Dell Streak racing to the UK

Good news if you are in the UK and are in the market for what once upon a time would have been called an MID: The Dell Streak is officially announced to be on the O2 network. Woo hoo! Let’s go Streaking! (…or maybe I should let Dell come up with their own tagline.)

The Streak, which has already been seen a bunch of times since January, features a 5″ screen (which is why it was originally designated the Dell Mini 5), making it very large for a smartphone (or small for a tablet). It currently runs a Dell-customized version of Android 1.6, but per the Direct2Dell blog, they will be upgrading to 2.2 with Adobe Flash 10.1 support later this year.

Most of the specs are in the press release below, but in addition, the processor is a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250; the ram is 256MB, while the rom is 512MB plus 2GB onboard storage and microSD expansion; and the screen is super tough Gorilla Glass. I do cringe a bit that they’re pushing this as hitting the “sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets”. That spot wasn’t so sweet for the last industry giant that claimed it, but we’ll see if Dell can pull it off. Pricing is yet to be announced.

Via Engadget

DELL STREAK TABLET ENTICES PEOPLE TO WATCH, SURF, CONNECT, LISTEN, AND PLAY ON 5″ OF POWER AND PORTABILITY

· Streak to launch early June in the UK exclusively on O2

· Available at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The Carphone Warehouse and later next month at Dell.co.uk

· U.S. availability to arrive later this summer

BRACKNELL, UK – May 25, 2010 – Today, Dell released plans for Streak, a 5-inch Android™-based Tablet designed to provide people the best “on-the-go” entertainment, social connection, and navigation experience. Early this June the Dell Streak will be available across the UK at O2 stores, O2.co.uk, The Carphone Warehouse, and later in the month at Dell.co.uk. Pricing and data plans for the UK will be announced by O2 ahead of availability. Later this summer, Dell plans to make Streak available in the U.S.

The Dell Streak is a compact and powerful companion for people who want to expand their ability to access their digital lives on the go, and realize tomorrow’s technology today. The spacious 5-inch screen is ideal for experiencing thousands of Android Market™ widgets, games and applications, all without squinting or compromising portability. Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and available 3G connectivity brings easy access for downloading and listening to music, updating social networking status in real-time, and staying connected to friends and family through e-mail, text, IM, and voice calls.

On-the-go students, mobile professionals, and active families will find Streak’s web-browsing capabilities as natural as a laptop. The 5-inch screen is large enough to present Web pages in their natural form, create a comfortable viewing experience, and make turn-by-turn navigation simple and safe. The Dell Streak leverages Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ solution with integrated 1GHz processor to combine basic functionality, performance, and benefits of a laptop in a pocket friendly size.

“The Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions Group. “Its unique size provides people new ways to enjoy, connect, and navigate their lives.”

The Dell Streak was designed with the future in mind and will support over-the-air updates including platform upgrades, Adobe Flash 10.1 on Android™ 2.2 later this year, video chat applications and other software innovations.

Dell is a member of the Open Handset Alliance™ (OHA), a group of technology and mobile companies working together to accelerate innovation in mobility. Together, the OHA created Android, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform to provide people a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience.

Key Features:

* Integrated Google Maps™ with turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
· A full screen browsing experience with a 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA display
· Easily integrated social media apps: Twitter™, Facebook, YouTube
· High resolution 5 MP camera, VGA front facing camera, removable battery, built-in Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity options
· 2GB* of internal dedicated storage provides plenty of space to access and download Google Android Market’s many options
· Packaged with cushions made from 100 percent sustainable, compostable bamboo

Specifications:

* Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements
* ARM-based Processor: Qualcomm’s powerful and efficient Snapdragon chipset and software platform with integrated 1GHz processor
* 3G + WiFi + Bluetooth
* UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to HSDPA 7.2 Mbps* / HSDPA
* 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easy point, shoot, and uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
* User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32 GB*. Store up to 42 movies* or 32,000 photos*, or 16,000 songs* with 32GB* Micro SD

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