Ever since Dell marked its entry into the smartphone market at an event in New York City on Oct. 11, industry observers’ tongues have been wagging. But this week at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 in Las Vegas, the PC manufacturing giant made it official by formerly introducing its Venue Pro handset.

Supported by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 operating system, the Dell Venue Pro smartphone features a 4.1-inch multi-touch display, a QWERTY keyboard, T-Mobile service support, and Gorilla glass for durability and scratch resistance.

What’s more, the Venue Pro comes with Xbox LIVE and pre-loaded work/life applications. Windows Phone 7 Lives Tiles and the Venue Pro’s single-button access aim to make the device particularly user friendly.

"No matter how you slide it, the Dell Venue Pro with Windows Phone 7 brings a fresh new approach of doing more with less," said Michael Tatelman, Dell vice president and general manager of Dell consumer sales and marketing, in a press release. "We’re continuing a path of creating smart, innovative and new mobile experiences to help people discover new ways to enjoy the Web, connect with friends, and navigate their lives."

Other phone makers running Windows Phone 7 on their respective smartphones include Samsung, LG Electronics, and HTC. And back in November, AT&T began offering three Windows Phone 7 based smartphones, including HTC Surround, LG Focus and Samsung Quantum.

Back in November, Dell ruffled feathers by publicizing its plans to ditch BlackBerry phones in favor of moving roughly 25,000 of its 100,000 employees onto its own line of Dell phones, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. But while Dell says the migration will reduce its mobile costs by 25 percent, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion is arguing that Dell’s much-ballyhooed dump is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Dell plans to move employees onto its VenuePro.