Dell Streak, first impressions

By on Jul 28, 2010 at 3:00 PM
Featured July 28, 2010

Does size matter to you? The bigger the better perhaps? Well, Dell may have crafted your next smartphone, the Dell Streak. We’ve been messing around with our very own Streak and thought we would put together some initial impressions for you. Want to see and know more? Hit the jump and lets do this thing!

The Streak is built as a data first device for users who want to view full-HTML webpages, watch videos, and play games on a great screen… the fact that the device functions as a phone is sort of an added bonus. Here is the official stat sheet for the Dell Streak: 5-inch WVGA touchscreen (with Gorilla Glass), 800 x480 resolution, 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, HSPA 7.2 Mbps radio, 1530 mAh battery, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi b/g, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, HMTS 2100/1900/850 MHz, GSM/EDGE 1900/1800/900/850 MHz, and Android 1.6.

The first thing you are going to notice about the Dell Streak is — obviously — its size. This puppy is wide, it actually makes the DROID X and EVO 4G feel puny. The good news is that the sheer size of the device is slightly masked by how thin it is. The device certainly will fit in your pocket (not if you wear tight fitting jeans), although you may not want to leave it there for fear of hearing: Is that a Dell Streak in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? We’re still getting acquainted with our Streak, so we’re not ready to pass judgment on its size quite yet.

On the right side of the device is (from bottom to top) a dedicated camera button, power button, volume up/down keys, and 3.5mm headphone jack. The top and bottom of the device are absent of keys or switches, and the right side has a proprietary Dell 30-pin dock connector that closely resembles Apple’s 30-pin connector.

The software on the device is actually quite nice, even though it is Android 1.6. Dell has done a great job tweaking Android for the device without completely molesting the interface. The icons are stock, notifications are stock, and aside from some modifications to built in apps — to optimize them for the 5-inch viewing palette — most of them are stock as well. Even seasoned Android veterans will get a kick out of how much information is displayed on the screen by default, after all… there is a lot of potential on a 5-inch screen. They keyboard is pretty easy to type on thanks to its size, the landscape version even includes a number pad!

The phone is made to be used in landscape mode, which is made clear by the fact that the soft-key icons are oriented toward the landscape view and the home screen does not rotate to portrait. Applications all rotate with the phone’s built in accelerometer just fine, but we have a feeling this landscape only home screen — a la Nokia N900 — will be a turn-off for some people.

Like we said, we’ve only had this monster for a short while, so we’re still in the discovery process. In the meantime we’ve got some additional images for you to analyze. Enjoy!

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  • Dazrix

    T-Mobile the largest Next Generation Carrier????? Next generation for people who cant afford to be on a good network. 3.15Mbps my ass. I think your Tmobile phone is broke fool.

  • J

    This might as well be a tablet PC.

  • Jon

    With the Droid X having the same resolution as this….what’s the point? If the larger screen also had higher resolution then we would have something interesting here. Otherwise it just seems way oversized considering the holdable and pocketable alternatives in the Droid X and Evo 4G.

    • beuh_dave

      It may be the same resolution, but the streak will display more information than devices with the same resolution because Dell lowered the resolution of the fonts.

    • Arthur P. Johnson

      But… ANDROID 1.6? C’mon, Dell. Give me one good reason why this is better than a Droid X or Evo, aside from the fact that it possesses 0.7 inches more screen, necessitating a man purse to lug it. Evo is same res and (touch wood) running 2.2 next week, plus a manufacturer with a better quality record. Streak is a fantastic 2009 product.

      • Arthur P. Johnson

        Okay, being fair, I do love the numeric keypad. Why don’t I have that option on my iPad?

  • Eric

    @@Neidlinger.

    Um seriously I don’t know what island you live on but with AT&T I get 5 Mbps down and 1.2 Mbps up.

  • ferror

    ” Hit the jump and lets do this thing!”

    I stopped reading right there.

  • remixfa

    dazrix, not to burst your bubble, but paying more for a network doesnt automatically make it better. If you were talking about VZW, yea, it would be true. VZW is the BEST carrier for coverage and 3g coverage there is. You get what you pay for.

    ON Tmobile and Sprint, both the networks run faster and better than ATT. Sprint runts up to 12 on 4g Wimax, Tmobile runs up to 21 on HSPA+. Att has a max of 7.2.. in less areas than Tmobiles 21mb/s.

    ATT has the WORST coverage of the group, the worst customer service, a smaller HSPA footprint than Tmobile, and when VZW launches LTE this year, it will be the slowest carrier. Yet, they charge the same rates as verizon and actually tier their data plans so you get “gotcha” charges when u hit the miniscule data caps. They also have the worst data backbone. Even with the Iphone they have less overall data use than VZW or even Sprint, yet 5x the problems.

    The only reason people are on ATT is because the love the Iphone. Its the only thing keeping ATT going. They have nothing to offer that gives a reason why their phone plans are so high. Not coverage, not speed, not reliability.. nothing.

    Instead of “everyone else just not being able to afford such a “great”carrier”…. they are just smart enough to know your getting bent over and they arent.

    • Allen Walker

      wow your an idiot

      • Tom

        I have to say thanks for your comment. “your an idiot” is my favorite internet phrase of all time. It captures so much, in so few words.

      • Matt

        Do you wonder if those idiots actually realize the irony in their statement?

      • Antony

        you’re

      • Ben

        “You’re” an idiot.

    • jayc

      In South Florida, ATT is the best network you can have bar none. I do not have an IPHONE but I’ve had a smartphone on ATT/Cingular since 01. Verizon wireless does not hold a candle comapred to them down here. I am tired of people who are repeating talking points of other people without actually living through the experience. Sprint 4g network is at best in its infancy. Most people, even in metropolis areas do not have access. T-Mobile 21mbs 3g…when I see it, I’ll talk about it. Until then if you don’t really know what you are talking back maybe you should avoind making those comments. AS FAR AS i AM CONCERNED and where I live ATT is the most reliable and fastest network available bar none. VZW is expansive and their 3g like all CDMA 3g is slow in real world. If anything VZW 3g is as fast as ATT 2.5G edge NETWORK…and that is just sad.

    • http://twitter.com/maevro Mark

      My girlfriend just left Verizon for AT&T because she likes the service much better that I get over her Verizon service. My ex did the same thing.

      Oh, I also am not an iPhone fan. I have a few phones and love the idea that I can just swap SIM from phone to phone.

      AT&T screwed up on my bill by $16 and gave me a $50 credit because of how long I have been a customer. Yeah, HORRIBLE customer service. Speak for yourself, not everyone else please.

    • Werd

      I live in So Cal
      I have T-mobile
      I have friends with VZ Sprint & Att

      Here ATT is the worst in every category, but charge ridiculous amounts & are basically living off the Iphone. Calling my friends on ATT results in dropped calls 70% of the time

      Here VZ has the best coverage for 3g but not the best speed

      Here Sprint is the Only 4g but phone reception isnt as good as VZ or Tmo, but plans are cheaper

      Before the EVO & Incredible/X T-mobile has the best plans/phone’s. I can tell you without a doubt that T-mobile’s internet is the Fastest in the LA area period, if it wasnt id probably be on spring with an EVO & 4g. ATT is not an option for anyone with half a brain. VZ…i just cant do it

    • Daniel

      wow, the folks in marketing earned their paychecks today… this guy watches enough tv to know that att has a smaller slower network than vzw sprint and tmo… lol ok? he also thinks that tmo’s 21+ is worth anything since there are literally 0 phones that run on it… sorry bud, but there are no phones capable of running that fast, so means nothing in real world, better get back to your commercials to learn that. 12mb on sprint huh… bet that evo would literally melt if it actually got that.. 3.5 to 4.5mb is more like it in reality, but ok we’ll call it 12? as far as it goes, opinions aside, att and vzw have pretty much the same footprint coast to coast(each has its better areas here and there) but are both by far better than sprint and tmo overall. att 3g covers pretty much the same areas that vzw evdo does.. so apples to apples (not name game 2g/3g) att 3g is hands down faster than vzw evdo just about anywhere you want to test it. verizon is potentially better for the old folks that don’t get on sites like this and read nerdy posts like the one above and below this one, they just dial away on their jitterbugs and for them, voice is all that matters, and i’ll give vzw a potential edge here for voice and voice alone… but if you need to do more with your device then att or tmo are better options since gsm allows for voice and data at same time, sorry vzw, but your droid can’t do that. cheers mate, now get back to your “mudd sliggin’ commercial war” you call your education in matters such as these…

    • flyguy

      Not only are you an idiot, but you may be slightly retarded as well….I am convinced you wrote that just to get a rise out of people because it is full of so much blatant misinformation I almost vomited.

      • FreddieBoy

        Poor baby, I have several trucks that travel nationwide, NOBODY beats AT&T’s coverage or service ! ? !

  • thedogscar

    One more Review that only focuses on the Tablet aspects of the Streak …

    What about the Phone aspects?

    1) Call Quality? (Hearing and Speaking)

    2) Reception?

    3) Speaker Phone?

    If this is supposed to be an All-in-One product … can I use this as my only Phone?

    • Matt

      I’m glad I’m not the only one who notices most of their reviews of phones DON’T include ANY review of the functions of the phone!!!!!

      “Hey the screen is big”

      Does it make calls?

      “I dunno we didn’t review that. You mean you wanted to know if you could use the phone as a phone? Oh didn’t realize.”

    • Daniel

      my thoughts exactly… phone review with no mention of how this “phone” actually works, lol

      in all fairness to the site, this was just a first impressions post, not really to be meant as a full on review… i personally don’t care for most of engadgets reviews… some are good and thorough, while most are far too brief and iphone biased… but I will hold my thoughts on it until the guys at gsmarena, or phonearena or pocketnow or technobuffalo, etc get their hands on one and put it thru the paces… Ive actually had my hands on one of these in person and it was very nice(from outright first impression) i was impressed, but didn’t get to really play with it much, so eagerly waiting for the full scoop.

  • Christopher F.

    It just annoys me how the icons are so grainy and non-crisp. I mean this might cut back on processor usage, but for serious, aesthetics means something.. Otherwise, the landscape mode is rather blahh, but I do like the size, but any bigger and it’d be ridiculous.

  • Michael

    its biggest problem is the fast that it is running android 1.6, why on earth would they limit such an awesome spec’d out phone?

    its like
    putting a 2.2 liter enginer in a corvette z06/c5
    putting windows 2000 server on a dell poweredge r710
    putting in a second string quarter back in the first quarter
    putting and hdmi port on a evo and limit the fps! :P

  • ecuteent

    The future is in front of all of you morans,but you idiots are blinded by the mini-me iphone 4g

    • Scott

      it’s MORON you idiot, geez!!

  • Uncle Bernie

    All I care about is that it be made of cheap black plastic.
    Since it’s a Dell, of course it will be.

  • Flex

    They need to get rid of 1.6

    Pretty soon cell phones are going to be the size of home phones and like mini netbooks.

  • Matt

    I stopped reading at

    “The software on the device is actually quite nice, even though it is Android 1.6.”

    How lame..

  • Wayne Dailey

    The only 3G service available locally (for at least 100 miles in all directions) is VZW . AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mo have no upgrade plans here so the Steak is a non-factor unfortunately, but how can one work on a document page when the keyboard takes up the whole page (see above photo)?

  • http://www.twitter.com/codemonkey codemonkey

    To add to the Carrier debate. In Alaska (specifically Fairbanks), AT&T is the only choice if you want to start a new plan. All of the rest of the carriers offer “partner” coverage for existing users but AT&T is the only one to offer new accounts (and actually has decent 3g coverage).

    As for the for the device, It’s a odd combination of a android tablet and a phone. Screens so large make it almost cumbersome to use as a phone. If I want a mobile computer, I’ll get a tablet (running 2.2) when they become available. Besides, I can only imagine the horrid call quality of the Streak.

  • http://www.webhostinglogic.com/ Frank Adams

    Hey, this is what Dell is all about! Thanks for sharing the info! This a product worth checking out! Dell is one of the most prestigious gadgets companies in the world and this smartphone, I will not let it pass!

  • blackturtleneckandbluejeans

    This is a complete FAILURE!! I like to see this put in a Blendtec blender! Pulvarize this POS. Thankyou. Along with the Iphone 4 and its Crappy antenna. WTF!! Complete Failure. Cant wait for the DROID Hammer to smash Apple.

  • JJFNIGHTS80

    MY ONLY IMPRESSION TOO DAMN BIG. and Dell should of make it a tablet. NOT A OVER SIZE PHONE. Who the hell is going to buy a 5 or 6″ phone that you can’t put in your pocket.

  • http://wordpress.pocosin.com counsel

    look peeps… a cell phone company may have bad reception in your area and great reception in mine… stop generalizing in hopes of sounding knowledgeable…

    There is nothing wrong with the device. Don’t like UT? Don’t buy it… you can complain when you make your own….

  • Rocky

    To anyone sick and tire of forced data contract
    is there a dell mini 5 in cdma format and anyone unlockedit it so one can have phone and access wifi when avvaliable without being forced into a data concract?
    drop me a line
    thank you in advance
    Rocky

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