Streak review here.

HTC Desire

HTC Desire

The HTC Desire has been around for a while compared to the other box-fresh contenders, but time hasn’t dulled this smart phone’s charms — and best of all, a few months on the market tends to bring prices down, making the Desire the most affordable of these phones.

Android with benefits

The Desire runs Android 2.1, covered with HTC’s own special user-interface sauce, which we think adds handy features and makes the robot better looking. It sounds like a perfect world, but the customised version of Android could mean you have to wait longer for updates, as HTC Hero users have discovered — they’re still stuck with Android 1.5, and are starting to miss out on new apps that don’t support older versions.

Blinded by the light

The Desire’s AMOLED screen is stunningly bright and vivid indoors, but outside on a sunny day, it’s so reflective you can hardly see it. Luckily, we don’t get too many sunny days here in Blighty, but if you fancy making a call from the beach, get ready for some touchscreen trial and error.

Read our full HTC Desire review here.

Apple iPhone 4

Apple iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 doesn’t launch until 24 June, but that doesn’t stop us craving its curves. The networks are lining up to offer Apple’s latest creation, but despite the competition, this is likely to be the priciest phone in the punnet.

Refresh and renew

Unlike the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 is a new design compared to its predecessor. An epically high-resolution screen should be just the thing for reading e-books from Apple’s new store and watching video filmed in 720p with the new 5-megapixel camera. A glass front and back looks slick and should be more scratch-resistant than plastic — but the moment before your dropped phone hits the concrete will feel like an eternity of pain.

Blast from the past

We’re excited about the limited multi-tasking and other new features of the iOS 4 operating system, which will be on the iPhone 4 as well as the iPhone 3GS, iPad and third-gen iPod touch. But video calling didn’t tempt us when it came out five years ago, and we’re even more indifferent when we can only do it between iPhone 4s.

Read our full Apple iPhone 4 preview here.

Samsung Galaxy S

Samsung Galaxy S

The Samsung Galaxy S is slated to be released by the end of the month, but that won’t stop us from speculating about this crave-worthy phone. A huge 102mm (4-inch) touchscreen means the Galaxy S is another option for those of us with clown pockets or roomy handbags.

Super duper AMOLED

The Samsung Galaxy S is yet another phone in our battle that’s running Google’s Android OS, but it’s the only one with a Super AMOLED screen. It’s far less reflective than the AMOLED type, so unlike the HTC Desire, we should be able to see the Galaxy S when we’re strolling in the sunshine.

Android anticipation

Samsung has been slowly warming up to the Android OS with two other Galaxy phones — the Galaxy Portal and the Galaxy i7500. Both were solid efforts, but we’re still waiting for Samsung to blow us away with something special, and with a 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera and HD video, the Galaxy S has real blowage potential.

Read more about the Samsung Galaxy S here.

Apple iPhone 3GS

Apple iPhone 3GS

The iPhone 3GS may be old news with the launch of the iPhone 4, but it’s still a great smart phone — especially now the price is certain to drop.

Still getting better

The iPhone 3GS will receive the iOS 4 software upgrade, which means many of the features of the iPhone 4 will go to 3GS users too. Basic multi-tasking, wallpaper and room for more organised apps are all in the cards for the update. That’s on top of a phone that’s so powerful and fun to use, it’s been sitting on top of our mobile phone reviews table since the day it came out.

The cool factor

The iPhone still won’t be cheap, and buying an older version of a top of the line gadget just feels wrong. If you want to blow your bonus on the latest thing, you can go the whole hog with the iPhone 4 — otherwise, an HTC Desire will save you a good deal of money on your contract and pricy iPhone apps. On the other hand, if you can get over your gadget envy for the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS remains a phone that’s well worth having.

Read our full Apple iPhone 3GS review here.

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Dell Aero Release Date & Specs

On May 11, 2010, in Dell Aero, by
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Looks like Dell is stepping up a gear or two, this time round its concerning the new Dell Aero and its release date and specifications. We have already mentioned nowadays concerning the Dell Lightning Windows 7 Phone as well as the Dell Thunder.

New leaked details, reports that the Dell Aero will feature a fairly slow 624MHz Marvell processor and Handwriting support and that AT&T will be have a Q2 release date.

Other features include a 3.5-inch capacitive multitouch screen and will ship with a stylus to work the handwriting recognition; it will also have QuickOffice straight out of the box and supports Microsoft ActiveSync and Exchange.

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The handset will boast WebKit browser with Flash Lite and a cool media player as well, it will have some sort of music streaming and download ability that will be protected by Windows Media DRM according to Engadget (Visit them also to see their photo gallery).

It has also been said that it will run Android 1.5 but may possibly have an Android 2.1 update around Q3 and Q4. As soon as we hear concerning the exact release date we will let you know.

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