Working for a major tech company has plenty of perks: getting sneak peeks at unannounced products, being involved in the industry, etc. A lot of the time, employees get free products from their company, too, and now Dell employees can attest to that. Round Rock has told all of its workers that if they agree to trade in their BlackBerrys, they'll get a shiny new Venue Pro in return. Dell isn't just looking to expand the popularity of their products and Windows Phone 7, though, because if all 25,000 staff members ditch their 'Berrys, Dell's mobile communications costs will be cut by a whopping 25 percent since they'll no longer have to support BlackBerry servers. If some Dell employees aren't so keen on WP7, the company has said that they'll also be offering Android-powered phones in the near future.
Considering that both Dell and Windows Phone 7 could use a healthy shot of new smartphone users, this seems like a great move. There will be a ton of new WP7 users who can influence their friends and family to get WP7 phones, provide feedback, and download (and perhaps create) apps. I don't know if every single employee will be into the idea of trading in their BlackBerry since those devices can be pretty addictive, but I'm sure more than a few will do the deed. After all, they're getting a brand new phone for free! Would any of you trade in your current handset in exchange for a Venue Pro?
UPDATE: Mark Guibert, RIM's Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing, has responded, saying, "We find it highly unlikely that they will actually save any money with this move and far more likely they were looking for a little free publicity." Guibert continued, saying that Dell likely made the statements because they're making a push into the corporate world with its Windows Phone 7 devices. Snap!
