Engadget’s Dell Streak review, is it more appealing than the HTC EVO 4G?

On June 12, 2010, in Dell Streak, News, by
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As Joel pointed out back in January Michael Dell showed a glimpse of the Dell Android tablet then known as the Dell Mini 5. The device launched this past week on O2 in the UK and is officially known as the Dell Streak. The folks at Engadget picked one up and posted a full review of this 5 inch display tablet. The Dell Streak should be launching here in the US in July for around $500. With my new Sprint HTC EVO 4G sporting similar specs and a 4.3 inch display for $200, I have to wonder if the slightly larger display will appeal to many looking for an iPad alternative.

Key features and specifications of the Dell Streak included:

  • Google Android 1.6 OS (should get an upgrade to 2.2 this year)
  • 1GHz Snapdragon processor
  • 5-inch multi-touch WVGA (800×480 pixels resolution) display
  • 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and VGA front facing camera
  • 3G/WiFi/Bluetooth radios
  • HDMI out
  • 2GB internal storage and microSD expandable memory card support for up to 32 GB

Most all of the specs of the Dell Streak are the same as the HTC EVO 4G (processor, display resolution, HDMI out, microSD card) with the display size, camera resolution, and current operating system being the major differences. Personally, the higher resolution camera and 2.1 Google Android operating system are more compelling to me than the slightly larger display. The display size makes this much less like a smartphone while the EVO 4G is still very pocketable. Engadget shows Google Maps Navigation on the Dell Streak compared to the Nexus One, but I would like to see how the HTC EVO 4G looks instead.

The Dell Streak will be an interesting tablet device, but I personally think making the jump to a tablet over a smartphone requires a display size of at least 7 inches. Is there enough appeal in the Dell Streak over Google Android smartphones?

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First Hands-On and Video: Dell Mini 5 Android Slate

On January 8, 2010, in Dell Mini 5, News, Video, by
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Yesterday, we saw Dell’s Slate concept for the first time. Today, we got to actually play with it. And it’s called the Mini 5.

Dell Mini 5 Hands-ON from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

(Btw, if you want to read yesterday’s stories on the slate, check here.)

Specs that we know: custom Android, SIM (it makes calls), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. And the 5-inch screen supports full multitouch.

In your hand, it’s very light and comfortable to use. The screen is responsive, and Dell’s icon interface makes for intuitive presentation of Android.

It feels a bit more like plastic than, say, the iPod touch. But it was perfectly solid from what we could tell. Making a phone call turns the Mini 5 into a gigantic phone, almost like a handset out of a Carrot Top routine, but Dell expects most consumers will opt to use a headset.

The unexpectedly awesome feature? The 5MP camera. The Dell Mini 5 has a 5-inch screen, and your subject fills the entire frame. It’s an oddly satisfying implementation of a camera, in a super sizing kind of way.

My model wasn’t connected to the web, so I didn’t get to test the browser. And my hands-on time was more than limited (and frankly, a bit frantic), so I can’t really speak sincerely on much else.

But let me say this: I like the Mini 5. And I dare say that Dell’s software—their version of Android onboard—may be equally or more impressive than the hardware itself. I’m not sure I have a need for this or any 5-inch tablet, but you know what? I’m going to give em a shot all the same.

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Dell launches a mobile phone

On January 8, 2010, in News, by
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Dell Computers CEO Michael Dell was on hand to show off a raft of new products to try and recapture market share lost to Acer and HP last year. As expected the company concentrated on notebooks.

Introducing Intel Core i3 and i5 processor based models throughout the Inspiron line with “immediate availability” and sporting 14, 15 and 17-inch screen sizes and a rainbow of colours, Dell hopes these units will revitalise its mainstream offerings. Aside from the new CPUs, graphics will mostly be powered by the Mobility Radeon HD4330 from ATI. It’s pretty standard issue after that with units already available at the Dell Store.

Dell also took the opportunity to beef up its Mini 10 netbook. The device will now sport a “high definition” display with high-def acceleration. Continuing with the entertainment theme, the Dell Mini 10 will have a built-in digital TV tuner. Should you wish to output this to a screen bigger than 10-inch then Displayport connectivity is provided.

dell-phone-009The final act in this notebook fest was the Alienware M11x, a gaming noteboook with an 11.6-inch screen. What was interesting was the admission of concentration on graphics power over CPU processing heft in the M11x design. 35W of the total thermal output will be from the Nvidia GT335m chip. As is popular these days, two GPUs are present allowing for what Dell says is over six hours of battery life on the integrated graphics and just over two hours when the discrete chip is enabled. Switching between the two will not require a reboot. Thankfully HDMI output is provided so you don’t have to game on a screen size that hasn’t been used by gamers since the early 90s. Availability will be Spring 2010 and prices are expected to be just under $1,000.

As an “and finally”, Michael Dell decided to empty his pockets and reveal some interesting pieces including a fully working slate device as well as the Dell Mini 3i mobile phone running Android. The Dell Mini 3i smartphone will be sold over in the US on the AT&T network with Dell saying it’s keen to support operator services, meaning there might not be an unlocked, contract free version of the Dell Mini 3i handset at launch.

Dell’s previous foray into the PDA market was with the Axim which didn’t really do that well so it’ll be interesting to see how Dell markets the Mini 3i differently.

Can the Dell’s new Inspirons stop its slide down the PC market share rankings in 2010? Well, we didn’t see anything that blew our socks off.

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