The tablet category now has a Streak — the new entry from Dell. On Tuesday, the computer giant said the five-inch, Android-based device will be available this month in the United Kingdom, and a U.S. release is planned later in the summer.
Ron Garriques, president of the Dell Communication Solutions Group, said the Streak’s form factor and features hit “the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets.” Pricing was not announced.
Android 2.2, Flash
The new tablet has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G, and runs on Qualcomm’s ARM-based Snapdragon one-gigahertz processor. Google Maps enable turn-by-turn navigation with street and satellite views, and there’s a five-megapixel front-facing camera with dual LED flash, 2GB of internal storage, and up to 32GB of user accessible, microSD expandable memory.
Dell also pointed out that the Streak will support over-the-air updates, including platform upgrades to the new Android 2.2 later this year, which is expected to include Adobe Flash 10.1. The Streak will be released with Android 1.6, and comes pre-loaded with applications designed for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The Flash component has become a key differentiator since Apple has banned Flash from its iPad tablet. In response, Adobe has noted that Flash will be a key part of Android 2.2, which has been dubbed Froyo.
Apple is pushing HTML5 on its mobile devices, an up-and-coming standard that is not yet the technical equivalent of Flash. Earlier this month, for instance, popular video site Hulu announced a variety of updated features made in Flash, and a Hulu executive made a point of noting that HTML5 “doesn’t yet meet all of our customer’s needs.”
Last week, Adobe Systems announced a new HTML5 tool set for web designers and developers as an add-on to its Creative Suite 5.
‘Not Either/Or’
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