We were really excited about the Dell Lightning when it leaked earlier this year and we’re still pretty stoked now that it has become official as the Dell Venue Pro with Windows Phone 7. This portrait-sliding QWERTY device will be hitting T-Mobile in times for the holidays.
T-Mobile hasn’t released the full specs or a launching price point but it appears like it will have a 4.1-inch screen, 5-megapixel camera and a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor. I’d also expect it to include WiFi, GPS, assisted-GPS, 8 GB of internal storage, Bluetooth and access to T-Mobile’s 3G network. I don’t think it will be able to use the HSPA+ network, which is a shame.
Don’t look to walk into your T-Mobile store to get this, as the press release said, “The Dell Venue Pro is expected to be available in the U.S. in time for the holidays directly from Dell and select retailers with service from T-Mobile.”
It looks like the Dell Venue Pro will be an exclusive to T-Mobile and the company could be positioning it as a competitor to the BlackBerry in the corporate space. The Windows Phone 7 operating system should mean that it seamlessly integrates with the life of a mobile worker.
We know that Windows Phone 7 has a lot of consumer-friendly features, but the platform should also make the Dell Venue Pro play nice in corporate environments. Because the platform is made by Microsoft, Windows Phone 7 will have deep integration with Exchange servers, as well as e-mail integration with other types of mail services.
This will also be the only smartphone operating system to come preloaded with the official Microsoft Office application, which will let Dell Venue Pro users view and edit a variety of documents on the go.
The form factor on this device makes me really want it but with no confirmation that it will have HSPA+ access, I’m still not convinced this is the right phone for me. What do you think, friends?