Update On The Dell Venue Pro

I have been patiently waiting to purchase the Dell Venue Pro for what seems like a year now. My hopes have been raised only to be shattered many times over the months . Today was supposed to be the day Dell.com opened up the site to all the people who do not have a Microsoft store nearby. I now believe this to be false. I have been checking my email and the actual site every hour since early morning and have been slapped in the face with “Coming Soon!” after each refresh. I finally couldn’t handle it anymore and called a Microsoft Store closest to me (450 miles to be exact). Jessica (an Australian judging by her accent) sweetly informed me that the store did not have any in stock but would be willing to reserve one for me if I would like. I took that as an invitation to break out my 20 questions and this is what I discovered.

1) All of the Microsoft stores sold out of them.

2) They are expecting shipments in a day or two.

3) Only the 8gb versions are being sold.

4) The price is $499 (not $449 which was reported earlier) no contract, $199 2-year contract.

5) Dell informed them that they will go on sale on the 18th on Dell.com (as opposed to TODAY grrrr).

6) The $499 version is still locked to T-Mobile (BOO!)

7) The Venue Pro being sold in the stores supports At&t’s 3g band (She did not verify this for me but said it did and was just locked to T-Mobile, she then said there were ways around the lock).

UPDATE FOR T-MOBILE PLANS

I posted earlier about the plans that T-Mobile offered on their website and explained how they basically made zero sense. I went ahead and called them today and put in my 20 questions there as well.

1) At this point T-Mobile still offers the Even More Plus (no contract) plans for calling customers but it looks like they are in the process of eliminating them or at very least changing the plans.

2) When I asked about the seemingly nonsensical plan pricing, I was told that T-Mobile is in the process of changing all of their plans and in all likely hood that was the reason.

3) I was able to secure a $60/month no contract plan with free sim card and free shipping to be activated when I want. The plan is for 500 minutes/unlimited web and text. The plan is able to be discounted for union membership.