Better late than never
Dell's Venue Pro smartphone has gone on sale at last in the UK but is still only available to buy direct from the company's website.
We first got to play with the new handset back in October when Microsoft unveiled its Windows Phone 7 platform and the Venue Pro was expected to launch in the UK before Christmas.
After a bit of a wait, Brits can finally get their hands on WP7's answer to a BlackBerry from Dell's website and it costs £382.50 excluding vat.
The phone's most striking feature is its slide-out QWERTY keyboard as well as the 4.1 inch WVGA AMOLED tough display. It also has Office Mobile built in, plus all the other WP7 features and a 5MP camera, 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM.
While Dell might be trying to brand the Venue Pro as ‘new' there have of course been other notable launches at MWC and the BlackBerry Torch, arguably the Venue's Pro's most similar competition has been out for a while.
Most of the reviews posted on Dell's website are pretty favourable, with one user dubbing the handset the ‘Lamborghini of smartphones' so it will be interesting to see how it fares in the UK, especially as consumers will actively have to seek it out via Dell's website.
Aongus Hegarty, Dell VP for consumer, small and medium Business in EMEA told Pocket-lint: "No matter your requirements, the Dell Venue Pro with Windows Phone 7 brings a fresh approach of doing more with less. We're committed to creating smart, innovative mobile experiences to help people discover new ways to work, enjoy the web, connect with friends, and navigate their lives. The Venue Pro truly mixes business with pleasure and is the perfect phone for those who appreciate the work/life balance."
Here is an image of the 'new' handset.
