Database Users

Dell Streak not available in the US...

...buy why?
I've been following the Streak for as long as its been rumored, and I haven't seen this brought up.
Why do you guys think that Dell decided to go to the UK first, and so much earlier, than in the US? Seems weird for a US-based tech company to release what looks to be a very high-profile device outside of the US, so much earlier, and not even in a comparably-sized market (if they released in "Europe" first that might make SOME sense...but in the UK only?)
The ONLY thing I could come up with is that they are using the UK as a test market, either for the hardware itself, or for their incarnation of Android. Perhaps an update to 2.1 on the US launch? Though that is rumored to be coming in January 2011, not on launch date.
Any other theories/facts out there?

I have a Streak and it is very good! I don't know why they released in the UK first, but I am pleased it did.
When it gets to the US it'll only increase the follwoing and developments will rocket. So I for one am looking forward to it too.
I am sure our cousins from across the pond are gonna love it

grizlore said:
I am sure our cousins from across the pond are gonna love it
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Only if they come out with a T-mobile 3g version
2 GB per month isnt enough and Att sucks!

2Gb per month? On O2 (and Vodafone - dunno about the rest) we get 500mb a month for the £5 a month data plan. Then another £5 per 500mb thereafter.

ap3604 said:
Only if they come out with a T-mobile 3g version
2 GB per month isnt enough and Att sucks!
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I'm looking to go from my G1 to the Streak but only on T-Mobile. If I'm switching carriers it sure WON'T be to AT&T!

hexydes said:
Any other theories/facts out there?
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I personally think that Dell is just way behind with their mobile phone department, being completely new to the game. 02 was probably the first real and successful partner that decided to pair up with Dell. Considering they are so hush-hush about the US release it makes me think the only reason for such a delayed launch is a delay in partnership. Or it could be because whoever their US partnership is has to wait until a previous contract is up. Or it could possibly be that nobody in the US wanted to partner with Dell so they decided to release it in the UK, to see potential interest/outcome around the world. Rumor has been going around that the US maybe released with 2.2, which wouldn't matter. Software is always upgradeable, hardware (which I think will be the exact same as the UK models and beta models) is not.
As for the Beta Streak's (from Texas), what an absolute joke. Dell has done a terrible terrible job at keeping their US customer's happy or in the 'know' thus far. And then once they decide to give it some publicity, it is to such a wide ranged age group that is mostly physically active. Now I am not saying most competent high-end phone owners are not active, I am just saying that most do not run races. (I would for a free Streak!)
Considering they have a page on their store for the coming-soon 'Aero', why not do the same for the Streak?
And if it is due to none of the above, then maybe the US is in for a big surprise with their model. But I highly doubt that. Everyone else currently with a Streak would be extremely upset (I know I would).
.

dell streak i have had for 2week now its the most awesome device i have ever had the chance to get my mutty paws on and i have had alot of devices with froyo 2.2 this will be unstopable and did you know there is a micro sd card x 2 in this device yes the other one is hdden inside to instal apps on 2gb and can be chnged to a 32gb if pleased plusa another 32gb external how about that then.

I think you should change your plan my friend, I get 3gb per month and unlimited wifi at the cloud with o2 for £15 per month although this is the data only plan.
SquidgyB said:
2Gb per month? On O2 (and Vodafone - dunno about the rest) we get 500mb a month for the £5 a month data plan. Then another £5 per 500mb thereafter.
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Muo said:
I personally think that Dell is just way behind with their mobile phone department, being completely new to the game. 02 was probably the first real and successful partner that decided to pair up with Dell. Considering they are so hush-hush about the US release it makes me think the only reason for such a delayed launch is a delay in partnership. Or it could be because whoever their US partnership is has to wait until a previous contract is up. Or it could possibly be that nobody in the US wanted to partner with Dell so they decided to release it in the UK, to see potential interest/outcome around the world. Rumor has been going around that the US maybe released with 2.2, which wouldn't matter. Software is always upgradeable, hardware (which I think will be the exact same as the UK models and beta models) is not.
As for the Beta Streak's (from Texas), what an absolute joke. Dell has done a terrible terrible job at keeping their US customer's happy or in the 'know' thus far. And then once they decide to give it some publicity, it is to such a wide ranged age group that is mostly physically active. Now I am not saying most competent high-end phone owners are not active, I am just saying that most do not run races. (I would for a free Streak!)
Considering they have a page on their store for the coming-soon 'Aero', why not do the same for the Streak?
And if it is due to none of the above, then maybe the US is in for a big surprise with their model. But I highly doubt that. Everyone else currently with a Streak would be extremely upset (I know I would).
.
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That statement is damning. Six months ago (late 2009/early 2010), the hardware in the "Dell Mini 5" (Streak) was cutting-edge, top-of-the-line. If they'd released then, they'd have had the fastest smartphone in the world. Now, we have the EVO, Nexus One, Incredible, DroidX, Captivate (in a week), iPhone 4, etc. The Dell Streak will be nothing more than your average high-end smartphone in a controversial form-factor, with an antiquated operating system.
I dunno, we'll see what I do. I was all-in for the Streak, because I really want the form-factor (larger screen, HDMI-out on the side for docking) and for Dell selling it unlocked (I don't want to buy through a carrier, or even have a contract, other than a month-to-month with T-Mobile or something), but the Streak is already looking pretty long in the tooth, and it hasn't even been released yet.
I think Dell really messed up on this one.
I think the worst of all is that you have this VERY passionate base of hardcore tech enthusiasts who really want this phone in the US, then Dell turns around, releases this phone in the UK, and is absolute silent about the plan for the US.
If they had any brains (which I really question at this point), they'd go to GDGT.com or something like that, find every person who has the Streak listed as a device they want, and ship them out. As of this moment, that is only 208 people. At $500 retail (though probably more like $300 at-cost), that's only about $100,000. I think Dell can afford that, and the good-will that it would build, from these extremely passionate users who will then go out and convince all of their friends, families, and others to buy this device, would more than recoup the cost.
Oh well. Over at StreakSmart, a LOT of people are looking at getting the Captivate now (or something else), and I have to say, while I was locked in for the Dell Streak, I'm going to be keeping my options open now. Every week that passes by, that 1GHz Snapdragon hardware set is getting older, more cool phones come out, and they have better versions of Android. It's going to be hard to seriously say "Dude...I'm gettin' a Dell!" too much longer...

lesday said:
I think you should change your plan my friend, I get 3gb per month and unlimited wifi at the cloud with o2 for £15 per month although this is the data only plan.
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Aye, I need the talk plan as much as I do the data. In any case, I took the Streak back - very little media codec support, shoddy audio quality, and lackluster graphics power eventually won over the 5in screen... I'm off to get a Galaxy S from either T-Mobile (coverage dependent) or Three, if Three get their fingers out of their ar$es and make the Galaxy S available.

SquidgyB said:
... I'm off to get a Galaxy S from either T-Mobile (coverage dependent) or Three, if Three get their fingers out of their ar$es and make the Galaxy S available.
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Crap, you better move over to the Captivate forum ASAP! For some reason, making any decision to go against the Streak here will get you flamed big time! I haven't seen that type of behavior on this board before so I was left scratching my head when I made the same decision.

As long as you take a balanced look at it the I don't think it should be flame worthy, but I know what you mean.
Apologies for the thread hijack as well - but it's not like there's a specific question being asked here.
Anyhow, I did really like the Streak for what it was, it's just that it didn't live up to the expectations of what I needed from it. FLAC support and decent audio quality is very important to me; the click and low level hiss in the background when the Streak played any audio was something I just couldn't live with.
I'll miss 5in of screen space, it must be said. Browsing on the Streak was a great experience, but seeing Quake 3 and the newer games coming out on the Galaxy, as well as integrated HW decoding of the major codecs (decoding 1080p on the fly? crikey!) are just another nail in the coffin.
Oh, and £54 for a dock so I can have HDMI out, and £25 for a USB charging cable? That's just rude.

Unfortunately those are things we haven't been able to compare here in the US. We have to rely on reviews until we can get them in hand. I'm sure that if I get both units in hand and the Dell strikes me as more usable, I'll buy it. I'm definitely going to be more critical of the Streak now that the Captivate will be out at the same time.

meatrocket said:
For some reason, making any decision to go against the Streak here will get you flamed big time! I haven't seen that type of behavior on this board before so I was left scratching my head when I made the same decision.
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For better or worse people are emotionally invested in their purchases so they take it personally when you say "F#ck Dell and their stupid Streak" like you did in the other thread, hence the flaming.

interesting reading on 2.2 and samsung

http://m.examiner.com/exSanFrancisco/pm_75809/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=WzckuLg6
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I can accept that story or some other form it. I mean, it is out in Europe and has been for some time. And they have been dropping new phones with 2.2 for a while now. Why wouldn't these A-holes release it in the States. Can't imagine they have been testing the firmware for the past 7 months.

I have the epic and our update got delayed too. I knew it had something to do some bs like this but why would they delay the epic update because it already has sprint 4g in it. They could be upgrading their wimax to lte or coming out with the bidder screen model with the super amoled plus screen and they will launch that with froyo and leave ours in the dust. I guess we will find out on the 3rd of feb at sprints special event
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I thought maybe Samsung was going to just skip 2.2 and release a 2.3 update because Samsung is already running 2.3 on their Nexus S.
I was actually going to buy an Epic tomorrow.
But, if this article is true, I am going to "devalue" Samsung and not buy their product.
[email protected] them if they are making existing customers suffer because of their greed.

Honestly, this is probably true. I know this sucks, but companies like this value their earnings more than their customers. Those of us who have been eagerly awaiting Froyo are in the minority, and they know that most of the people who own these devices couldn't care less about it.
This will probably be the last Samsung phone that I will ever buy, I'd rather give my money to a company which values their customers and provides customers with timely information regarding updates and the like.

This reminds me of the initial warnings about previous samsung devices and the lack of updates when the epic first came out. Although this is the best sprint phone I have owned to date I still wonder if I should have taken those warnings a little more seriously!

Yes I heard complaints in the past about Samsung's poor phone support but I still got the Epic. Mostly because my old phone (HTC Touch) died and it was going to cost $100 for a replacement (thanks lame Sprint insurance). So I just decided to get a new phone and compared to the Evo, the Epic seemed like the much better option. After experiencing Samsung's greed and lack of support for their existing products, I'm going back to HTC next go round.

Let's kill!

Agree. This most likely would've been the last Samsung phone I bought. This pretty much seals the deal.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

For my next phone I'm going to do exactly what I did with this phone. Find out what the best phone is.. check the phones out.. and go with the one that is the best. Right now, even after the Evo 4G Shift was released, the Epic and other Galaxy S phones are still the best phone. I have friends with the Evo, Droid X, MyTouch.. and I can safely say that I have the best phone. Those phones have 2.2, but I wouldn't THINK about switching to them. Do I want 2.2? Of course. I have it now thanks to custom roms but of course it kinda aggravates me that there is no official release of 2.2 yet. But that is ok. If I had a choice between a laptop with a Intel i3 running Windows 7 and a Intel i7 running Windows Vista (or even XP), I would take the i7.
In my opinion, company tactics will forever aggravate us users. Throwing around other company names like HTC as the company that will be this "knight in shining armor" will only dissappoint you in the future. I have had 3 HTC phones previously and without a doubt, I can say that they are definitely not beyond screwing their customers over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is right, but I'm saying that it is not uncommon. The day that these companies become non-profit organizations is the day you will see them put customers first.. I'm not holding my breath.

HeXeD said:
For my next phone I'm going to do exactly what I did with this phone. Find out what the best phone is.. check the phones out.. and go with the one that is the best. Right now, even after the Evo 4G Shift was released, the Epic and other Galaxy S phones are still the best phone. I have friends with the Evo, Droid X, MyTouch.. and I can safely say that I have the best phone. Those phones have 2.2, but I wouldn't THINK about switching to them. Do I want 2.2? Of course. I have it now thanks to custom roms but of course it kinda aggravates me that there is no official release of 2.2 yet. But that is ok. If I had a choice between a laptop with a Intel i3 running Windows 7 and a Intel i7 running Windows Vista (or even XP), I would take the i7.
In my opinion, company tactics will forever aggravate us users. Throwing around other company names like HTC as the company that will be this "knight in shining armor" will only dissappoint you in the future. I have had 3 HTC phones previously and without a doubt, I can say that they are definitely not beyond screwing their customers over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is right, but I'm saying that it is not uncommon. The day that these companies become non-profit organizations is the day you will see them put customers first.. I'm not holding my breath.
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I couldn't have said this better. I had debated typing this up earlier but you beat me to it. Great minds think alike
JD

As Lee Corso would say, 'not so fast my friend.' Before I scooped my Epic, I had the HTC Touch (the original way old Vogue) and the ppc6700 (the silver brick) before that. I never had any issues with software other than crappy windows mobile but when it came to updates and/or support, I was happy. Hardware was on point as well. Samsung Galaxy has been a major disappointment for me having owner various Samsung products and knowing that their hardware is excellent. Still think the Epic is terrific. Just disappointed at all the troubles that customers have experienced across the entire Galaxy lineup.
JudasD said:
I couldn't have said this better. I had debated typing this up earlier but you beat me to it. Great minds think alike
JD
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This page has more detailed information on the T-Mobile leaked rumor:
...Trust me when I tell you, we had an update for the original G1, and HTC begged us not to. In 75% of the cases known to me in my [time] here and my [time] dealing with Android I will say that honestly most upgrade hold offs were the Manufacturer and NOT us as some believe. But we catch the flack.
I am tired. [redacted] I am up to here with Samsung. They pulled the same thing with the Behold 2 that I MYSELF had to clean up and caught wind over. The update to 2.1 update 1 is existant...
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If true, this shows how completely and utterly out of touch Samsung's executives are with reality.
First of all, the whole theory that a 2.2-Vibrant(non-4G) would "devalue" the 4G. EVEN IF the only difference between the old and new Vibrant were the front camera and 4G, how many users likely to notice or care about whether or not the current Vibrant has 2.2 would *honestly* choose to buy the old model instead of the new one, even if it were a $50 difference between the two? People who buy $50 phones or wait months to get an old model on closeout for "free" with 2-year contract aren't the people who buy phones like the Epic, Vibrant, and the rest of the Galaxy S family. People in "our" category might ******* about a $50 difference... but we'll pay it anyway, because we know that if we don't, we'll be miserable and regret it daily for the next year or two.
Ditto, for customers who already own a Vibrant. In the entire United f***ing States, there *might* be 10,000 Vibrant owners who'll dump one and buy a Vibrant4G at full retail just to get 4G and/or the front camera. And I'll bet that a hefty subset of that group are T-Mobile employees whose "full" cost (after employee discount) is roughly what the rest of us would pay for a subsidized phone with contract, anyway. Now, having satisfied that group... how many more existing Vibrant customers do they REALLY think they're going to get by withholding 2.2 from owners of older Vibrants? Especially considering the abundance of custom ROMs.
The rationale becomes even more absurd when you consider the case of withholding 2.2 from Epic4G owners. I'm sure if you combed America hard enough, you might find a few Epic4G owners who'd dump it, pay the ETF to Sprint, switch to T-Mobile, and buy a Vibrant4G... but scratch a bit deeper, and I'd bet a major body part that the overwhelming majority of THAT group consists of users who probably wanted to switch anyway, and the existence of the Vibrant4G was more of an enabling excuse and rationale than an actual *reason*.
Companies like Samsung just don't seem to "get it". Consumers might chuck a $25 mp3 player to buy a newer, cooler one in 4 months. Statistically NOBODY chucks an expensive pocket computer whose marginal replacement cost exceeds $400 for an incremental improvement 4-6 months down the line. The closest ANY phone has probably come to motivating early switching was the Evo, and that was basically because the Evo was roughly twice as good as the Hero in almost every meaningful way, and worse in basically none. Users MIGHT be induced to switch early for 10x faster data, twice the cpu speed, 50% more resolution on a screen nearly twice the size, and a lot more ram. Users are NOT going to casually switch because one has 2.2 and one is officially stuck at 2.1... they're just going to root, reflash, and promise their deity of choice that they'll never buy another Samsung phone again.
If anything, T-Mobile is the biggest loser, because if true, this means that Samsung is effectively doing its best to devalue T-Mobile's inventory of existing unsold Vibrants. Now, if T-Mobile charges $10/month more for 4G service, that might merit trying harder to induce otherwise-indifferent new purchasers to go with the 4G model instead of the old model... but if it's the same price per month for service, it's to T-Mobile's own advantage to all but encourage new customers who are indifferent between the two to go with the old one... it's one less phone for T-Mobile to write off as a loss and send to a spare parts warehouse to gather dust until it ends up in a landfill or gets dumped on a new penny-pinching customer who only cares that it's "free" with 2-year contract, and one fewer customer who'll start abusing youtube as a source of free in-car music on demand (soaking up lots of bandwidth in the process).
This is the kind of logic that leaves me wondering how some big corporations can even stay in business. I worked for one a couple of years ago where we were ordered to *immediately* dispose of a hundred or so old laptops -- at a cost of $250 apiece -- instead of keeping them piled on a few shelves in a storage room in case we came up with a good use for them someday (like using them as thin clients for call center operators... something we had, in fact, done before). The executive rationale? The accountants complained that they were "costing" us $5,000/month to store based on the square-foot value of the space they were taking up in the closet, and somebody's wet dream fantasies about the value of that space. The thing is, we were about ~15 employees in a warehouse-like facility almost a square city block in size that was 95% empty (built during the dotcom boom, then the company was stuck with it due to a glut of similar buildings nearby). So, we burned $25,000 in the name of emptying off a 4x6 foot steel shelving unit, basically to humor the delusional fantasies of a faceless borg more concerned with a checklist item than getting actual work done and bringing in revenue. Madness. Pure, faceless, bureaucratically-driven out of control insanity.

HeXeD said:
For my next phone I'm going to do exactly what I did with this phone. Find out what the best phone is.. check the phones out.. and go with the one that is the best. Right now, even after the Evo 4G Shift was released, the Epic and other Galaxy S phones are still the best phone. I have friends with the Evo, Droid X, MyTouch.. and I can safely say that I have the best phone. Those phones have 2.2, but I wouldn't THINK about switching to them. Do I want 2.2? Of course. I have it now thanks to custom roms but of course it kinda aggravates me that there is no official release of 2.2 yet. But that is ok. If I had a choice between a laptop with a Intel i3 running Windows 7 and a Intel i7 running Windows Vista (or even XP), I would take the i7.
In my opinion, company tactics will forever aggravate us users. Throwing around other company names like HTC as the company that will be this "knight in shining armor" will only dissappoint you in the future. I have had 3 HTC phones previously and without a doubt, I can say that they are definitely not beyond screwing their customers over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is right, but I'm saying that it is not uncommon. The day that these companies become non-profit organizations is the day you will see them put customers first.. I'm not holding my breath.
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I agree with you and I really love my Epic BUT.... I can't help wondering how much better the phone would be with the upgrade.
Also Im sure this has been posted but this is an interesting read rating carriers and manufacturers on their upgrade rate.

looks to be true. This is on the front page of yahoo news.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/216716/samsung_blocking_ota_update_on_tmobile.html

Also made it to Slashdot!
http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/01/13/2334213/Is-Samsung-Blocking-Updates-To-Froyo
And PC World:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/216716/samsung_blocking_ota_update_on_tmobile.html
I have a feeling some people at Samsung are having a very bad day indeed.

Nexus S reboot problem:
Google Nexus S, google's second handset is in the limelight for wrong reasons this time. Looks like, the nexus S handsets are randomly rebooting atleast once every 48 hours, usually during a voice call! Google has officially confirmed this bug in their support forum. All the handsets that has been updated to the latest version of gingerbread (Android 2.3.1/GRH78) are affected by this bug.
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User's post from Slashdot story:
The real reason they are stonewalling on the 2.2 update for Vibrant is this: When they released the 2.2 update for the Vibrant in Canada, the update worked fine for a week or two, and then like clockwork bricked a huge percentage of the phones that updated. And when I say bricked, I'm not being liberal with that word, after a week or so running the Samsung 2.2 update, the SD card would become corrupt, and recovery mode would be unable to format it. My wife and I both have Vibrants, and it happened to them both one day apart. Samsung has been silent on the matter. Not surprising they'd avoid moving sending the 2.2 update out to US Vibrant owners, and also not surprising that they're refusing to explain why. Bell at least is fixing them, but lots of people on the XDA forum are saying their "repaired" phones are bricking again in short order.
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Samsung's official response to CNET's query about the rumor:
Samsung Mobile does not comment on rumors or speculation. With regard to the Froyo update, we recently issued the following statement: "Samsung feels it is important to make the Android 2.2/Froyo upgrade available only after we feel that we can give the millions of U.S. Galaxy S owners a simple and reliable upgrade experience. Due to the complexity and unique functionality of each Galaxy S device, we are performing additional testing and are working to make the Android 2.2/Froyo upgrade available to all U.S. Galaxy S owners, including the Samsung Vibrant, as soon as possible.
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Just to add to this conversation --> Just got off a chat with Sprint and I kept asking them about Froyo for the Epic. Everytime I mentioned it, the Sprint rep would direct me to Samsung and it's their fault. I think they got mad that I kept asking and pushing the subject, that they said they could no longer help me on the chat and gave me Samsung's number to call.
Looking at Samsung's facebook account, there a bunch of people complaining about this issue. Hopefully all this pressure will make Samsung cave in. *crosses fingers*

I call bull****.
Having come from the Crackberry world, this sort of stuff happens all the time. A supposed "reliable source" will leak some sort of story, the fringe enthusiast sites get wind of it and generates chatter and it eventually gets picked up by a naive journalist with a lazy editor and it gets put up as "legit" news which then causes a feedback loop which causes the internet to explore.
The example that comes to mind is the OS 4.7.0.113 update for the Blackberry Storm 9530 on Verizon, a leaked OS that "reliable sources" claimed was going to be the next official update but wasn't. It made it to PC World as well:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/163056/blackberry_storm_to_get_firmware_update.html
And it was 100% bull****. So I wouldn't give this rumor much credence.
The explanation of not wanting to take the wind out of the sails of the Vibrant 4G is irrelevant to other Galaxy S models where there is no similar Osbourne effect - such as with the Epic 4G.
My guess is that the actual explanation is much more mundane. Given the problem with Froyo bricking Vibrants, I would bet dollars to donuts that Samsung got super gunshy and their slow approach to Froyo updates to smaller markets is nothing more than a widespread, low-risk beta test to make sure their code is up to snuff before risking releasing an unstable update to the larger, litigious American Galaxy S userbases.

Dell Venue Pro concerns due to T-Mobile to AT&T?

As of March 20, 2011, there has been the widespread news that AT&T agrees to buyout T-Mobile. As much as a shock it may be to previous T-Mobile users, it is a major shock to me as well. At first, I wasn't concerned about the situation since it needs to be approved and it will take about a year or two for changes to be made. Yet, it only took 24 hours for me to grow major concerns about the service, pricing and the Dell Venue Pro
I currently sit at my desk with an "unopened" shipping box containing my long-awaited Dell Venue Pro. This is a moment that I thought was suppose to be enjoyable as I get ready to unveil a phone that I have long awaited for. That is until I read this news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110321/ap_on_hi_te/us_at_t_t_mobile_usa_phones_7 (I could not attach a hyperlink since I'm a new user, sorry)
It may take around 1 to 2 years for this to take effect, but what then afterward? Seems to me that the Dell Venue Pro has an expiration date. EDGE service "may" continue to work, but 3G will be eliminated in the process. So everyone that has spent hundreds on this phone will automatically be downgraded once the process kicks in.
Maybe the option to upgrade your device will come along, but what guarantee is there that there will be a Dell Venue Pro that is fully compatible with AT&T? I just don't know if I should just return this phone and wait for something else. I'm a person who can maintain a phone for up to 3+ years yet it seems unwise for me to invest hundreds on a phone, that in time, will have limited service.
So for those who own the Dell Venue Pro or plan on purchasing it, it is worth the short investment, even if EDGE continues to work? Or should I place my investment elsewhere and/or hope that an updated Dell Venue Pro is released in the future?
Thanks for your time and I apologize for the long thread.

My thought is that by the time this all happens I will probably want an LTE phone anyway. There are a lot of 3G T-Mobile phones out there and I can't imagine they are just going to pull the plug on everyone. More likely it will be a slow transition over a long period of time.

pjfan75 said:
My thought is that by the time this all happens I will probably want an LTE phone anyway. There are a lot of 3G T-Mobile phones out there and I can't imagine they are just going to pull the plug on everyone. More likely it will be a slow transition over a long period of time.
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Understandable. I just hope that the process does take a long period of time so I can make the best out of the phone before any limitations occur, if it does happen.

I'd stick with the DVP.
Firstly, given the infancy of the smartphone market, every new device is going to have to put up a fight against Moore's Law. That is, a phone that you buy today, just like your PC or your video card, is going to be obsolete in a matter of 18-24 months.
Secondly, T-Mobile has made humongous investments in those 3G towers. So has AT&T. It costs these companies to *take out* a feature than to install it, especially so towards the end of life of a network technology. The FTC/FCC do not have a law on phasing out (I could be wrong on this one, but I am certain) network protocols over time. This is also the reason you still get EDGE coverage when everything else fails.
Finally, the deal is pending FTC/FCC approval. There is a long, drawn-out public process with the SEC, after which other federal agencies will step in to voice their concerns. Remember, Ma Bell was split up back in the day because it was involved in monopolistic activities. If this merger goes into effect, the consumers are going to be faced with a virtual monopoly as far as GSM technology goes. My point is that the deal may fall apart.
So, if your investment horizon is around 2-3 years and you love the DVP, then just keep it.

Just gives me another reason to run back to Sprint once they get a device that appeals to me

When T-mobile merged with Orange in the UK they didn't turn either of the networks off, they allowed roaming between them and extended their infrastructure.
AT&T are highly unlikely to turn off the T-mobile network, they will probably phase them both towards LTE, but by the time that's finalised your DVP will be long upgraded anyway.

937dytboi said:
Just gives me another reason to run back to Sprint once they get a device that appeals to me
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Don't be too certain there, bud. Verizon may make the next move to buy Sprint. Remember that Sprint is also CDMA, so there are "synergies" to be realized by Verizon, assuming it thinks that AT&T's takeover of TMO is going to undermine its market position.
Of course, if you like Verizon (and thereby CDMA), what the heck are you doing in the DVP forum?

I agree with ZappiestOyster's comments. If the sky is falling (IF!!!), we have quite a long time to enjoy our DVPs before the worst case scenario would play out.

elyl said:
When T-mobile merged with Orange in the UK they didn't turn either of the networks off, they allowed roaming between them and extended their infrastructure.
AT&T are highly unlikely to turn off the T-mobile network, they will probably phase them both towards LTE, but by the time that's finalised your DVP will be long upgraded anyway.
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This is exactly what will happen from what i am told and read

937dytboi said:
Just gives me another reason to run back to Sprint once they get a device that appeals to me
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Click to collapse
Quoted for truth. The only reason I even touched anything besides my Sprint was because of the delay in getting Windows Phone 7 to the cdma carriers. Had the HD7 Pro been released in January like it was anticipated, I wouldn't even be in this forum (though this hardware is SO much nicer).

bbowman said:
I agree with ZappiestOyster's comments. If the sky is falling (IF!!!), we have quite a long time to enjoy our DVPs before the worst case scenario would play out.
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Yup! I took ZappiestOyster's comment into consideration and I can only say that I absolutely love this phone! It satisfies my needs in so many ways. The way it looks, feels and the overall performance of the device is just incredible. If Microsoft gets their updates on point, this will be one incredible piece of electronic to own.

goldaar said:
Quoted for truth. The only reason I even touched anything besides my Sprint was because of the delay in getting Windows Phone 7 to the cdma carriers. Had the HD7 Pro been released in January like it was anticipated, I wouldn't even be in this forum (though this hardware is SO much nicer).
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I've had my shares of many different networks experiences (all 4 major carriers) but I have to say Sprint was the worst. (Los Angeles area) but I am happy with Tmobile other than the extremely bad ringback tones.

This MAYBE why a DVP with AT&T bands was spotted at the FTC.. love it if AT&T offered the DVP and a painless swap for us with them. Doubt that will happen. BUt would be nice for the DVP to get more distribution here in the states since Tmo apparently HATES W7 and is acting like a Android fan boy..

cdgoin said:
This MAYBE why a DVP with AT&T bands was spotted at the FTC.. love it if AT&T offered the DVP and a painless swap for us with them. Doubt that will happen. BUt would be nice for the DVP to get more distribution here in the states since Tmo apparently HATES W7 and is acting like a Android fan boy..
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This phone is faulty and should only see distribution to the nearest rubbish tip.

efjay said:
This phone is faulty and should only see distribution to the nearest rubbish tip.
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The 16GB maybe (See SD Card problems) I have owned 2 8GB and both are flawless..
Only a slight problem with lint under the screen on one of them. I simply love the phone and its unique form factor.

cdgoin said:
The 16GB maybe (See SD Card problems) I have owned 2 8GB and both are flawless..
Only a slight problem with lint under the screen on one of them. I simply love the phone and its unique form factor.
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Still faulty, its not as though we added the memory ourselves, the 16GB versions were sold to us by Dell and whatever the reason dont function properly. The 8GB version performing ok has no bearing on that.

cdgoin said:
This MAYBE why a DVP with AT&T bands was spotted at the FTC.. love it if AT&T offered the DVP and a painless swap for us with them. Doubt that will happen. BUt would be nice for the DVP to get more distribution here in the states since Tmo apparently HATES W7 and is acting like a Android fan boy..
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Click to collapse
DVP was for Rogers. Same frequency, different country.
As for the merger, I don't think that it will go through just because of the fact that it seems like a GSM monopoly and the fact that it will screw over consumers with raised prices (less competition). Only plus side being that AT&T users get more coverage.

[Q] - Tempted to purchase - UK

Hi Guys,
I'm at the end of my contract this month, so tempted to get ahold of the Venue Pro. I've seen there are some Firmware issues, so basically I have 2 questions.
1,
Does anyone know where I can get it on a contract in the UK, havent found one yet - or where I can purchase it sim free - preferably contract
2,
How much of a deal breaker is the firmware issue? And how much does it impact the phone
Basically the phone would be perfect - portrait slider is what I need, and WP7 is the dogs.
Cheers Guys
Chris

I love mine. Like you i mainly wanted it for the portrait slider, however i only use it on long emails as the on-screen keyboard is amazing.
I was lucky i guess on issues. I cheaped out and ordered the 8gb with intentions to swap it to 32gb as soon as it arrived, which i did for not only more space but to get around the lockups.
If i had to do it all over again, I "might" have gone with the samsung focus for the better camera since I'm not using the hardware keyboard as much as i thought i would on the DVP. But all in all, i love the look of the phone and it stands out. And it does everything i need it to do.

I might not have much of a voice, but I love my DVP.
I did not experience issues that are expressed on this forum as much. I have not tampered with the registry (well you really cant...) and the only thing i did to modify it was sideload apps using my MS developer license.
Maybe it is because I apparently have the updated firmware?
The people you will find on this forum who stuck around are probably the ones to talk to. I hear domineus has had his since the beginning.

Jragar said:
Hi Guys,
I'm at the end of my contract this month, so tempted to get ahold of the Venue Pro. I've seen there are some Firmware issues, so basically I have 2 questions.
1,
Does anyone know where I can get it on a contract in the UK, havent found one yet - or where I can purchase it sim free - preferably contract
2,
How much of a deal breaker is the firmware issue? And how much does it impact the phone
Basically the phone would be perfect - portrait slider is what I need, and WP7 is the dogs.
Cheers Guys
Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Echo Venelar's statements. I love my Dell. Its really a choice you have to make. You've read the threads. There are people that have received a Dell that just are NOT right...period...there are other people, like myself, who have had little to no problems. Whether one side or the other is in the majority, we'll never know. So, until the fixes are in place and in production, you take that risk...good one...bad one.
Again, like Venelar said, I find myself almost never using the keyboard...almost as in once or twice in 7 months....But, I could not bring myself to get the Focus. Not a Samsung fan for design...and it appeared they had hardware issues that impacted the update ability.
One of the more attractive phones in Europe was said to be the Omnia 7. Don't know if thats available in the UK, but you may want to look it up. Also, the Trophy started out slow with staining on the display, but is turning out to be quite popular. It has a good size and feel to it, though lacks the brilliant display of the focus and VP.

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I currently have a HD7 - which I love to bits, but I do spend alot of time emailing / texting ,and I think with the upcoming addition of facebook chat / windows live and facebook messages that I'm going to use the phone alot more for chatting.
I guess I can see what you mean - the WP7 keyboard is really good - far better than my wm6.5 or android keyboards I've had, but as I trained as a touch typist for a previous job 5 years back, I end up typing really fast and I make far too many mistakes on the touch screen.
I've seen the Omnia 7 - that looks good. But, I'd probably prefer to keep my HD7 over it. But the Dell seems to be a better build quality than the HTC devices - from what I can gather.
Another frustration is that it doesnt appear to be in any of the UK stores - so I just cant get to try it out. I was hoping it would be on a network here, hidden away - I wonder if anyone has found anything out about it?
Thanks again for your input guys - I'll be researching heavily over the next couple of weeks the best way to acquire one of these I think

Hi
I'm based in the UK and have been using my DVP for over 2 months.
1) Haven't seen the phone available directly from carriers yet. I bought mine sim-free from Dell - there are also third parties (e.g. ebuyer.com) selling it significantly cheaper. One thing to be aware of is that many third parties appear to sell the 8GB version whereas Dell sells the 16GB version. You can add a higher-capacity SD card - however, as mentioned above it voids your warranty.
There also seem to be a few websites selling the DVP with a contract, presumably a deal they have put together themselves. If you google 'dell venue pro contract uk', you'll find several. I don't have experience of these sites personally.
2) For my device, the firmware issue basically means that I keep wifi switched off, except for short bursts. With wifi on, the phone becomes unstable. However, with wifi off, I have been using the phone for a couple of months without any crashes or reboots - it has been very stable. Generally, the only time I switch on wifi is to get marketplace updates. Obviously, your mileage may vary.
Personally, I use the hardware keyboard extensively, which was one of my main reasons for choosing the DVP. I find it very comfortable. It doesn't have any cursor keys but that's probably not possible in a portrait keyboard.
Overall, I am happy with my choice of the DVP - it's a very nice device. I wanted a phone with a hardware keyboard, good screen, decent storage capacity and WP7 - the DVP is a perfect fit.
From my perspective, the most positive sign recently is that Dell have finally started communicating re: DVP issues. Much more optimistic now that they are serious about resolving the issues.

Jragar said:
Another frustration is that it doesnt appear to be in any of the UK stores - so I just cant get to try it out.
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Click to collapse
Sadly you can only get it from dell. I waited a good bit before ordering my nexus one because of the same thing. I had never purchased a phone without the chance to hold it. I bit the bullet and ordered the nexus one when they announced stock was getting low and it worked out. I couldn't have been happier with that phone. I guess having that experience go well didn't hold me back from getting the online-only DVP.
And yes, the build quality is amazing. Yeah the phone is heavy, but if you've always used phones with hardware keyboards then it's something that you are used to dealing with. The phone is stout, I love it.

Dell Stops Making Venue Pro

Dell announced today that is has stopped making the Venue and Venue Pro.
Wonder what is next for Dell.

Complete and total bankruptcy couldn't happen to a better company!

There is no "next" for Dell. They don't know how to market or support their phones. I have owned every single one of them except for Aero and will never buy another Dell phone, ever.

Do you still have your aero?
(Edit: read it wrong)
I have every 2nd gen device and 1/2 of the 3rd gen ones.
The 1st gen ones arent easy to get as the aero was the only one released outside china.
The only releaseable device left is the StreakPro as the Streak10 is obsolete as a new device release.

Looks like Dell's web site is not selling Dell Venue now either.
Wow I guess this means we own an obsolete phone with no compass. Atleast the many of the other aspects of Windows Phone still make it appealing along with the keyboard.

i think the more important question for those who still have warranty left: what can you/dell do when your DVP has a problem?

The problem of dell aren´t their phones... i think, DVP is the most attractive windows phone... they don´t work together with the providers, only sell over their website or shops. And another big mistake is, that they require so high shipping costs... the shipping for the DVP are 29 €/ 38 $ in Germany... really inadequate. Normally it´s around 6 €/ 8 $.
Here you have to go a long way, before you find this device. There are many phones with less quality, but you can see them on every poster, in the tv and in many shops. They only have to do a better marketing and the phones would be sold.

weatherx said:
i think the more important question for those who still have warranty left: what can you/dell do when your DVP has a problem?
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Oh I should hope Dell will support any outstanding warranties because its good business for repeat customers. It will be interesting to see in reality what comes of it. What I can't understand is they have an almost outstanding phone why they want to get out of it? Certainly better audio quality that the 3 Titans I had my hands on.

neftv said:
Oh I should hope Dell will support any outstanding warranties because its good business for repeat customers.
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This is generally how most companies work, they'll support outstanding ones until they all expire (unless it's like HP and the touchpad where they basically shut everything down)
They'll have some leftover new devices and once those run out will offer refurbs and finally offer credit or something when even the refurbs run out. That's basically what they did when the streak5 and 7 stopped being sold.
There's no reason to not think this since the VP is EOLing because it's a year old now (and excluding the fact WP7 is always a year behind on top of that), it's internals are old enough that it realistically shouldnt be sold any more. (WP7 launched with 1st gen snapdragons around when 2nd gen ones were starting to roll out, 4th gen ones are starting to roll out now so yea)
The V/VP were one of the last (non-bottom end) devices still being manufactured with S1's, the fabs/everyone involved are likely happy they can finally stop manufacturing them and make something newer (or they stopped and dell soaked up the last of the stock or whatever)

Also, there's probably around 20,000 DVPs inside Dell itself in use by employees.
http://www.winsupersite.com/blog/su...es-blackberries-windows-phone-handsets-141361
I'm sure Dell would have thought about spares / warranties etc.
If Dell now sees itself as focused on Enterprise IT rather than consumers, I wonder whether they might release some WP8 devices. An updated VP and smaller device using the leaked Blackberry-like chassis might appeal to business users.

Dell has demonistrated that it's definitely capable of turning it's devices into business devices. But just the same who knows if they'll follow though or half-ass it as they've consistantly shown.
Supporting facts:
S5 and V are DISA certified so the US military can use them (dunno if they actually do though, but it's the first ones to do so and the only ones still(?))
S10 and SP have Dell divide integrated into the roms, which pretty much targets business users
Dell internally uses VP's as their business phone (like mentioned)
Dell JUST RELEASED the V in japan a couple months back as a business phone with an associated business carrier
If Dell had an organized and focused strategy, they could be a legimiate threat to blackberry.
As BB is stereotypically shown as being:
Very strong enterprise support (mainly due to BBM)
Good hardware keypads
Not much besides that
The V/VP/SP/S10 (hell if you toss in the Latitude ST and installed win8 on it) gives dell potentially a complete ecosystem of mobile devices and pure tablets that COULD be worth using as enterprise level devices.
None of them (bar the SP, and possibly the S10 for a little longer) are based on the latest hardware, given the way they're used that's not really relevent, they only need as fast as devices as whatever their use demands. Sure they could play games and stuff but that's not really the point.
Not that I expect much out of dell, they've consistantly demonstrated that they put in near minimal effort on the software side of their devices. Bar how easily the keys on the VP stop working, the HW on dell devices is pretty good in build quality.
Dell's obviously already a huge company in enterprise markets with their PCs and everything (at least in workstations it's almost universally dell's where I am), so it's not like it's a new market for them. The mobility division is pretty much just a pet project in comparison to the rest of the company.

I am looking forward to seeing the new Dell phones that come out late 2012.

Joelh1 said:
I am looking forward to seeing the new Dell phones that come out late 2012.
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Dell hasnt leaked/have someone leak their 2012 roadmap yet. If they do have anything in the works we at this point have no idea about it.
They've canceled the majority of their Q411 and Q112 devices and already released the rest.