back to article Dell Streak Android tablet phone

With all the hoopla surrounding the launch of the iPad, it's easy to forget that Apple wasn't the first with the idea, and it certainly won't be the last. Following hard on the iPad's elegantly designed tail is the Dell Streak, though its claim to be an iPad challenger is more than a little disingenuous – with its 5in screen, it …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    deal breaker

    I had my eye on this, but the O2 lock-in is a deal breaker. I have experience of what happens when locked into an 'exclusive' contract on a saturated, creaking network, with the iphone. It's not a pleasant experience. No way I'm being bent over for this thing.

  2. Si 1

    This is what I was expecting from the iPad

    At 10" the iPad is too big IMHO, at 10" it competes directly with netbooks and loses out to them in just about every comparison (no Flash, small storage, no keyboard, high cost, 4:3 screen). The iPad is a very nice device, seeing the entire BBC News page in portrait and entirely readable is really quite impressive. But it just has so many compromises that I can't see myself owning one.

    Some of the early iPad rumours were of a 7" device, which I think would have been much better. It's big enough to be used for various multimedia tasks but still portable and clearly in a different class to netbooks.

    This Dell certainly sounds more like what I was looking for, if anything it's on the small side but it seems to tick most of the boxes for what I would be looking for.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      @Si 1

      Did you not read the review? It's not an iPad competitor, it's a big smartphone. It's a big smartphone.

      1. Rattus Rattus

        re "It's a big smartphone"

        Umm... So is the iPad. Minus the "phone" part.

        1. The Indomitable Gall

          @Rattus Rattus

          ...and minus the "smart" part.

  3. Sampler

    Stick a slide out keyboard on it...

    and I'll have one - simply not a fan of touchscreen boards.

    It's not so much the lack of tactile sense (seeing how most are haptic these days) or griming up the screen with thumbprints - simply a matter of not being able to see the screen for my hands or having half the screen covered with the onscreen board is my dislike.

    I guess the search for my Rhodium's replacement (Touch Pro 2) is still on going...

    1. Daf L

      Hard keyboard?

      One thing the author failed to mention - you can attached a bluetooth keyboard (or,pointlessly, a mouse) to it as it has the HID profile. So you can choose any size keyboard you want to use with it.

      see here> http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/21/dell-streak-gets-cozy-with-bluetooth-keyboard-and-mouse-suddenl/

  4. uhuznaa

    This is no tablet

    It has a screen just 0.7" larger than the HTC Evo, which certainly isn't a tablet. The streak is just a large (and rather heavy) smartphone.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I saw one...

      ...in an O2 shop while I was queueing to talk to a member of staff, and it actually made me laugh nas soon as I saw it. It's just a ludicrously big phone, in the same way clowns shoes are just ludicrously big shoes.

  5. Gene Cash Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Crikey. A Dell product I might actually buy!

    ... if I didn't already have a Motorola Droid. I love the form factor. The "1.6 and nobody knows..." is a deal breaker though. And yes, my Droid needs recharging about every other day too.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    low-vision touchscreen phone?

    This seems like it might fit into a niche category of great interest to me--a touchscreen smartphone for people with low vision. Because I have a family member who is gradually losing their vision to a degenerative disease, and their blackberry with its tiny screen is getting harder and harder for them to use. Although eventually they'll need a completely voice and audio-based smartphone, and I'm watching Apple and Google's efforts along those lines.

  7. Alex Walsh

    7 and 10 inchers

    Scaled versions of this at 7 and 10 inches are scheduled for the autumn and new year respectively. Very tempting.

  8. Gareth 28
    Thumb Up

    The first Dell product I like!

    I've had this in my pocket for nearly 3 weeks now, and I have to say the novelty still hasn't worn off. I can't believe I'm saying this about a Dell, but: It's great as a phone.

    The bundled internet with O2's £35 a month 18 month contract with £60 up front is as good value as you could possibly get for a smart phone the quality as this. Especially as unlimited internet at the moment means unlimited, not like some other networks who are putting hidden fair use policies on the contract (that's set to change at the end of June I believe though).

    The build quality is lovely, the back is light aluminium and the gorilla glass top is sturdy. Although the plastic sides are not as hard wearing, and a few little scuffs are already starting to appear from being in my pocket, it's not reducing from the overall style of the thing.

    It's the first android phone I've used and I'm constantly pleased by the intuition of the almost psychic text and keyboard prediction, and the selection of apps available cover all the bases that any gadget-aphile would want.

    Now I've consistently mocked Dell computers for their history woefully bad quality budget computers, but I have to say, the Streak has made me concede that in this new ground of Jesusphones and Nexus Ones, this is by far the prettiest, and most functional of all.

    1. Shades

      Clearing a few things up...

      O2 have, as far as I'm aware, always had a fair usage policy but it was never rigorously enforced, unless you completely hammered your connection... or had an iPhone.

      The cut-off date to be able to SIGN UP for "unlimited" internet on O2 is actually tomorrow I believe. From tomorrow new 02 contracts will have what is essentially metered internet access (£5 per 500Mb, I think!). Existing customers, already with "unlimited" internet as part of their contract, will continue to enjoy "unlimited" access until their contract expires.

  9. Ben Rosenthal
    FAIL

    "1.6 and nobody knows..." is a deal breaker though

    have to very strongly agree with that, after the nonsense HTC have got up to with updates I would not buy any Android system that does not have the newest or a fairly new version right out of the box.

    I want one, but 1.6 is far far too old for such a high end device. Foolish.

    1. Alex Walsh

      1.6->2.2

      Apparently the delay is due to Dell having to entirely rewrite their UI for 2.2 from the ground up. Considering the Streak (then known as the Mini 5) has been on show since last autumn, it is a bit of an oversight but hardly a deal breaker as it will be remedied. Unlike many of the generic Android tablets making their way out of China that will be stuck on 1.5 until the day they die.

  10. Diccon

    Battery life

    Why didn't they capitalise on the bigger form factor and cram a larger battery in?

  11. Stuart Halliday
    Happy

    Why no mention of the 10" version

    As everyone must know by now, Dell mentioned it is also launching a 10" version.

    Can you ask Dell more about that version?

  12. leona 2

    Does it have, and is it accesibile, now that really would be a first!

    I didn't see in the review, any mention of a g-sensor or hardware compass, so will it change from portrait to landscape when tilted? You assume it would, but I don't assume anything these days!

    I note with interest that someone commented about low vision users, I am legally blind, though have a small amount of vision, I find my current phone (HTC TyTN2) Impossible to use without a magnifier so have been testing Android on it, but noticed that Android uses small fonts with no way to increase them, though it does include accessibility and speech features with others don't, but will need to have 2.2 to take advantage of the latest accessibility features. I would love to try one though.

  13. Raithmir

    iPlayer

    myPlayer http://www.skynetsoftware.com/myPlayer/index.aspx?platform=android is working well for me on Android (I'm also stuck on 1.6 so it will work for the Streak).

    Hopefully the android version will also get Channel 4 and 5's on-demand offerings in the future too.

  14. Robert E A Harvey

    what about the phone bit?

    How was it as a phone?

    Did you try it with a bluetooth headset?

  15. Shingo Tamai
    WTF?

    About the price...

    ...WTF?!? For 400£ I could buy Apple stuff.

    1. leona 2

      but why would you.

      But you could only buy 1 apple device, this doesn't the job of too, so in effect its buy 1 get 1 free, and why would you want to buy an apple anyway! :)

  16. TW

    Dell streak

    having got a streak & also having an iphone 3 , realise that it has all the features & also many who have posted on this post have not tried it , as it got all the features they want , it is also a netbook in your hand &amp.

    the weight is only around 80gm more after carrying the brick the first mobile u realise how much we gone in 25yrs this is a dream , as of battery u have the option to take spare ones which u cannot do with the iphone, it has a sim which u can change & give u so much of memory which u cannot do unless u get more iphones & u can use windows explorer to copy & change files , it becomes a comp for the engineers & ceo s who have trouble when flying around the large screen makes photos look like post card size , u can plug it to a tv , projector & give your presentation.

    As it is android u r likely 2 get better as when i got the iphone at the start in 2 yrs u can do so much more , as the streak is open it is an ideal tool for all engineers salesman & could be operated outside the western world in every corner of the globe u have a pc. i guess u have 2 try it 2 realise the potential of what could b done

  17. Jean-Paul

    Forget about 2.2 which was only released today

    but what about 2.1 that has been out ages? I may sound like a broken record, but that is Androids biggest problem...all the different versions of software and incompatible devices...Great all this new software functionality but you are stuck with the manufacturer and or even the phone provider getting of their backside to make it compatible for you...

    And they don't have a great reputation in doing so....

  18. bbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
    Thumb Up

    BLINDLY SLAGGING THE DELL STREAK

    I'm dissapointed at those you who blindly slag off the Dell Streak when you have not even seen one or even test driven one.

    this phone is no fashion icon but i think Dell have done a good job on it.

    the phone serves more functional purpose than looks hence the big screen.

    the iphone to me, looks very pretty but it cant serve my daily purpose so its useless.

    this Dell Streak is the way and i see many manufacturers following suite fore those who want something for practical purpose such as surfing .

  19. MobyEric

    Wot - no accessories for Dell Streak?

    I have the Streak which I think is great. However, there seems to be a dearth of accessories for it. Anyone know where I can get some?

  20. Ben M

    Loving my new phone

    I've had the Streak now for a couple of weeks, and I love it. No, I more than love it. I adore it.

    In fact, I've just converted an iFan - he wanted to upgrade to the iPhone 4, but after seeing the Streak in action, has decided to go with Dell.

    It's the screen that does it. It's absolutely gorgeous, in all it's 5-inch glory. I could NEVER EVER go back to 3.5-inches. Never.

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