Dell Streak Media Round-Up

In anticipation of it's US launch, Dell Streak has received much press coverage in the past 48 hours. Bellow is some of what's being said.

Business Week (article here) writes that the Streak holds up quite well as a handheld entertainment device, but doesn't quite cut it as a phone. The author concludes that, 'in the end, in spite of its unique design and appealing viability as a handheld media device, the Streak feels too much like last year's Android device.' The author says the price point will be essential to knowing whether or not to recommend the device.

CNET (article here) has a generally undecided opinion on the Streak. If it comes down to a battle of the Streak vs the iPad, the author writes 'the iPad makes a better map, better photo frame, better video player, better Web browser, and better repository for all things "app" with a seemingly limitless number of home screen pages.' Nonetheless, the author concedes that 'you can't fit an iPad in your pocket, or pop in your own SIM card, or shoot 640x480 video, or even take a crummy portrait on a front-facing camera. There's a lot going for the Streak, and it's safe to say Dell has created the best Android-based tablet we've seen so far.' The author concludes that he's waiting for more information on pricing and availability before making an overall decision, but warns that it's not a 'screaming deal' if the device retails at the rumoured price of $500.

USA Today (article here)--America's most largely circulated publication--gives the Streak 2½ stars out of 4. The author praises the device for being attractive and sturdy, having a five-inch touch-screen for videos, its maps, its navigation and browsing, and its front and rear cameras. However, the author dislikes the Streaks mediocre performance as a phone, its older version of Android OS, and its overall sluggish feel.

Dell Advertorial in Grazia

A new Dell advertorial appears on page 59 of Grazia's July issue. The feature promotes Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 as the magazine's 'favourite fashion accessory.' Grazia also totes that the netbook, which is customized in the shade of OPI's Rosy Future nail colour, is 'perfect for blogging from Fashion Week.' The Inspiron Mini 10 is listed with a £320 price point.

Metro: 'iPhone 4 is Apple's Vista'

An article on page 16 of today's Metro compares the iPhone 4's 'death grip problem' to the disastrous 2007 launch of Window's glitch-ridden Vista operating system. The article quotes a senior Microsoft executive who ridicules the iPhone, and assures that Windows' upcoming iPhone rival--creatively named 'Windows Phone 7'--will work no matter how one chooses to hold it.

Apple's shares have dropped about £6.5billion in lieu of rumours that the iPhone 4 may be recalled. A recall would cost Apple £1.5billion.

Click the photo (above) to read the whole article.

Dell Streak in Wired

The Streak was featured in Wired's Gadet Lab section of their website. The review offers many colourful photographs and lays out all of the gadget's specifications with generally positive conclusions.

Overall, the Streak is an exciting, well-engineered device that should appeal to consumers who want to supersize their phone. But that also means its unlikely to have Apple or iPad fans quaking. The Streak seems like a tablet for a very different audience than the iPad.

Read the whole review here.

T3 Reports on Unlocked Streak

T3 writes that the Dell Streak can now be bought SIM-free from Dell's website for £449, giving users the freedom to choose their own network. The phone is described as carbon-black with a 16GB MicroSD storage card. The article also praises Dell's free shipping.

The Streak was previously offered by O2 for £399.

Read the whole article here.

Dell Streak on Sky News

Sky News spoke with Mat Finch to learn more about the Dell Streak.

Watch the video here.

Dell in What Laptop

A Dell laptop featured on the cover of What Laptop's August issue Buyer's Guide, located on page 99 of the magazine. Within the Guide, Dell's Inspiron 1564 (£587 price point) was reccomended as a great home office computer, and the Alienware M17x (£3,369 price point) was reccomended as a great gamer's computer.

A number of Dell laptops' specifications were also listed in the buyers guide, including the Inspiron Mini 10, Inspiron 1564, Latitude E6400 XFR, Latitude Z600, Studio 1557, Studio 1747, Vostro V13, Vostro 3500, and Inspiron 15R.

Jobs on iPhone: 'You're holding it wrong'

CNN reports that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has finally responded to critics who have complained that holding the iPhone around its metal edges hampers reception.

His response? 'Just avoid holding it in that way,' the CEO bluntly advised in an e-mail he wrote directly in response to a consumer's questions.

An official statement made later by Apple offered a more poignant explanation. 'Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas,' explained Apple in their written statement.

The iPhone's new sleek design is achieved in part by snaking the antenna through a metal band around the phone's edges--a design which makes it particularly easy to cover the phone's antenna while holding it.

Apple has advised users to avoid gripping the phone on its lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply to place a case over the phone, which equally solves the problem.

Read the whole article here.

TechRadar covers Inspiron R launch

Patrick Goss of TechRadar writes about Dell's new Inspiron R laptops. Goss quotes Glen Robson, Dell's VP of product marketing, saying, 'The Inspiron R takes the rock solid Inspiron line and amps up the cool factor with a sexy and practical machine for entertainment, and social networking along with all the usual home, school and work functions . . . This is a laptop that families will love and youths will ask for.'

The article details the laptop's specs, and says that the most basic version of the product retails for £459.

Read the full article here.

Toshiba Portégé R700 in ShortList

Today's ShortList includes a full page feature on Toshbia's Portégé R700 in its Must-Own Gadget section. The page praises the laptop's 'impressive 13in screen and processor more than capable of matching bigger machines' performance.' The laptop is marked with a £599 price point.

Dell Streak Coverage

The Dell Streak has garnered reviews and spotlights in a handful of publications.

The Guardian (article here) provides a comprehensive overview of the Streak and also links to a Dell YouTube video about the phone. While largely objective, the article does question how much demand there is for a phone that's neither a traditional smartphone nor a larger-screen tablet.

Wired (article here) writes that the Streak is the iPad's first real competitor, and says that Dell's decision to price the device on par with an entry level iPad is 'a bold move.'

PC World (article here) agrees that the Streak could be a formidable competitor to the iPad, particularly among business people. The article also claims, however, that the Streak is not a tablet device at all, but rather only a smartphone.

T3 (article here) has a quick mention of the Streak in it's weekly tech roundup section, and says that 'the 5-inch device combines the best of both allowing users to make calls and access a host of entertainment tools.'

Stuff (article here) offers a generally positive review of the Streak, but concludes that the phone's 'identity crisis' may limit its appeal.

Dell and OPI on Vogue website

Vogue spotlighted Dell and OPI's recent collaboration on their website's homepage. The alliance--which the article praises for targeting women--allows ladies to customise their Dell laptops to match one of OPI's statement nail polish colours. The editorial mentions Dell's Studio 15, Studio 17, and Inspiron Mini laptops, and offers a price point of £249.

Read more at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/news/100610-dell-laptop-opi-nails-colour-custom.aspx

Dell Studio featured in Sport Magazine

Sport featured Dell's World Cup themed Studio this morning on page 66 of their 'Extra Time Gadgets' section. The write-up presents a £479 price point, and mentions the laptop's '17-inch glossy display and backlit keyboard.'