Dell Streak 7 £299

[hecatae]

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/mobile-streak-7/pd?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&~ck=mn&ST=New%20Dell%20Streak%207%20Tablet%20From%20%C2%A 3299_Apr%2011_SL&dgc=ST&cid=41141&lid=1069630&acd=124087413620562

wifi only, no 3g, and running froyo 2.2

[Hands0n]

Isn't this a case of too little, too late? Really, Froyo? If this is truly a tablet then Honeycomb is the only possible answer in this day and age. So do you know if Dell have made any undertaking to update this to Android 3.0 in the lifetime of the product?

I quite like my Dell Streak 5" with Froyo, but then I use it as mobile phone/tablet rather than think of it as a true alternative to the iPad or any of the new upcoming Android "pads".

[Ben]

Indeed, when it's all about the software I don't understand why a manufacturer is shipping a product like this with 2.2.

[miffed]

Much as I agree with the general sentiment here , I have to say I think the 5" Dell Streak is the most under-rated handset I recall !

I am running DJ Steves custom ROM on mine , and the thing absolutely flies - It wee's all over the Desire HD ,the Galaxy Tab , the Advent Vega (according to the owners of those devices !!)

Of course , as you say we have moved on now , but compared to the rest of the "old crop" , I'd have more faith in a 7" streak than any other Android tablet I have seen to date - whether the "new crop" will be any good remains to be see, personally I feel Android is quite adept at disappointing though !

[Hands0n]

I think Miffed is pretty much spot on with the analysis. But the Dell Streak was doomed when it went exclusive with O2 who totally underplayed it. The exclusivity agreement ran and ran, on and on, until the device has been all but superseded by everything that followed. Meanwhile O2 moved the device further towards the back of the shop and online store. The rest is history. People look at the Dell Streak and wonder "WTH is that?". In all of my travels I have only recently come across someone else with a Dell Streak using it for real as their only handset. I don't count, mine is an occasional.

The Dell Streak 5" compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab is positively svelte. The Streak is completely as functional, the only shame being that it took Dell an absolute eternity to get Android 2.2 Froyo out to replace that abortion of a cock up that was their implementation of Android 2.1 Eclair. That was so messed up, and so simple to fix that it astonishes me that Dell chose not to. A one byte change to a single file turns on the GPU hardware acceleration and solves all of the GUI's performance problems. But for some unfathomable reason Dell did nothing about it.

The new Dell Streak 7, WiFi only, no 3G, is a bit of an anomaly for me. I cannot place it anywhere in the portfolio of technology currently available. Perhaps it will compete with Samsung's 7" device. But everyone else seems to be operating in 10" territory. So why do I want a 7" WiFi only tablet device? The 5" mobile phone I can understand completely, but not this.

I have an Asus Eee Pad Transformer on its way to me which may provide some response to Miffed's closing comment above. I am fairly convinced that Android is a safe bet. But its early, and short, history is blighted with underpowered hardware that the OS has exhausted. The new dual-core Tegra (and other) SoCs have the potential to drive the OS at a much more reasonable speed. And the new Android 3.0 Honeycomb is designed for these tablet devices, unlike Android 2.x that went before. But we will have to wait it out for a bit and see. I am optimistic :)

[miffed]

I note they have have the 3G version of the 7" Streak available now - Very tempted, the only thing putting me off is the screen res.

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/mobile-streak-7/fs

I usually tend to agree with the divine teaching Jobs 4.16 Thy tablet must haveth a 10" screen .... but I do like what Dell did with the streak 5, It can be the snappiest device around and thats with a 1ghz snapdragon , I am guessing with the Dual core tegra 2 it should scream , Let DJ_STEVE work his magic and it will make a lovely little device for the money !

I am tempted to get one instead of an iPad 2 - which has been the source of frustation for me TBH. I know I could have ordered one online and taken delivery by now , but I had this funny little fantasy that I would walk into a shop , look at them and walk out with the model I wanted - So far I have tried to execute this strategy around 10 times (at least) - but nowhere ever has any stock ! (yeah sure I could have "settled" for a Wi-fi 16 /64GB , but thats not the point , If Apple cant be assed to put these on shelves , I can't be assed to search for one !

[hecatae]

question is, is the dell streak 7 4g ready, as the American version is.

[Hands0n]

It really doesn't matter because we are unlikely to get the American 4G over here - that is WiMAX and we are going to LTE and then proper 4G some time later. I do not believe that we will see WiMAX in the UK.

NB: WiMAX is one of the myriad of wireless technologies that fit under the 4G umbrella.