Dell Streak first impression: cool, but not really a device for me

The Dell Streak has been around for a while, at least in Western Europe. Still, only today i got the chance to play with it as it was officially launched in my country.

I have to say that I’m not very familiar with the Android OS, although I’ve seen it in action on a couple of other phones. Still, those are not exactly my area of expertise, hence my hands-on seems superficial (for me at least). Will help you guys get an idea on this machine and for sure I’ll have the chance to make it up with a proper review in the next week or two.

netbooklive.com loading on Streak

Still, here’s what i liked about it:

• looks amazing, it’s sleeker than my Nokia phone and construction quality is top notch
• the 5 inch capacitive screen is great and very responsive. Plus, I definitely see the advantages of having such a big display on my mobile machine
• tons of applications on the store, free or not
• Android, with all its advantages: apps, customizations, easy sync with Google’s online services
• nice connectivity: 3G, wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 2.1
• battery should last for an entire day even if heavily used
• powerful hardware

Having a big screen pays off

And what i didn’t:

• things are not as snappy as I was expecting (you do get sluggish performance sometimes and lag when changing between screens or inputting commands)
• layout chose for the haptic onscreen keyboard isn’t that great
• device is way to big for me to use as a phone
• there’s a proprietary 30-pin slot used for charging or connecting device to computers (so, if you forgot the cable at home or lost it, good luck finding one to replace it)

Also see the clip with my hands-on of the Dell Streak 5 below.

All in all, having a device with a big display is definitely appreciated when websurfing, reading books or playing some games. There’s also more space for widgets and applications on your homescreens. Still, i feel like Dell is trying to break a new niche with this machinery. It’s portable, but too big for a smartphone and too small for an actual tablet (7 inchers are the best form factor in terms of portable tablets, if you’d ask me). Problems with the OS should be solved with a future upgrade at Android 2.2 Froyo (should happen by November).

Android inside, but only 1.6 for now

I’ve also said in the clip that this device is pricey. In Europe it sells unlocked for around 550-600 euro. That might seem quite a lot, but if you compare it to the price of the new iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S or HTC EVO 4G , you’ll see that they are in fact comparable. So it is expensive, but not much more expensive than its competitors. On the other hand, when compared to the iPad and other tablets that will enter the market in the next months, it’s not anymore.

So, since I don’t see myself (or anyone actually) using this as a smartphone, why pay for that? Why not wait for a 7 inch tablet for half the price, hopefully available by the end of the year? I mean yeah, this Dell Streak looks great and performs nicely, but since I’m the kind of person buying products based on their utility…

Anyway, that’s it for now. Also see the hands-on pictures below. More details should be available soon, as I’ll get the Streak for a review.

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Tags: capacitive touch display, Dell Mini, Dell Streak mini tablet, mini tablet, touch tablet

Last updated: August 24, 2010 | Published: August 24th, 2010 | Add the first comment!