iSlate Hacked

Dell previewed their newest device at the Consumer Electronic Show in January.  They displayed their 5-inch tablet concept.

Their newest device the Dell Slate is now being called the Dell Streak, it is a 5-inch, touch-screen device, with 800×480 pixel resolution, running the Android 2.0 OS system, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, SIM card slot for 3G service for Internet connectivity.  It also has a 5-megapixel autofocus main camera and a front camera, with LED flash and a 1300 mAh battery.

The Dell Streak has been said to be larger than a smartphone but smaller than a tablet with the 5-inch trouchscreen capabilities of a slate tablet.

Dell’s tablet division head, Neeraj Choubey, confirmed that the Dell Streak is Android Market compliant and should run any app in there which conforms to Google’s developer guidelines.  He also confirms that Dell are in talks with AT&T to offer the Dell Streak on their network, presumably subsidized.  He said that this is just the beginning of a larger tablet strategy at Dell.  The 5-inch handheld will be the only one to launch this spring, but it will be just the first in a family that will have multiple screen sizes available, with a set of office document apps and a cross-device Internet sync service.

Choubey also hinted that Dell might use new transparent conductor resistive panels over capacitive technology in future tablet models, which support multitouch finger-input and stylus control with high-resolution accuracy.  He also wouldn’t settle on the price, but said that The Dell Streak would be “competitive” when it is shipped.

Choubey feels that the Dell Streak will appeal to “a more tech-savvy generation of people” who want a convergent device.

“If I bought something from Amazon store on my tablet and I downloaded it, why should I have to choose my tablet over my netbook?  When I was at Yahoo they always talked about your content, your way, when you want it, how you want it. It’s something that everyone in the mobile space has embraced. You shouldn’t have to make decisions based on where your content is.”

Vice President of sales and marketing for Dell’s global consumer group, said “they were experimenting with different sizes.”