VIDEO: First Look at the Dell Streak Tablet PC

Hands-on with the Dell Streak Android tablet

Hands-on with the Dell Streak Android tablet | Crave - CNET: "Yesterday, I spent the better part of an afternoon with the Streak, Dell's ambitious foray into the world of Android tablets. It was an illuminating experience, with plenty of takeaways--both good and bad.

With its release in the UK over a month ago, chances are, you're already aware of what the Streak has to offer. Apart from its larger dimensions, the Streak's tech specs read like typical high-end smart phone. There's built-in 3G and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), along with Bluetooth 2.1 support. The 800x480 resolution screen uses capacitive touch technology, supports multi-touch and is helped along by a fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. You get microSIM memory expansion (16GB included), and a removable/replaceable battery. There's both a speaker and microphone designed for voice calls, as well as a 5 megapixel camera that includes auto-focus and flash. And if that weren't enough, Dell threw in a VGA resolution front facing camera, enabling video chat and self-portrait antics.

Now take all of those specs, super-size it with a 5-inch screen, and you've got the Dell Streak. It's a giant smart phone and a scrawny tablet all rolled into one. It's awkward, it's fun, it's a freak of nature, it's your new best friend, it's a paradox wrapped in an enigma. In all seriousness, we're still a little conflicted over whether to recommend this superphone/microtablet--partly because of its unique size, but mostly because we haven't been given all the facts.

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Michael Dell flaunts the Android-powered, 5-inch Streak

Michael Dell flaunts the Android-powered, 5-inch Streak - Yahoo! News

Elements of Dell's long-rumored mini-tablet have been spied on, leaked and whispered about for months now, but the device had never been officially announced — until Thursday, when none other than Michael Dell whipped the Android-powered, 5-inch Streak out of his pocket for an impromptu public demo. Dell even went a bit further, spilling details on the Streak's release dates and carriers.

The action happened Thursday during Dell's keynote at Citrix Synergy, a desktop virtualization conference being held this week in San Francisco. The CEO was pontificating about how "the device we use to access our information shouldn't matter anymore," eWeek reports — when all of a sudden, Dell surprised the conference's "full house" by whipping the Streak out of his pocket.

"Actually, I've got a new little device right here," said Dell (according to the eWeek story), who then gave the startled audience a quick demo of Citrix's Receiver app on the Streak and revealed some release dates: June for European carrier 02 Telefonica and "later this summer" on AT&T here in the U.S.

Dell wasn't all that forthcoming about the Streak's exact features and specifications, but we've already got a pretty good idea thanks to the cascade of leaks about the not-so-secret device.

Engadget got its hands on a prototype Streak back in February and dished out some juicy details: a 5-inch, 800-by-480 capacitive display, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G support, 1.63GB of storage plus microSD memory expansion, and a 5-megapixel camera with a flash.

Apple's iPad is one of a slate of slates

WATCH slideshow on Wireless- msnbc.com

"Apple started taking orders for its iPad tablet March 12, and some reports indicate first-day pre-orders of 120,000, a strong initial showing for the device due out April 3. The first version of the iPad is Wi-Fi only; another that also has 3G connectivity through AT&T should be available in late April.

There are many other companies jumping into the tablet arena. Among them: HP, Dell and Samsung. Google and HTC are reportedly working on a slate, and Sony may be interested, too. No one really knows yet whether consumers will gravitate to tablets, and Apple’s “is not the first media tablet,” says ABI Research senior analyst Jeff Orr. “But it does help define this new device category,” and is definitely the 1.5-pound gorilla in the room.

CLICK on link above to learn more about other tablets."

Leaked Dell Streak flyer shows multitude of color options, confirmed specifications

By Engadget

"There's no denying that the Mini 5 is real, but up until now, we've had to provide all of our own promotional material. At long last, it seems as if the suits in Round Rock are finally getting around to crafting the first advertisements for the upcoming slate, and while we knew about the 5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, capacitive touch front buttons, front-facing VGA camera (for video chatting) and the 30-pin docking connector, we weren't aware of Dell's plans to reveal a slew of vivacious color options. If this here flyer proves legitimate, we could eventually see the Mini 5 available in an array of premium finishes and hues (thanks, Design Studio!), and we're hoping for a few different spec builds as well. So, are you opting for the pink, or are you crossing your fingers in hopes that Dell allows you to print that embarrassing shot of you and Mr. T on the rear of one?

Update: Oh, snap! We just landed a few more official slides from an internal Dell document, and it's safe to say that the company is going to call this beauty the Streak. Or, at least that's the internal codename. Better still, it looks as if it'll launch with an Amazon content partnership, which will bring a Kindle e-book reader app, Amazon MP3, Amazon video streams and pretty much any other material that Amazon sells in digital form right to the slate. C'mon now -- how's about a ship date and a price?"

CNET's back-to-school 2009 retail laptop/desktop review roundup

By Dan Ackerman & Rich Brown / Crave - CNET (CLICK to read more)

"With laptops and desktops as standard equipment in many classrooms and dorm rooms, the back-to-school season is a busy one for computer shopping. We are once again scouring the shelves of big retail stores to find boxed versions of popular PCs, from entry-level systems starting at $349 to quad-core powerhouses.

Many of these are similar to those you'd be able to configure online from companies such as Dell and HP, but these are specific retail models that have slightly different names and features, and are--thanks to the deep discounts offered by brick-and-mortar store back-to-school sales--sometimes a better deal than buying direct from a PC maker."

Dell's numbers show PC industry staggering back

By AP: Yahoo! Tech (CLICK to read more)

"Dell Inc.'s second-quarter results reinforce what other tech heavyweights have shown recently about the health of the personal-computer industry: it's still wounded by the recession, but is staggering back to its feet, thanks to consumers, bargain prices and little 'netbook' laptops for surfing the Internet.

The Round Rock, Texas-based company reported Thursday that profit fell 23 percent and sales fell 22 percent in the May-July period. The results beat Wall Street's forecasts, however, sending the shares up more than 6 percent.

Dell's message was similar to those offered by rival Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's No. 1 PC seller, and supplier Intel Corp., the world's biggest computer chip maker, in their latest quarterly reports: consumers are coming back to the stores to buy PCs, but corporations are still being stingy.

Dell added that it might not be until 2010 that businesses open their wallets again. Analysts have been eyeing next year for a turnaround because companies will have new budgets, can't hold on to old PCs forever, and will have a new version of Microsoft Windows available."

Dell gets thin: Inspiron 11z debuts for only $399

Crave - CNET: "While much was made of Dell killing off its Mini 12 Netbook recently, one question raised was: what might fill that 11-to-12-inch void in the future? That question is answered, in part, with today's announcement of the Dell Inspiron 11z, an 11.6-inch thin-and-light weighing only 3 pounds. How thin? At its thickest point: 1.02 inches, according to Dell's specs. This is Dell's first real entry into thin-and-light, a category that's been gaining momentum recently (the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T, MSI X340, and Lenovo IdeaPad U350 to name a few).

Inside, there's no Atom processor, but instead a single-core 1.2 GHz Intel ULV Celeron 723. Equipped with a three-cell battery, Dell promises long battery life in a chassis that's '24 percent smaller than 14-inch laptops' (but this is an 11.6-inch laptop, so how is that fair?). Unfortunately, that 'long battery life' equates to 3 hours in the press release, but we'll remain optimistic. The keyboard is 92 percent standard-size, close to a regular laptop experience (although sometimes we've found that small differences in ergonomics can be disorienting). Like a Netbook and most thin-and-lights, the 11z has no optical drive.

One of the best features is the price: Dell's Web site lists the Inspiron 11z as $399, the same cost as a Netbook."

Dell launches 'Della,' a women's PC site

Computer sales have slowed down, but has it really come to this? Dell, the world's second largest manufacturer of PCs, last week launched a cutesy site for women called 'Della.' What's next, 'Dello' for guys? Maybe No. 1 PC maker H-P wants to do something similar like 'Hewlett-Packarda' for females, and 'Hewlett-Packardo,' as in Ricky Ricardo, for men?

Sounds silly, just as silly as Della is. Netbooks and laptops are presented as fashion statements, and the site's 'tech tips' includes a feature, 'Seven Unexpected Ways a Netbook Can Change Your Life,' which starts out by saying, 'Once you get beyond how cute they are, you'll find that netbooks can do a lot more than check your e-mail.'

Dell goes upscale with the $2,000 Adamo notebook

"It's a curious time to target the top of the market, but Dell seems intent on taking a page from the Apple playbook, striking hard into the ultra-luxe laptop category with its new Adamo system, a svelte 13-inch notebook which starts at a cool two grand.

Launching today (with shipments beginning on March 26), the laptop is now the thinnest computer on the market, just 0.65 inches thick and weighing about four pounds (somewhat heavier than its primary competitors, the MacBook Air and HP Voodoo Envy). Built with an aluminmum chassis, it's available in black or white, and comes in two configurations: a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo/2GB RAM/128GB SSD model for $1,999, and a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo/4GB RAM/128GB SSD/integrated WWAN model for $2,699. The laptop also claims a five-hour battery life, features a snazzy backlit keyboard, and an edge-to-edge, all-glass, high-def display."

Cheap Netbooks Inspire More Wireless Gadgets

Cheap Netbooks Inspire More Wireless Gadgets - Business Center - PC World: "Look out for a deluge of wireless devices, including netbooks, sold at heavily discounted rates by the wireless carriers, as the operators battle to win customers during the economic downturn.

AT&T Wireless confirmed last week it has been selling two netbooks from Dell Inc. and Acer Inc. for US$99 apiece after rebates, but customers must commit to a two-year data service contract for $60 a month.

An AT&T spokesman said the carrier eventually wants to sell all kinds of embedded wireless devices that will work over its networks, including e-book readers, wireless cameras and in-car navigation devices."

Top 10 Netbooks - PC World

Chart - Top 10 Netbooks - PC World: "Netbooks (aka mini-notebooks, mini-notes or 'laptots') are perfect travel companions and meet basic computing needs, including e-mailing, Web surfing, and document creation. Best of all, these low-powered machines cost less than the standard-issue laptop."

SHOW #058 - NerdBoyTV: 2009 CES Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee shares Dell Computer's recent announcement at CES 2009 that they'll be bundling its popular Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook with AT&T's 3G Broadband 2-year contract for $99; but alas, there's a big catch...watch the broadcast to see what it is.

Netbooks take center stage at CES

Netbooks take center stage at CES (Reuters) by Reuters: Yahoo! Tech

"Netbooks were everywhere and on everyone's lips at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, expanding as a category of small laptop PCs that are rewriting the rules for the struggling computer industry.

While nearly every major PC makers had a new netbook on display at the four-day show ending on Sunday, no two companies seemed to agree on what the rules are to define this segment of tiny, ultra-portable notebooks.

Some netbooks are stripped-down PCs optimized for Internet use and costing a relatively affordable $300-$400. But others are fancier, like Sony Corp's $900, 8-inch device with all the bells and whistles of full-sized notebooks."

Rounding up the latest Netbooks

Rounding up the latest Netbooks - CNET Reviews

"The last couple of months have seen pretty much every big player in the PC market jump into the Netbook game with both feet. While we used to talk about Asus and MSI as dominant brands, now it's Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

The category continues to grow; after all, for around $500 (or less) you can take advantage of Internet access, e-mail, word processing, music playback, and even online video streaming. Netbooks do all of these things fairly well. We've got a video version of this roundup available as well."

SHOW #053 - NerdBoyTV GADGETS: Dell & Asus Netbooks

The "netbook" is a new category of mini-laptop designed for easy portability that's primarily used for surfing the Internet and checking e-mail. In this episode, Ryan Yee shares C-NET product reviews on the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Asus Eee PC 900.