Dell strikes Streak-free masterstroke, no joke!

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 29 July 2010 13:57

Your IT - Mobility

Dell’s attempt to launch an Android tablet-cum-phone to do battle with the iPad has potentially left a streak in its underpants as plans for a July launch in the US go AWOL, the unlocked price goes up and the crustily ancient Android 1.6 is confirmed for launch, with 2.2 coming “later”.

Oh, woe is Dell, for whom the bell tolls in the US at the moment when it comes to reliably being able to launch its new range of handheld devices.

Due to have launched its sort-of anticipated Android-based mini-tablet/pad/phone, first called the Mini 5 in line with its popular range of Dell Mini netbooks, and then called the Streak, the announced July launched date has instead been ditched for later this year.

Worse still is the news that even when the Streak comes, it’ll be streaking through the neighbourhood sporting the spartan and Jurassic-era Android 1.6 operating system, rather than the more 21st century Android 2.2 OS.

Of course there’s no news on whether the Streak will ever go to Android 3.0 either, something that Dell should be making sure is possible, lest it find future Streak purchasers go on strike from future Dell purchases if they find out that it can’t.

The Streak has had so-so reviews, with reviewers really wishing the Streak came with Android 2.1 instead of 1.6, while some have questioned how many apps will work on the Streak’s larger 5-inch screen anyway, at least without needing a new version from the developers.

The whole thing is really a brilliant exercise in how not to launch an Android tablet/pad/phone.

Dell’s first mistake was to tell anyone about it in the first place. I mean, does Apple go around broadcasting its future gadget intentions in anything but the vaguest of terms, if even that? No.

Dell’s second mistake was to get early review units out there with unfinished, buggy builds of its version of the Android OS, and then 1.6 at that.

I mean, wow, that’s a way to get positive press, right? At least Apple lumbers the entire planet with its buggy x.0 builds at the same time, before generally quite quickly going to an x.0.1 version, and then x.1 not too long after that.

Eight more Dell mistakes (or is that mis-streaks?) on page two, please read on!