14 DAY TRIAL // Dell has just received FCC approval for a new variant of its Venue Pro smartphone, which is compatible with AT&T’s 3G network. While this doesn't necessarily means that the device will be launched by the carrier soon, as Dell is well-known for getting FCC approvals for devices that don't make it on the market.
However, this narrows the chance of AT&T customers of getting the Venue Pro sooner than expected.
The FCC filing mentions that the smartphone features WCDMA Band II and V support, which is exactly what is needed for the device to land on all major carriers such as AT&T, Telus, Bell or Rogers.
Even though these are good news for Dell's fans, the company disappointed lately as none of the retailers had enough Dell Venue Pro units in stock to meet the customers' demand.
[IMG-2]Along with Samsung Focus, Dell Venue Pro is among the few Windows Phone 7 smartphones that registered good sales since it has been launched on the market.
However, rumors say that the main reason behind its hot sale is the high number of Dell fans and has little to do with the fact that it runs Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform.
It may be the other way around with the latest Dell Venue announced in South Korea recently, which comes with Android 2.2 out-of-the-box.
The Venue Pro is Dell's first smartphone to run on Windows Mobile 7 platform and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz processor. The device has an unusual sliding form factor (for a smartphone) and features a full QWERTY keypad.
Other highlights of the smartphone include: Gorilla Glass display, 8 or 16 GB of internal memory, 512 MB RAM, microSD card slot, 4.1-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity and GPS with A-GPS support.
Currently, Dell Venue Pro can be purchased for a suggested retail price of about $500 without subscription.
