Hasta La Gadget!

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]

Dell Venue Pro on sale at Microsoft stores, but good luck getting one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on July 30, 2008 by CyberNet.

Some of you may remember when Dell attempted make a name for themselves in the digital music player market by launching a couple of different music players in 2003. And you may remember that in 2006 they decided to end production of both their hard drive and flash-based players because they simply could not compete with Apple and the iPod. Knowing they had a hard time back in 2006 competing with Apple, we were shocked to see that they have decided to re-enter the digital music player market once again.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report this, and they say that several Dell officials have confirmed that they are once again working on a digital music device to compete with the iPod. It is rumored to launch as early as September this year and would feature:

• Wi-Fi connectivity so users connect to online music service
• Small navigation screen
• Basic buttons for controls for scrolling
• Likely priced under $100

According to Reuters, Dell would be taking a completely different route with this player than they did their previous players. They say, “Instead of simply selling a piece of hardware tied to someone else’s music service, as it did in 2003, Dell is working on software for a range of portable PCs that will let users download and organize music and movies from various online sources.”

Our only question for Dell is, what makes them think they can come back again now and take on Apple? Knowing Microsoft has put all of their effort into the Zune and they haven’t been able to do it, is this a waste of time and effort for Dell? Hopefully they have several million set aside for a good marketing effort, because they’ll need it!

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The first time the words “Stage UI” passed our lips, they were in relation to the Dell Thunder leak, but now we’re hearing that Dell’s custom Android user interface will actually appear alongside Android 2.2 when the update finally arrives on the five-inch Streak. We’ve just learned that’s going to happen this winter in Japan when the Streak launches on SoftBank at the very least, as both are advertised for early December there, but we expect we’ll see the updated OS even sooner in the US and Europe for obvious reasons. What’s more, an unofficial build of Froyo that leaked out for the Streak last month has since been found to have Stage UI on board. StreakSmart‘s got a video of a custom ROM running a series of Dell-specific widgets on the Streak, and sister site Good and Evo managed to trick the very same software to run on a rooted HTC EVO 4G. You can see examples of both on video after the break, but here’s the basic idea behind the UI — giant panes of contacts, apps and shortcuts that fill an entire screen each, but leave your app drawer accessible at a swipe. If you’re feeling daring, you can try the ROM for yourself at our more coverage link. Just be careful flashing that new baseband, eh?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Dell’s Stage UI headed to Streak, also unofficially works on EVO 4G (video)

Dell’s Stage UI headed to Streak, also unofficially works on EVO 4G (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Dell told us of its plans to revive its tried and true XPS laptop line we were pretty darn excited. With so much brand dilution in the past few years — there’s been the Adamo XPS and the Studio XPS — the products have noticeably strayed from providing the rock solid gaming and multimedia experience they were once known for. There’s a reason XPS stands for Xtreme Performance System, right?! The new line, which includes 14-, 15-, 17-inch systems, has all the ingredients to set it back on track — including Core i5 / i7 processors, NVIDIA GeForce 400M graphics with Optimus, JBL speakers, a backlit keyboard, an HD webcam and a solid aluminum lid – but has Dell succeeded in creating a well-rounded multimedia machine? And does it rival our oh-so-adored HP Envy line? We’ve spent the last week using the more mobile $899 XPS 14, so read on to find out in our full review!

Continue reading Dell XPS 14 review

Dell XPS 14 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can the new interest in tablet computers revive the tired old keyboard-flipping tablets of old? Dell seems to think so, and once you check out the promo video for the soon-to-be-launched Inspiron Duo, you might think so too.

It might not seem like it amongst all the iPad fever, but tablet PCs have been around for years. A niche market, mostly serving the medical profession and dorky middle-managers who preferred to scrawl notes into Microsoft OneNote instead of learning to type, tablets languished due to running a desktop OS which was hopeless on a touch screen.

The Inspiron Duo is almost as far from these dinosaurs as is the iPad itself. The sleek-looking body looks like a fat tablet, and comes with a proper UI customized for fingers, although it’s running on top of Windows 7. Open it up, and flip the touch-screen around in its frame, and you have a proper notebook. It even has a JBL speaker-dock to slip it into for charging.

Success will rest on whether it can do both tasks properly, or whether it sports a too-small keyboard and un-intuitive touch-interface. If Dell gets it right, then the Duo could be a huge hit. Slip up and people will stick with an iPad and a proper notebook, instead of paying for a novelty Atom-powered netbook that doesn’t do anything properly. Available by year-end.

Dell Inspiron duo coming soon [Dell/YouTube via Mashable]

See Also:

• Dell's Convertible Duo Tablet Flips its Lid
• Hands On: Dell 'Streak' Tablet Feels Like Supersized Phone …