Dell readying Looking Glass tablet, Mini 5 upgrade
updated 11:15 pm EDT, Wed April 21, 2010
Dell 7-inch tablet gets Tegra 2, Android 2.1
Dell's larger tablet strategy will start off mildly, another leak suggested this evening. So far codenamed the Looking Glass, the 7-inch version should use an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and Android 2.1 but will largely be an upsized version of the Mini 5. Engadget understands that the Looking Glass should still have the 800x480 resolution, and its main advantages will be an ATSC or DVB-T TV tuner along with a possible AT&T U-verse TV access.
The tablet would have an unusually large amount of RAM for an Android device, 4GB, but would only have 4GB of built-in storage and depend on an SDHC card for its storage. A 1.3-megapixel camera would complete the features.
Looking Glass shipments would start in November and would be preceded by an update of or even a possible late release of the Mini 5 (also known as the Streak) in September that would bring Android 2.1 and its relevant features. The smaller tablet will have an optional car mounting dock that suggests Google Maps Navigation or a similar GPS app will be an option.
A 10-inch tablet is still considered on Dell's roadmap but wouldn't ship until early 2011.
At least some of the Texas PC builder's tablet efforts were actually known before Apple's with leaks in late 2009, but the company is believed to be chasing the category in an attempt to establish itself quickly before the iPad or other rivals get a foothold. Most of its immediate competitors will be from small firms like ICD rather than major companies.
Mini 5 (Streak) with Android 2.1
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Joined: Nov 2008
I like the idea of a built-in ATSC tuner...
but the reception certainly would vary from city to city, making it useful in some, but practically useless in others. A DVB-T Tuner sounds nice as an alternative reception method. However, November is a long way off and should prove no threat to the iPad which will probably have shipments in the millions by then.