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After spending some reviewing the Dell Venue last week, I have a renewed interest in the world of all things combining Dell and Android. But, let's face it, Dell hasn't exactly had a great track record with its Android hardware, particularly its first attempt at a tablet - the universally-disliked Streak 7.
The time for Froyo has finally come for Dell's first Android device - and I'm sure all 12 US and Canadian Streak owners jumping for joy. Dell announced today that it has begun a rollout of the long-awaited bump to Android 2.2 for its tablet-phone in North America, dragging only a few months behind its UK counterpart. The update, to be clear, is an OTA. The Dell release suggests rebooting your phone will detect the update if the rollout has reached you.
Dell Streak 7 Available Now - Are You Getting One?
Dell Streak 7 Available Now - Are You Getting One?
The world's first 4G (subject to your definition) tablet is available now! Well, if you live on the East Coast, and assuming snow or rain or some terrible combination thereof aren't preventing you from going outside. Those of us west of the Rockies will have to wait another 2 hours before getting our Streak on, but I feel like my LA sunshine is worth it. Of course, anyone can order it online right now. Oh, and you can get it directly from Dell as well.
Thanks to a leaked slide, some rumored release dates for upcoming T-Mobile 4G devices have been cemented. First up is Dell's Streak 7, which is set to debut on February 2; that will be followed by the Galaxy S 4G on February 23, while the Honeycomb-sporting G-Slate won't be launching until March 23.
While we weren't exactly impressed by the Streak 7 at CES, Dell's upcoming tablet successor to the similarly-named phone may be arriving on T-Mobile rather soon - say, February 2nd. A photo of an internal T-Mobile document (courtesy of TmoNews) taken by the world's worst photographer all but makes official a February 2nd release date for the 4G tablet.
Looks like T-Mobile's not planning on resting on its laurels in the 4G tablet wars: they've just officially announced the Dell Streak 7 will be coming in the following weeks. At the same time, they're also promising to increase 4G speeds in the coming year, aiming to double download speeds. Impressive, especially considering just how far behind T-Mobile was in coverage just a few short years ago.
Froyo for AT&T's version of the Dell Streak has certainly been long in the making - and it looks like it AT&T still isn't ready to release it - but users who simply can't wait any longer now have an option, albeit an unofficial one.
As we mentioned over the weekend, the UK Dell Streaks were on the verge of finally getting that sweet, delicious Froyo upgrade, and now we are able to provide the rollout schedule in more detail.
This one is definitely, definitely, firmly in the rumor bin, folks - and if history teaches us anything, it's that in the Android community rumors tend to stick to the lines of "Somebody tells you something somewhat ridiculous, but plausible. Post. Watch it spread like wildfire." Still, sometimes we get things right, too, and with that in mind, I present to you the Dell Opus One.
Who thinks strictly black and gray phones are gloomy and boring? I do and, thankfully, so does Best Buy. A few months ago, the retailer announced an exclusive white EVO 4G, and today we got word of not 1 but 2 more white Android phones arriving on October 24: Verizon's Samsung Fascinate and AT&T's slightly outdated Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. While the exact pricing on either of these is unknown, you can head over to Best Buy today and reserve the device of your dreams with a $50 deposit. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether other outlets will be receiving these handsets - all we have to work with is the picture below.
As you may be aware, Dell Streak owners have not exactly been sitting on the cutting edge of Android (the device runs 1.6 Donut) since the phone was released stateside. While a leaked and tweaked build of the UK version's 2.1 update has been floating around for a while now, the average user doesn't want to take the time or risk in using an unsupported software build.
Here’s something to get your teeth into. Over at LaptopMag, a whole host of Androids have been put through their paces in a grueling battery life endurance test. The goal was to keep the phones’ screens on while doing a moderate amount of processing, namely cyclically browsing a collection of web pages. Despite the supposed power savings afforded by AMOLED screens, the phones employing that screen technology fell quite a ways behind in comparison to the traditional LCD phones.
iFixit is at it again - this time, they’ve torn down a Dell Streak. As usual, they’ve provided a ton of pictures and a step-by-step to go with it. Just a quick rehash of the specs:
Owners of Dell’s 5” tablet in the UK were lucky to get their hands on a leaked pre-release version of Android 2.1 earlier this week. The hack, however, was only compatible with the O2 version of the device in the UK, so owners of the US counterpart released only 2 days ago on AT&T have been stuck with their new giant babies wearing an ancient 1.6 Donut diaper. To make matters worse, it looks like Dell decided to skip the 2.1 update altogether and go straight for 2.2, delaying the upgrade even longer.
The Dell Streak may have been available in the UK for over two months now, but it’s taken until now to hit the States. Just in case you forgot, here is a roundup of my thoughts on all the features the phone has to offer if you’re thinking of getting yourself a Streak when it’s released tomorrow.
After having faked us out a couple weeks back, it seems Dell is finally ready to let its Streak tablet-phone-whatever loose stateside. You can get it $299 with a new or upgraded 2-year service agreement on AT&T, or shell out $549 to avoid the contractual shackle. Here’s a quick reminder of the specs the Streak is packing:
Looking for an easy way to root your Android Device? Universal Androot may just be what the doctor ordered. The one-click root fad seems to be catching on and Universal Androot is an app that covers multiple Android devices, making it easier for those who may be reluctant experience the mighty wonders of root.
That Richard Lai fella sure gets all the luck, eh? Not only was Engadget’s London-based editor amongst the first to get to play with a Streak (aka Mini 5), Dell’s impressive 5” Android slate device, he’s now gotten an exclusive look at an early build of Eclair 2.1 running on the “tablet-phone”. While the previously unexpected 1.6 to 2.1 update is intended as a stop-gap measure to reduce the pain of waiting for Froyo, Engadget encountered several new features in their time with the new OS. While nothing has changed drastically, Eclair on the Streak has brought a few improvements and niggles of note: