The 7-inch version of Dell’s Streak tablet has been rumoured and teased for months, but today it’s officially official! And what it lacks in size it makes up for in sweet, speedy 4G goodness.
The Streak 7 weighs less than 500g and comes complete with 5MP rear and 1.3MP front-facing cameras, Nvidia’s graphically delicious Tegra 2 processor behind a 7-inch Gorilla Glass WVGA touch display. How much of a difference do those extra two inches make? For a little perspective, here’s how the Streak 7 compares to its 5-inch baby brother:
Its size makes the new Streak not as pocket-friendly as the 5-inch version and places it in the same portability grey area as the Galaxy Tab. That it’s still borderline phone-sized may mitigate the disappointment that the Streak 7 will launch with Froyo instead of Google’s tablet-friendly (and pretty special-looking) Honeycomb OS. It will, though, support full Flash 10.1, and it weighs less than half a kilo. And we’ve gotten word that it will get the Android 3.0 upgrade soon after its launch.
And let’s not forget that 4G! It’s the first tablet to hop on a 4G network, specifically T-Mobile’s supah-fast HSPA+. I’m going to choose not to worry about what that does to the Streak 7’s battery life, and instead be excited about downloading silly online videos faster.
The images below show an earlier mock-up of the Streak 7 that we got to play with; the actual device will have a much sleeker-looking black back. We’ll update as soon as we get a hands-on with the real deal.
If there is, in fact, a demand for this peculiar form factor, the Streak 7 has got what it takes to fill that niche. And in case there’s not, Dell also teased a 10-inch version that it looks like they’ll be targeting more at enterprise users.
The Streak 7 be available soon, at a price still to be determined.
Dell and T-Mobile USA Unveil Streak 7, Both Companies’ First 4G Tablet Offering the Ultimate Entertainment Experience
* Dell and T-Mobile’s First 4G Capable Tablet
* Available in the U.S. exclusively in the coming weeks
2011 International CES
LAS VEGAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Today at 2011 International CES, Dell and T-Mobile USA, Inc. unveiled Dell’s new 7-inch Android™ tablet, the Streak™ 7, both companies’ first 4G* capable tablet specifically designed for the super-fast mobile broadband speeds of T-Mobile’s 4G network. The sleek compact form of the Streak 7 combined with T-Mobile’s super-fast 4G mobile broadband network make it the ultimate entertainment hub for families and consumers craving a rich multimedia and web experience both at home and on-the-go.
“Dell is continuing to create the very best in entertainment, mobile and gaming experiences”
Portable, passable and easily shared, the Streak 7’s brilliant seven-inch WVGA touch screen with Gorilla® Glass is ideal for Web browsing, streaming video, watching TV and movies, reading books and magazines or playing games virtually anytime, anywhere. The Streak 7 features Google’s™ Android 2.2 operating system, a dual core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and full support for Adobe® Flash® Player. Preloaded with a variety of compelling content and applications from T-Mobile, the Android-powered tablet also has access to more than 100,000 applications, games and widgets from Android Market™.
In addition to a rich entertainment experience, the Streak 7 easily captures and shares life moments with the rear-facing 5 megapixel camera for high-definition stills and video recording. The front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera with the preloaded Qik™ Video Chat application provide video-calling over T-Mobile’s network as well as Wi-Fi to enable spontaneous connections with family and friends.
“Dell is continuing to create the very best in entertainment, mobile and gaming experiences,” said Steve Felice, president of Dell’s Consumer, Small and Medium Business unit. “With Streak 7 on the blazingly fast T-Mobile network, families, students and mobile professionals will gather, share, and find new ways to interact and keep in touch.”
“We’re proud to bring consumers our first 4G tablet, a milestone for T-Mobile, Dell and the industry,” said Cole Brodman, CMO, T-Mobile USA. “As tablets change the way we consume content, T-Mobile’s combination of 4G speeds, breadth of our 4G network, our affordable data plans and compelling new products like the Streak 7 place us in a position to offer the best experience and value for our customers.”
The new Streak 7 will feature Dell’s innovative Stage user interface, which provides a seamless and unified experience for accessing all your favourite content. Later this year, Dell will add syncing to Stage so people can keep their photos, contacts, calendars and other personal content synchronized across their Dell Stage-equipped devices, from tablets to PCs, connected through their home network.
T-MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT AND CONTENT:
The Dell Streak 7 also comes preloaded with unique content and applications to entertain the whole family, including:
* T-Mobile TV: live and on-demand TV including live news, sports and full-length entertainment, plus on-demand full episodes of your favourite shows.
* BrainPOP: animated educational content embraced by students and trusted by teachers and parents around the globe. BrainPOP brings learning to your fingertips.
* Zinio: the largest online newsstand, enabling customers to shop for, search inside, read, share and save digital content in new ways with more than 75,000 digital magazines from 26 countries.
* Qik Video Chat: connect with friends and family through T-Mobile’s network and Wi-Fi, unlike some other video-calling solutions that only work through Wi-Fi. With the Streak 7’s front-facing camera paired with Video Chat through Qik, customers can hold video conversations with those who have a Streak 7, or other compatible mobile device, and even broadcast their view through the rear-facing camera.
* Additional entertainment applications including Blockbuster, Kindle for Android, Let’s Golf demo, Slacker Radio and Zoodles.
AVAILABILITY INFORMATION:
The new Dell Streak 7 Tablet is expected to be available in the U.S. in the coming weeks at T-Mobile retail stores, www.t-mobile.com, and direct from Dell.
FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS:
* Brilliant seven-inch WVGA (TFT) touch screen display with Gorilla Glass
* Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Android Market
* Qik video chat with built-in front-facing 1.3-megapixel webcam
* Stage User Interface – easy access to the stuff you care about
* Built-in support for T-Mobile’s 4G mobile broadband network and Wi-Fi
* Dual core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
* SMS/MMS, SWYPE® virtual keyboard and stereo Bluetooth 2.1 capable
* Support for Adobe® Flash® Player
* Support for Microsoft® Exchange e-mail, contacts and calendar
* 16 GB of internal memory and SD Card slot with support for expandable memory up to 32 GB
* Dimensions: 7.87″ x 4.72″ x 0.49″
Streak 7 adds to Dell’s rapidly expanding mobility portfolio and represents the first 4G tablet for T-Mobile’s robust mobile broadband product lineup.