After Apple, Dell is now the second major brand to offer a post iPad tablet in the U.S. with its new 5-inch Streak to be available August 13.
An early review of the Android device with phone capability by Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal calls the mini-tablet (measuring 5-inches to the iPad’s 10-inches) a compromise “tweener” design as it seeks to be both a large smartphone and a small tablet.
eReading on the device was better than on any smartphone Mossberg tested (though not as good as on an Amazon Kindle or Apple iPad).
He concludes the Streak “may well appeal to people for whom the iPad is too large to carry around, yet want some of the tablet experience coupled with a phone. But tweener devices can be hard to love and Streak buyers will have to overlook some of the shortcomings I encountered.”
Shortcomings: Though the Streak’s screen is larger than that of an iPhone, its resolution is lower; and it is too low for high res video. The Streak uses an older 1.6 version of Android and Mossberg said the device crashed on him several times.
Strong points: When held horizontally, the Streak’s screen has good sharpness and color; and it’s roomy enough for video. The device has more memory than most Android phones, its phone calls were clear and battery life was good, lasting a full day. Plus it has a 5MP camera.
Availability: The Streak will only be sold on Dell’s website. Starting August 13, it is available at $300 with 2-year contract on AT&T exclusively. Or, you can get a Streak for $550 without an AT&T contract (and under tht plan, the unit may be used as a WiFi only device, similar to the iPad that starts at $499 for the WiFi only version.)
Other features: Access to 70,000 Android app,; 19 GB of memory including a removable 16GB memory card, 5MP camera.
Source: AllThingsD
