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The Venue Pro, Dell's poor first generation Windows Phone, has found itself in trouble being plagued by issues (as well as lagging behind OS updates), been at the front of some good deals, and is tagged as Dell's only contribution to the platform for the foreseeable future. Should you be after the handset which sports a 4.1" AMOLED display, 1Ghz processor, 5MP camera, and a vertical slide-out QWERTY keyboard, you can pick one up for $299 unlocked. If contracts are more your scene, T-Mobile is offering the Venue Pro on a two-year plan for just $.99, not bad. 

While it's a solid deal for a Windows Phone that runs Mango smoothly, do note that there's no tethering and the compass is out of service. Be sure to check out our review for more information, and head on over to the source below to take advantage of the deals.

Source: Dell, thanks Kyle for the heads up!

Gore Verbinski, best known for directing The Pirates of the Caribbean series of films, has signed a deal between his company Blind Wink Productions and Microsoft. The partnership will see the studio produce exclusive content for Microsoft's platforms - including the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone. The first title to emerge is an Xbox Live Arcade game, which will use Kinect and is set to be released next year. 

"Audiences consume content very differently today. As an idea house, we at Blind Wink are looking forward to our partnership with Microsoft. Their various platforms give us access to new methods of distribution, allowing us to extend into emerging markets and connect more directly with the audience."

Founded in 2008 and first production being Rango, we should be able to look forward to some unique and creative content from the studio, going down paths and bringing new games to the platforms.

Source: Hollywood Reporter, via: The Verge

Should you have the HTC Titan jotted down on your Santa wish list (or simply desire one due to an ending contract), then perhaps you should check out this deal found at Best Buy. The HTC Titan 4G on AT&T is going for nothing at all, all that's required is a new two year contract to be taken out (or an upgrade), starting from just $39.99 for the cheapest plan. Taking the handset without a package will set you back $649.99.

Packing a massive 4.7" screen, the Titan (our review) truly is a beast of a Windows Phone. Powered by a 1.5GHz processor and shipping with 16GB worth of storage, this handset is a perfect choice for anyone who's searching for that extra oomph!

Source: Best Buy, thanks Figure 8 Dash for the tip!

If you wanted the new HTC Radar 4G on T-Mobile (and it is a pretty sweet phone, we have one in our hands as we speak), you'll want to take a look at getting it through Wirefly. They have it for the low-low price of $49.99 for either new service, new line or your upgrade, should you have one waiting.

To put that price in perspective, T-Mobile-direct advertises the device as $99 with a new contract, but alas, it's actually $150 with a $50 mail-in-rebate. We say "boo" to those and would rather just pay $50 direct to Wirefly and call it a day.

We'll have a review up of the Radar 4G in a few days, but so far we're impressed with the device--solid build, beautiful screen and fast. Shame about that 8GB of storage though.

Source: Wirefly

We've heard of this deal before but now we can see the flyer for itself to verify: if you live near a Microsoft Store and you spend $499 or more, presumably on a new desktop or laptop PC, you can pick up a free Windows Phone, carrier free.

Eligible phones include the discontinued HTC Surround, LG Quantum, HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro. No word if this will extend to cover Generation 2 devices, though we'll keep an eye out for anything. Here's a list of all the Microsoft Stores to see if you live near one.

via: Fat Wallet; Thanks for everyone who tipped us in the past on this

In what is becoming almost routine (see INQ), another OEM has come out and said that the Google-Motorola deal works out better for Microsoft than Google's Android. This time it was Walter Deppeler, president of Acer's operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa. At the Berlin IFA consumer conference on Friday, he was quoted by Reuters as saying "It was a good gift to Microsoft", that Google "work against some of their clients" and finally that Acer would consider the implications of the deal before committing further to an OS.

Acer, who makes low to mid-range handsets, especially in important emerging markets, has recently started using Android in 2010 and is now actively developing Windows Phone devices (see the W4). While their phones won't compete in the U.S. or Europe, they are expected to be important players in Asian markets in the future. Either way, it's telling to hear OEMs publicly state what is becoming more obvious: this Google-Motorola deal and their continued legal quagmires are not helping to boost OEM confidence in Android.

Source: Yahoo Finance

It seems as though other websites and companies are offering the same deal as Play.com with regards to the HTC 7 Pro, which is now going for just £229 at Expansys (with free delivery). If you wanted to get your hands on the QWERTY sporting device, now's your chance with more than one location slashing the price.

Source: Expansys, thanks J45PER for the tip!

And that's that.

Today, Nokia and Microsoft sealed the deal of the decade (in our eyes, at least) finalizing Nokia's commitment to the Windows Phone platform. Not bad for two months.

The good news is that not only was the deal finalized ahead of schedule, but work by Nokia in cranking out their first Windows Phones is progressing rapidly--however, Microsoft is still projecting "volume device shipments in 2012" but they also note in another blog post "the pressure is on for first delivery in 2011",

Nokia and Microsoft also announced significant progress on the development of the first Nokia products incorporating Windows Phone. With hundreds of personnel already engaged on joint engineering efforts, the companies are collaborating on a portfolio of new Nokia devices. Nokia has also started porting key applications and services to operate on Windows Phone and joint outreach has begun to third party application developers.

Some other highlights from the announcement are not really knew, but at least offer some clarification:

• Nokia will leverage mapping, navigation, language support and work on cameras; Microsoft gives Nokia Bing, gaming, ecosystem
• Windows Phone developer registration free for all Nokia developers.
• Nokia will open a new app store for all their software, including Windows Phone, giving their devs easy access to all of Nokia's customers
• Nokia will also leverage their operator billing, expanding Microsoft's reach

There is also the bit about Microsoft receiving royalty payments from Nokia starting with their first phones shipped and Nokia receiving payments from Microsoft "measured in the billions of dollars" i.e. things we've heard earlier. While a delay or roadblock was not really expected between the two giants, it's great to see the partnership finally cemented.

Now lets see some phones already. Entire Press Release after the break

Source: Microsoft 

We have witnessed the sheer depth of Microsoft’s budget when it comes to advertising and marketing campaigns, but who would have guessed they would be providing Nokia $1 billion for them to further promote and develop Windows Phone 7? The partnership between the two giants could prove to be what the platform needs to combat Google and Apple with competition.