Dell Venue Pro Review
The philosophy of a smartphone designer is the same as that of runway models and ballerinas, and that is one can never be thin enough.
Dell however has adopted a contrasting approach with its latest Windows 7 Phone the Venue Pro. Despite the device being both beautiful and agile, the Venue Pro however is quite the fatty.
Weighing in at 6.8 ounces it is heavier than all its rivals, and the main reason behind its weight, is the slide out QWERTY keyboard. The other reason for the device’s heft is the large and chromatically rich 4.1-inch, 800 x 480 AMOLED touchscreen. Every other feature on the device however is both understated and efficient.
Despite the drawback of the weight and dimension of the device, it does seem to be a worthwhile trade off. The Venue Pro seems much less a slate like smartphone and much more like the feature rich, productivity driven pocket PC’s of the past.
That style of productivity driven device seems to have fallen out of fashion, and Dell’s decision to inject some aspects of that concept into an inexpensive and streamlines smartphone was an intelligent move.
The Venue Pro is deserving of its praise, the device is powered by a generic 1 GHz processor and is able to whip through Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 OS which is animation heavy without any problem, and switching and swiping through menus was extremely smooth, and when we tested the device, we did not find any stutters or lag when it came to launching apps.
The device’s large screen makes it well suited for such tasks, and whilst the asymmetric multi screen Windows 7 menus takes some getting used to, the Venue Pro does manage to present them well.
As said earlier its greatest strength is its productivity, so far no smartphone operating system has truly provided the elegant simplicity needed for mobile document editing. The Venue Pro does however have some unique features, the solid slide out keyboard is a great counterpart for Microsoft’s stripped down Word application, and the larger screen size even makes working with Excel possible. It goes without saying that the integrated Xbox Live support and large library of titles makes gaming a joy.
Despite all the strengths mentioned, as a basic phone, the Venue Pro is little more than mediocre, and whilst voice quality was good, the device kept jumping between 2G and 3G networks in the middle of tasks or dropping to no signal at all.
The speaker phone on the device was a little dodgy, though it is workable, it was lightly distorted at high volumes. The battery is lacking, and it is perhaps not the best option for big talkers or road warriors.
Even with its shortcomings, the union of business and pleasure, combined with solid design does make it an attractive phone, and its likely sub US$200 price points, adds to its attractiveness. Dell Australia will likely release the phone sometime later in the year.
Click here to order online with Dell Australia
Dell Streak 7 To Release On February 2nd
For those of your who are eagerly anticipating the upcoming launch of Dell’s 7 inch tablet device called the Dell Streak 7, rumour has it that the device will be launched in the US on February 7th, which will likely result in a release by Dell Australia some later in the first half of the year.
The launch date was announced by Dell’s carrier partner in the US T-Mobile, whose chief executive Phillipp Humm delivered the news. Mr. Humm also provided some technical details about the device, including confirming that it will indeed be 4G capable, the first ssuch tablet on the market with that capability and promising revolutionize internet speeds.
The device will run on the Android 2.2 operating system, despite most other tablets with impending launches running on the more recent Android Honeycomb. The device is powered by a core Tegra 2 processor, and the 4G capability means speeds of as high as 21Mbps will be possible, making it ideal for streaming media. The Streak 7 comes with a “brilliant 7 inch WVGA touch-screen with Gorilla Glass”, as described in the press release.
The Streak 7 will support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and Dell says it will provide users with the required add on so users can have the full internet experience on the device.
As one can tell from the picture, Dell has opted for a stylish classic design, however pricing has yet to be determined. The February 2nd launch date has all but been confirmed, and the timing of the launch is before the imminent arrival of the Playbook from BlackBerry.
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Dell Launch Of 7-Inch Streak Imminent
After a highly successful foray into the market for tablet devices with the launch of its 5-inch tablet Streak, speculation continues to mount that Dell is preparing to release a 7-inch tablet device that is rumoured to be 4G capable. the first such tablet with that capability.
Dell reportedly received Wi-Fi certification for the device from the Wi-Fi Alliance recently, whilst accessory makers have already begun listing leather cases for a Dell 7-inch tablet. Add to that the facts that Dell chief executive Michael Dell waved around a 7-inch tablet in September, with Dell’s President for Greater China recently having promised that a 7-inch device would arrive within weeks and a 10-inch devices within months, there is every reason to believe that the launch of a 7-inch tablet device from Dell is imminent.
Dell is also rumoured to be planning launches of tablets with 3 and 4 inch screen sizes making its product range perhaps the most diverse of all manufacturers featuring tablets of every size from 3 inches up to 10 inches. The 7-inch Streak will most likely run on the Android 2,3 operating system, also known as Gingerbread, and just like the 5-inch version the device will be overlaid by Dell’s proprietary Stage software.
Like its 5 inch counterpart the Dell Streak 7 will feature a 7-inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen display and will have have Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) for connectivity and there has been some speculation that the device will be available with both 3G and 4G capability. The device is thought to be powered by a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 chip which would make the tablet capable of playing 1080p HD video.
Engadget claims to have got their hands on the story board of Dell Streak 7′s Ad Treatment. In one of the slides, the Streak 7 is shown with front-facing camera, so video calls might be on the cards.
It is likely that the device will be launched at least within the first half of the year in the United States, with Dell Australia launching the device sometime after that.
Click here to order online with Dell Australia
Dell Likely To Launch 7 Inch Tablet Device Soon
The first quarter of every new year is always a busy time of year in the personal computer business, with the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the platform many manufacturers use to unveil their upcoming products for the year.
This year seems to be no different for Dell and it is likely that the company will unveil its 7-inch tablet device which some say is called the Dell Looking Glass, though a variety of other names have also been linked to the device.
Dell has already submitted the device’s specifications to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) for certification. The device has apparently been certified by the FCC, and likely to be unveiled by Dell imminently. According to the FCC filing, the device will have 3G modem capability and be able to run on a variety of mobile carrier networks.
According to different sources, the other features include the support for WiFi with 802.11n technology, bluetooth 2.1 EDR, WiFi radio support, and the device also holds a socket for the external SD card.
Leaked images of the device suggest that there are cameras on both the front and back, though it is not yet known what their resolution will be. The SIM card functionality certainly suggests cellular data availability is confirmed, however it is not known whether the device will support voice or video calls.
Perhaps the biggest change is the device is rumoured to be powered by the Tegra 2 processors, which will provide significant increase in performance compared to first generation tablets
The device is likely to launch at CES next week, and should be running Android 2.2 Froyo. Dell Australia will likely release the device in the country well after it is first launched in the US.
Click here to order online with Dell Australia
Dell To Launch Venue Pro Shortly
On December 9th Dell will officially wade into the market for smartphones running Windows Phone 7, when it launches its first device powered by the operating system. Dell Australia will likely launch the device sometime next year. 
The company will begin selling its Venue Pro mobile device in the US, with the introduction of an 8GB model which retails for US$449, and a 16GB model that will retail for US$499. Both models are available for far cheaper under two year contracts from mobile phone carriers.
The device itself is fairly sexy, featuring a 4.1 inch AMOLED capacitive multi-touch display. The Venue Pro comes equipped with a slide out QWERTY keyboard, and fully integrates with Microsoft Office applications and the Xbox live gaming service.
The launch of the device is good news indeed for Microsoft which needs its mobile operating system to be successful and in the hands of a large number of users if it wishes to compete effectively against Apple and Google in the battle for hearts and minds of smartphone users.
Devices which run Windows Phone 7, such as the Venue Pro offer a user interface which Microsoft dubs Live Tiles. Six tiles enable users to quickly access social media, messaging, calling, photos, email and personal applications. Real time information is delivered to the main interface.
According to market research firm Gartner, the introduction of Windows Phone 7 will increase the company’s global market share of mobile operating systems from 4.7 per cent in 2010 to 5.2 per cent next year. However Gartner also estimates that Microsoft’s market share will decline to just 3.9 per cent by 2014 as Apple and Gartner build out their product offerings more fully and continue their assault on the market for smartphones with iOS and Android.
Click here to order online with Dell Australia
Dell CFO Says He Expects Enterprise Customers To Embrace Adoption Of Tablets
Bryan Gladden, Dell’s chief financial officer says he believes that the enterprise segment will come to accept the emergence of tablets as a corporate computing device, and could eventually usurp the laptop as employees primary computer. 
Mr. Gladden made the comments whilst speaking at the Credit Suisse 2010 Technology Conference held on Tuesday and said “I think the tablet dynamic will have an impact within the enterprise,”
Currently laptops are the primary computing device for the enterprise segment, with tablets providing just incremental support, but according to Mr. Gladden, while it may still be to early to measure the impact of such devices on the enterprise space, he believes that in time they could be used on a much wider basis.
“Is there a point in time where it become cannibalistic in the enterprise? Probably,”
Dell’s current tablet offering is in the form of The Streak which was released earlier in the year, featuring a 5-inch screen running the Android operating system. The device has proven quite popular with its main target market of consumers; however Dell is seeking to position it with enterprise customers such as hospitals by including specialized software that enables secure access to remote documents.
Dell Australia launched The Streak in the country a couple of months ago.
On the back of the success of The Streak, Dell says it intends to launch a range of new tablet devices aimed primarily at enterprise customers because according to Mr. Gladden, the company is primarily in the enterprise space and its product development needs to be focused on its corporate customers.
“I think we’ll have … capabilities and hardware, whether that’s a 10-inch Windows-based device that starts to look and feel a lot like a notebook, or whether it’s an Android device that fits into the virtualized desktop sort of environment and runs current applications in a different operating system environment. As you look at 3G, 4G-enabled devices that will be … a prevalent resource for a salesperson for instance, clearly you’d want to have a carrier as a part of that offering,” Mr. Gladden said.
A number of companies have already begun to adopt tablet devices such as the Apple iPad for functions such as inventory assessment, remote access and email.
Click here to order online with Dell Australia
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 11 Review
Lenovo’s ThinkPad range of laptops are lightweight, but have a reputation as being on the expensive side of business computing machines. Despite that costly perception, Lenovo has for quite some time now in fact got a range of inexpensive laptops. 
Lenovo Australia launched the range with the advent of the inexpensive and ultra portable ThinkPad X100e which weighed in at just 1.5 kg. Despite its price and weight the laptop generated huge amounts of heat as a result of its AMD Neo processor, which also meant that the battery drained of power very quickly.
Despite the initial flaw, hopes for a better incarnation in the ThinkPad Edge 11 are much higher, especially since it uses the Core i3 processor, a low voltage offering from Intel. The laptop weighs in at 1.5 kg and skips the traditional all black boxy ThinkPad styling, instead opting for a more modern look which makes use of a glossy red or matt black lid.
Though not the most stylish device on the market, it does indeed manage to hold its own. The ThinkPad Edge 11 is not as rigid as other models in the range, but continues in the tradition of being reasonably sturdy.
Perhaps more important than its design is the fact that the laptop has a much longer battery life than its predecessor and managed to run for seven hours when tested under light usage such as browsing the internet. The battery also performs relatively well under more processor intensive tests which require more energy such as image editing, managing to maintain power for three hours.
One drawback however is that the ThinkPad Edge 11 comes with only 2GB of RAM as opposed to the more preferable 4GB, which can be obtained on other machines for the same price. Whilst using the laptop its under belly does warm, but does not do so uncomfortably like its previous incarnation the X11e.
The ThinkPad series is renowned for comfortable and accurate keyboard, and the ThinkPad Edge 11 does not depart from this tradition. The keyboard features large and response keys, making typing both error free and comfortable. There are however some strange layout features such as the Fn key replacing the position of the control key. Punctuation, page up and down keys are also smaller than the other keys.
The ThinkPad Edge 11 features a touchstick which will please long term users but may confuse first time buyers. First timers however will be glad with the presence of a touchpad, which though on the small side, is accurate.
The laptop features a 13.3 inch widescreen display, and as would be expected comes with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The image quality is unfortunately not that impressive, with poor viewing angles and shifting colour accuracy depending on seating position.
The ThinkPad Edge 11 comes with 64 bit Windows 7 pre-installed, and comes with a 320 GB hard drive. The 64 bit enables users to add up to 4GB of RAM and also use all that extra memory.
Additional security features such as a finger print reader do not exist, which is expected given the price of the laptop, and 3G capability is not built in. Users wanting an integrated 3G modem built into the laptop will have to pay more for the privilege.
Click here to order online with Lenovo Australia
Dell Streak The Answer To Our Prayers?
So twitter was set ablaze recently with news that computer manufacturing giant Dell intends its first official launch of its Android based tablet, the 5-inch Dell Streak. Amid all the buzz the news generated, there was one minor but extremely important detail which was missed, the Streak is not really an Android based tablet device, but rather it is an Android powered phone.
Now this should take nothing away from the slick looking device, but just so everyone knows, the device is much more comparable with a 4G phone than it is to tablet devices produced by computer manufacturers who are named after a fruit.
Dell unveiled its Mini 5 back in January, but provided scant detail until yesterday, prior to that there were leaks that the device would be named The Streak, plus the occasional product shot. The device is powered by Google’s Android operating system, and has all the features you would associate with a phone, alongside 3G capability, Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth support.
The phone runs standard Android applications and it is quite likely it will be made available in Asia later in the year.
The phone has:
• 5-inch screen,
• 1GHz Snapdragon processor,
• 2 GB of internal storage (with support for up to 32 GB of additional SD storage).
• Earpiece on the top of its front side and a microphone on the bottom.
>> Read more
Chinese Government Accidently Unveils Two New Dell Mobile Phone Models
Computer manufacturing giant Dell has had its plans to launch a new phone, and add a port on to an existing phone has been revealed to the public inadvertently by the Chinese Government’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Centre.
According to the newly revealed information, Dell intends to launch a Mini 3T1, a brand new low cost model that comes with a directional pad, which would either supplement or replace the touchscreen.
The new model is thought to include a simple two mega-pixel camera and support 3G networks.
The centre also revealed that a slightly modified version of Dell’s Mini 3iX, already on sale in Brazil would also start selling in China. The modified phone would maintain the rounded design of the regular 3i, but would come with HSPA and WCDMA for China Unicom’s 3G service.
Neither TECC slip provided a clue as to the release dates or prices, and both the 3T1 and 3iX may not arrive for some time. Whether the 3T1 will be launched by Dell Australia is not entirely clear either.
Click here to order online with Dell Australia
iPad Has Strong Début
By all accounts the launch of Apple’s highly anticipated iPad was an all round success with the Cupertino California based company shifting more than 300,000 units during its first day in stores, a figure which roughly matched Wall Street expectations, and mirroring the début of the iPhone back in 2007.
Despite a strong opening weekend, Apple’s real test will come much later in the year when consumers outside of Apple’s core following size up the device.
Several questions remain unanswered, most notable among them is whether consumers will be willing to shell out US$500 or more for a gadget that falls somewhere in between a laptop and a smartphone.
For its part Apple hopes it is pioneering a new segment or class of device, and that the iPad will join the iPod and iPhone in its pantheon of successful consumer devices that drives its sales growth, as multi-media players and smartphone sales begin to moderate.
Should the iPad catch on, it will not only yield a new market for component manufacturers, but will also provide another platform for software developers and content companies to distribute their products.
For now however, only time will tell whether the device is another home run for Apple, publishers such as the New York Times though are betting that the tablet will provide a profitable transition from traditional print to digital distribution.
Apple has taken a huge gamble with the launch of a tablet, staking its formidable reputation on the 9.7-inch touch screen device, which has no other use really beyond pure media consumption.
Rivals Dell and Hewlett Packard are upping the ante, preparing to launch their offerings later in the year, crowding the market, providing consumers with a wide variety of choices and not allowing Apple to run riot virtually unopposed like it did in the MP3 player and smart-phone segment.
Many analysts believe that Apple will shift more than 1 million or more iPads during the current quarter which ends in June, with much of Wall Street basing their stock price targets on the company shifting as many as 5 million units during 2010.
Apple launched with just Wi-Fi enabled devices over the weekend, and iPads were only available in the United States. The company expects to roll out a 3G compatible tablet later this month, and will expand to nine international markets.
Apple said iPad users downloaded more than 1 million applications from the company’s App Store and more than 250,000 ebooks from its iBookstore during the first day.
Click here to order online with Apple Australia
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