Dell
Dell Officially Gives Up on Smartphones
Dell confirmed that it no longer plans to make smartphones. Speaking at the Dell World conference, head of Dell's consumer business Jeff Clarke said that the company does not intend to return to the smartphone market in the near future. "It needs a lot of investments to really be successful," said Clarke. Dell had offered the Venue and Streak Android devices and the Venue Pro Windows Phone through its web site until March of this year. Dell continued to sell those devices in other markets, but Clarke's comments confirm that Dell is exiting the smartphone business entirely. For now, Dell will focus on its PC and and tablet computer businesses.
Dell Halts U.S. Smartphone Sales, Roadmap Left Uncharted
Dell has confirmed that it recently ceased offering smartphones to U.S. buyers. Dell had offered the Venue and Streak Android devices and the Venue Pro Windows Phone through its web site, but each of these products has reached end of life status in recent months and they are no longer available. Speaking to PC World, Dell confirmed said that it is still selling these devices in other markets, and that more mobile devices are planned. PCMag and AllThingsD reported that Dell will release new smartphones and tablets in the U.S. later this year, but the company isn't ready to provide information about those devices at this time.
Microsoft Pushing Mango to Dell Venue Pro
Microsoft and AT&T are now delivering the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update to the Dell Venue Pro. Microsoft encourages owners of the Venue Pro to update their devices. Instructions are available on Microsoft's support site.
WiLan Hits Apple, HTC, Kyocera, Others with Patent Suit
WiLan, a Canadian patent-licensing firm, today announced that it has initiated legal proceedings against a number of technology companies over patent infringement. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, names Apple, Alcatel-Lucent, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, HTC America, Kyocera International, Kyocera Communications, Novatel Wireless, and Sierra Wireless America as the defendants. According to WiLan each of the companies is infringing upon two patents, one pertains to CDMA and HSPA, and the other pertains to LTE and Wi-Fi. Patent litigation has become an oft-used tool to generate income.
T-Mobile Version of Qik Updated with Better Privacy Controls
Qik today announced an update to its video chatting client for T-Mobile Android devices. The most significant change to the software is enhanced privacy controls. Users will now be able to block anonymous video callers, and all videos recorded will be set to private by default. This lets users specify which videos their contacts are able to see. Qik for T-Mobile is available to the myTouch 4G, Galaxy Tab, Dell Streak 7, Vibrant 4G, Sidekick 4G, G2x, Sensation 4G, and Samsung Exhibit 4G.
Microsoft Names More Handset Partners
Microsoft today announced that more hardware makers will soon be bringing Windows Phone 7 devices to market. Acer, Fujitsu Limited, and ZTE Corporation all join Dell, HTC, LG, Nokia, and Samsung. The first Nokia WP7 device will have Mango.
AT&T Version of Venue Pro Available from Dell
Dell recently began offering a variant of its Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 smartphone with support for AT&T's 3G bands. The FCC approved the AT&T variant back in December, though until now, the Venue Pro has only been available with support for T-Mobile's 3G network. Dell is offering it for $99 with an AT&T contract.
Microsoft Asks WP7 Users to Wait for Official Update
Microsoft today published a blog post regarding the status of the NoDo update delivery. Microsoft noted that it is making progress in getting the update out to WP7 users as quickly as possible. It also asked users to wait for the official update and avoid using any of the homebrew methods of forcing the update. Microsoft explained, "If you attempt one of these workarounds, we can’t say for sure what might happen to your phone because we haven’t fully tested these homebrew techniques. You might not be getting the important device-specific software we would typically deliver in the official update. Or your phone might get misconfigured and not receive future updates. It’s even possible your phone might stop working properly. Bottom line: unsupported workarounds put you in uncharted territory that may void your phone warranty." T-Mobile subscribers who own the HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro should be receiving the update. NoDo is still being tested by AT&T, and a delivery is still targeted at later this month.
Dell Venue Pro Also Receiving 'NoDo' Starting Today
Dell has indicated via one of its Twitter accounts that it will start pushing out the NoDo update to the Venue Pro WP7 smartphone starting today. Dell will also be pushing a Dell-specific update to fix bugs at a later date.
Microsoft Provides 'NoDo' Roll-Out Schedule
Microsoft has published a web site to provide Windows Phone 7 users with a general idea of when they might expect their devices to receive the NoDo update. According to the site, Microsoft is scheduling the update for the Dell Venue Pro and HD7 (both on T-Mobile), which means it should be available in the next 10 days or so. The update is still being tested for other phones, such as the Surround, Quantum, and Focus, and the update has yet to be scheduled for them. NoDo provides copy and paste and better Marketplace search.
Hands-On: Dell Venue
Dell had the Venue, its slab-style Android phone, on hand in Mobile World Congress. We check it out.
Windows Phone 7: Hands-On
Hands-on with the full range of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices announced this week, including the HTC HD7 and Surround, LG Quantum, Samsung Focus, and Dell Venue Pro.
