Dell has entered the emerging tablet market with the Streak, a carbon black Android-based model with a 5-in. display that’s designed to accommodate thousands of Android Market widgets, games, and applications (see the figure). Its built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth capability, and available 3G connectivity enable users to download and listen to music, update social networking statuses in real time, and communicate via e-mail, text, IM, and voice calls.

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Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, the Streak integrates a 1-GHz processor to combine the basic functionality and benefits of a laptop in a compact size. Features include Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation with street and satellite views, a 5-in. capacitive multi-touch WVGA display, a 5-Mpixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash, a VGA front-facing camera, a removable battery, and 2 Gbytes of internal storage.

Also, the Streak’s Android platform comes complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements. The tablet’s UMTS/GPRS/EDGE class 12 GSM radio boasts link speeds of up to 7.2 Mbits/s. And, its user-accessible Micro SD expandable memory supports up to 32 Gbytes, which can store up to 42 movies, 32,000 photos, or 16,000 songs. 

The Dell Streak tablet offers a 5-in. WVGA touchscreen that’s optimized for thousands of Android Market apps as well as communication via e-mail, texting, IMs, and voice calls.

U.S. priority pre-sale registrants can sign up to order the Streak on Thursday, August 12 at www.dell.com/mobile. General availability will follow on Friday, August 12, also at www.dell.com/mobile. The Streak costs $299.99 with a new two-year AT&T contract and $549.00 without. Customers who sign up during the pre-sale program will receive a free second-day shipping upgrade. Also, customers who redeem their pre-sale coupon can buy a Plantronics Bluetooth earpiece for $0.99 while supplies last.

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