First review of US Dell Streak a mixed bag
updated 11:25 pm EDT, Wed August 11, 2010
Device mixes tablet and smartphone features
The first review of Dell's Streak device has arrived, bringing a mixed bag of positive and negative attributes. Walt Mossberg found the tablet's 5-inch display to be a significant step up from the iPhone and many other smartphones, although hardly a large jump from other 4.3-inch displays on devices such as HTC's EVO 4G.
The large form made the Streak less pocketable than dedicated smartphones, only easily fitting in a suit pocket or loose pants. The bulk makes the device look "ridiculous" when held to make a phone call, despite its compact size compared to larger tablets.
The 5-megapixel camera reportedly takes sharp pictures and fair videos, while the removable battery lasted for a full day of use. Mossberg points out, however, that Android 1.6 is a dated OS and many of the apps have yet to be optimized for the larger screen. The pre-release device also ran into problems crashing or reading the memory card.
Overall, the first review lists many shortcomings of a device that attempts to merge the functionality of a smartphone and tablet without mastering either niche. The Streak will be available for $300 when paired with a contract through AT&T.
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He actually had bad things to say about the display, nothing about being a step up from anything.
"The Streak’s 5-inch screen is much larger than the iPhone’s 3.5-inch display, or the 3.2-inch screen on the new BlackBerry Torch. But it didn’t feel radically larger to me than the 4.3-inch display on some of the newer Android smartphones, such as the HTC EVO, which, while bulky for a phone, is still much easier to fit in a pocket than the Streak is."
"And, despite the larger physical size of the Streak’s display, its screen resolution, which governs sharpness and how much content can fit on a screen, is lower than even the iPhone 4’s much smaller screen, and is too low to display high-resolution video..."