The Dell Streak Tablet

The Dell Streak is one of the first Tablet/Slate devices to be launch official capacity. It’s
a lot smaller than your average tablet and a lot larger than your large touchscreen mobile phone. So the big question is, just where does it fit in? That’s a question I’d like to ask you. Here’s a closer look at the Streak from my perspective but I’d like to know if there are any existing users amongst you readers who would like to share their experiences and opinions on the device.

Form Factor
It’s a slick looking device and I have to admit it’s quite a looker, all dressed in black. It’s just 10mm thick which actually makes it a lot smaller than quite a few smartphones and with a weight of just 220g, I found it comfortable to hold. It’s just a tad uncomfortable if you’re wearing tight jeans, but it fits comfortably trousers. It’s got 2.2GB of internal memory and also supports microSD cards up to 32GB. Although there’s a hot swap under the rear panel for the memory card, the handset will auto switch off if the panel is opened. The 3.5mm handsfree port is located on one side, or the top of the device, since it’s typically supposed to be used in landscape like the Nokia N900. The volume/zoom keys, screen lock and camera’s shutter release are also located on this side.

Dell’s first mistake is incorporating a proprietary UBS/Charging port (bottom) into the Streak. Seeing as it’s pretty much a large mobile handset, it would have been a whole lot simpler on us if they went with a standard micro USB socket, it’s not like there’s a lack of space. Loose this cable and you’ll be hunting for another. Dell has gone with touch sensitive buttons on one side of the display. A microphone is also on the same side. A light sensor and front facing camera (VGA) are located on the other side just near the phone’s speaker. The first time I took a call on this device I near slapped myself in the head because I misjudged the size. I recommend using the handsfree, it’s quite comfortable.

The large 5 inch touchscreen display sports a 480 x 800 pixel display which makes it clear and easy to view even in the bright outdoors.

Features and Performance
Interface
Mistake number 2 is launching a device like this with an OS version that’s already outdated. The Streak comes with Android 1.6 and we were told that it’s upgradeable to 2.1 (although I was unable to). We’re past this stage and I’m sure you’ll agree, Donut just doesn’t cut it any more. Éclair has its flaws but its left 1.6 in the dirt a ways back. If you’re removing shortcuts/widgets from the desktop, there’s no click and drag to the Trash option, you’ll have to select the icon and then select the menu button to remove the item. It allows you to create multiple desktops and wallpapers can be set individually to each. The Drop Down menus make it easy to access various options, notifications and settings.

A couple of issues I had with the UI, to start off with was that Multitouch wasn’t a universal function. On any Android 2.1+ handset Angry Birds would allow you to pinch zoom out so you can see just where you’re firing. Thankfully the browser and image gallery allows for multi-touch zooming with out a hitch. It still isn’t as smooth as the iPhone’s but it’ll do. I expected a bit more in terms of speed from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor. It’s not a slow handset but activating apps and opening menus wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped. The keypad could also have been a little better designed. With the num pad on the side it means you’re right thumb is going to have to do a bit of stretching. In portrait mode the Zero and ‘O’ are too close together since the num pad moves above the QWERTY keypad. It’ll take some getting used to.

There was quite a bit of confusion created when I synced my Facebook and Google Accounts with the phonebook. Most contacts that were downloaded didn’t allow me the option of sending them text messages until I synced them with those transferred from my SIM phone book. Strange…

Media
The music player is pretty standard, no great shakes here. It’s loud enough to listen to comfortably in a crowded train and even have a conversation. The problem is, neither the handsfree nor the device’s earpiece provide proper clarity on calls. The volume on calls was just too low most of the time. Other media features include a voice recorder, but no FM radio. Dell has included an MP3 Store application with the Streak that let’s you search fro music files and albums to download for a fee.

The player has no frills except that you can create playlist on the go. Sadly, the Streak doesn’t support DivX or XviD formats you’re going to have to convert videos to play on the device. When converted properly and optimized for the resolution, the viewing experience is not bad at all.