ABOVE: The Streak (bottom right), pictured with a BlackBerry Curve and Apple iPhone (photo courtesy Xero).2010's weird and wonderful gadget frenzy continued today as Dell unveiled its “Streak” - a device that sits half-way between a smartphone
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ABOVE: The Streak (bottom right), pictured with a BlackBerry Curve and Apple iPhone (photo courtesy Xero).
2010’s weird and wonderful gadget frenzy continued today as Dell unveiled its “Streak” - a device that sits half-way between a smartphone and a tablet like Apple’s iPad.
There are two points of difference with the larger iPad: the Streak can make phone calls (the iPad 3G is cellular data only), and it runs on Google’s Android OS.
The Streak’s mulit-touch screen is a jumbo five inches. Its price is $US550 or $300 on a two-year contract with AT&T.
US release is August 13; international release dates are still pending.
Nod from Rod
Dell global VP and ex-pat Andy Lark talked up a mystery mobile device during a recent visit, so it’s no surprise a Streak has already been sighted here - at Xero.
Wrote Rod Drury on Xero’s blog:
“I first saw the Dell Streak about 3 months ago and I pretty much laughed it was so big.
“You can’t be serious that thing is a phone. It’s huge. But since then I’ve had an iPad and I’ve got used to tablet computing.
“I like the space on the screen. When I do calls it’s often in the car on Bluetooth or I can easily use a Bluetooth headset or the speaker phone so big doesn’t worry me so much anymore, if you get screen space.”
The Streak’s key point of difference with the iPad is Android widgets, said Mr Drury:
“ [Apple iOS] is an app centric interface. You have to launch each app to use it. I didn’t realise how broken and limiting this is until I played with Android.
“With Android you just view widgets. Clocks, Stocks, FaceBook feeds, your CRM system, Tasks, your bank balance – whatever you want. Anything you want to drill into you can, which then launches the application. That truly is information at your finger tips, being able to see at a glance the key information you need without having to think about applications.’
Read more of Mr Drury's comments here.
Dork factor
US media has not been so kind this morning.
Business Week is among many who criticise the Streak’s relatively high price.
And on the face of it the pricing is curious; Dell's model is usually to move into an established market then commoditise it, undercutting established rivals. But then again the tablet/gadget world is so topsy-turvy it's hard to say what the established market is.
Michael Dell has previously talked about getting a slice of data revenue being the path to profit as all gadgets get 3G enabled. Many would love to know the deal his company has cooked up with AT&T.
Meanwhile PC World criticises the Streak's use of Android 1.6 (Google is now up to version 2.2) and says the super-size phone has a high “dork factor”.
Check out Dell's official Streak site here.
