Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet (Foggy Night) From Dell List Price: $379.99 Price: $299.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Ships from and sold by Amazon.com 13 new or used available from $283.99 Average customer review: (36 customer reviews)

Product Details
Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet (Foggy Night)

Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet (Foggy Night)
From Dell

List Price:$379.99
Price:$299.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com
13 new or used available from $283.99
Average customer review: 
(36 customer reviews)

Product Description

Introducing the Dell Streak 7. Share photos, videos and movies together. Its small enough to carry around, big enough to gather around.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #70 in Personal Computers
  • Color: Foggy Night
  • Brand: Dell
  • Model: STREAK7-16WiFiGray
  • Dimensions: .47" h x 4.74" w x 7.48" l, .84 pounds
  • CPU: Unknown

Features

  • Android™ 2.2-based tablet with over-the-air upgrade capability for future OS releases
  • Vibrant 7", multitouch display with full Adobe® Flash 10.1
  • 1.3 MP front-facing camera for face-to-face chats on popular services such as Qik® or Skype™
  • 16GB of internal storage, plus Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth® and built-in GPS

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description
The Android-based Dell Streak 7 is the ultimate entertainment hub for those craving a rich multimedia and web experience. It features a brilliant 7-inch WVGA multi-touch display made of damage-resistant Gorilla Glass that's ideal for Web browsing, streaming video, watching TV and movies, reading books and magazines, or playing games wherever you roam.


The Dell Streak 7 offers a vibrant 7-inch, multi-touch display (see larger image).
Powered by a screaming fast, dual-core 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, the Streak 7 is loaded full of entertainment and family-friendly apps--from Kindle for Android and Zinio magazines to BrainPOP and Slacker Radio.  The Streak 7 also helps you capture and shares favorite moments with the rear-facing 5 megapixel camera for high-definition stills and video recording and a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video-calling using the preloaded Qik Video Chat application.
Other features include a 16 GB internal memory that can be expanded via optional microSD memory cards (up to 32 GB in size), Swype virtual keyboard technology, full support for Adobe Flash Player, up to 4 hours of continuous video playback time, and up to 3 days of standby time.


Enjoy a rich web and multimedia experience at home or on the go (see larger image).

Android 2.2 OS and Dell Stage User Interface

The Streak 7 runs the latest Android operating system--OS 2.2 (aka, Froyo)--which provides a faster overall Android experience as well as greater multitasking capabilities. You'll be able to receive notifications, listen to music, and even record GPS data without keeping the application open. And it features a plethora of new enhancements, including an improved QWERTY keyboard, full push corporate e-mail, and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for access to the full Web.
It also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail. And through Android Market, you'll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets, and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.
The Streak 7 also features Dell's innovative Stage user interface, which provides a seamless and unified experience for accessing all your favorite content. Later this year, Dell will add syncing to Stage so you can keep your photos, contacts, calendars, and other personal content synchronized across your Dell Stage-equipped devices--from tablets to PCs--connected through your home network.

Streak 7 Entertainment and Content

The Dell Streak 7 comes preloaded with unique content and applications to entertain the whole family, including:


Includes a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats on popular services such as Qik or Skype (see larger image).

  • Qik Video Chat. With the Streak 7's front-facing camera paired with Video Chat through Qik, you can hold video conversations with those who have a Streak 7--or other compatible mobile device--and even broadcast your view through the rear-facing camera.
  • BrainPOP: Animated educational content embraced by students and trusted by teachers and parents around the globe. BrainPOP brings learning to your fingertips.
  • Zinio. The largest online newsstand, enabling customers to shop for, search inside, read, share and save digital content in new ways with more than 75,000 digital magazines from 26 countries.
  • Kindle for Android. Lets you shop for hundreds of thousands of books in the Kindle Store, including New York Times Best Sellers and new releases from $9.99. Use Amazon's Whispersync technology to automatically synchronize your last page read, bookmarks, annotations, and more across your various devices--including Kindle, Kindle DX, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry and Android phones.
  • BLOCKBUSTER On Demand Enables you to discover and download the latest movie rentals.  Blockbuster's first-ever video download application on a smartphone allows you to buy a movie on one device and watch on another connected device through Blockbuster's library.
  • Let's Golf (Gameloft). Discover a fun atmosphere making golf accessible to anyone with 63 holes in 4 environments in 3D and 4 characters to customize. 63 holes in 4 distinct locations remodeled in 3D: Fiji Beach, the American Mountains, the English Countryside, and Scottish Lochs.
  • Slacker Radio. With millions of songs from thousands of artists, Slacker is the best way to discover new artists and hear your favorite music. Listening to Slacker is as easy as selecting one of over 120 DJ-programmed genre stations or searching for your favorite artist or song.

Android OS

  • Android 2.2 operating system (Froyo) with over-the-air upgrade capability for future OS releases

Connectivity

  • Onboard GPS for navigation and location services
  • Integrated Google Maps with voice-activated search, turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
  • Ultra-fast Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g/n) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go
  • Wi-Fi Sharing allows you to use your phone's 3G mobile broadband to connect laptops and other Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Internet.
  • Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming.

Camera

  • 5-megapixel rear camera with auto focus, multi-shot mode, and LED flash. You can share them with family and friends by sending them to any e-mail address or MyAlbum.
  • 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats (fixed focus) for face-to-face chats on popular services such as Qik or Skype
  • HD 720p video capture (from rear camera)

Multimedia

  • Music playercompatible with MP3, WMA, and AAC/AAC+/eAAC+
  • Video playercompatible with H.263/H.264, 3GP, MPEG4, WMV

Memory

  • 16 GB internal memory
  • Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 32 GB.

Design and Hardware

  • 1 GHz nVidia Tegra T20 dual core processor
  • 7-inch capacitive multi-touch display(800 x 480 pixels) made of ultra-durable, scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass with proximity and light sensors.
  • Onscreen keyboard
  • Swype input systemallows you to input text faster and easier by gliding your finger around the keyboard, moving from letter to letter in one continuous motion.
  • Built-in battery

Communications & Internet

  • Easy access to favorite social networking sitesincluding Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube
  • Text (SMS) and picture/video (MMS) messagingwith threaded messaging view
  • Personal and work e-mail (supports Microsoft Exchange corporate e-mail)
  • Instant messaging services including AOL, Yahoo!, Windows Live Messenger, and Google Talk
  • Real web browsingwith full HTML WebKit browser
  • Support for Adobe Flash 10.1 makes sure that your favorite sites load and look their very best

More Features

  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Organizer toolsincluding calendar, alarm clock, and calculator
  • USB 2.0 port with mass storage capabilities.

Vital Statistics

The Dell Streak 7 weighs 17.6 ounces and measures 7.9 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches. Its 2780 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of continuous video playback, and up to 72 hours (3 days) of standby time.
What's in the Box
Dell Streak 7 tablet, rechargeable battery, charger, wired stereo hands-free headset, quick start guide

Also Available for This Android Device

Amazon Appstore for Android
Get a great paid app for free every day.
Kindle
Buy a book once and read it everywhere with our free Kindle Reading App for Android.
Amazon MP3
Shop 15 million songs and stream your Cloud Drive music directly from your Android device.
IMDB
Find local movie showtimes and TV listings, watch trailers, and search the world's largest source of entertainment information.
Audible
Download audiobooks directly to your Android device, then listen wherever you go, get audiobook news, earn badges, and more.
Amazon Mobile
Shop for millions of products, get product details, and read reviews--right from your mobile device.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
58 of 62 people found the following review helpful.
3A good, but not great tablet.
By N. Hawkins
This is my first Android-based tablet, and I'm not going to compare it to the tablet that's made by that fruit-themed company and will keep this within the Android space. The real competitor of the Dell Streak 7 is the Samsung Galaxy Tab (Wi-Fi). The Streak lacks in some features when compared to the Galaxy Tab, and based on stats alone, I think the Galaxy Tab has the Streak 7 beat by a wide margin.

The Dell Streak is a nice tablet, and I like the way it feels. When you hold it in landscape format, your right thumb can hit all of the control buttons. The weight wasn't that bad at around 18oz and felt ok. I could grip the tablet easy with one hand instead of tucking the other 10" tablet under my arm.

The Streak's screen resolution is smaller than the Galaxy Tab's - 800x480 vs 1024x600 on the same size screen. The Streak 7's icons seemed a bit fuzzy to me, but I'm not sure if that's my bad eyes or icons expanded from the resolution of an Android phone. The screen's covered with "Gorilla Glass", which I wasn't anxious to test out by scratching it up or dropping it. Either way, I'd recommend a screen protector just in case.

My first experience with Android was pretty cool. It's an easy enough OS to navigate around, and installing things like the Kindle app was fun to do and worked like a charm. The Swype keyboard is new for me, and it was cool to try even though it requires a learning curve, especially if you have sausage fingers like me. The Streak 7 runs the Froyo version (2.2) of Android. Apparently the Gingerbread (3.0) release is more tablet friendly, and I'm hoping that I'd be able to upgrade this without a problem.

Getting email set up was a breeze and I was able to surf the web just fine. Same with copying movies and music over.

The Dell Streak 7 has a larger rear-mounted camera than the Galaxy Tab - 5MP vs 3MP. In all actuality, I'm not sure how valuable that is. I don't plan on using this as a camera and it's too big to be convenient like a camera phone. But it will do 720p video as well, but again, I'm not sure how often you'd actually use this. They both have front mounted cameras and the Streak's worked fine but I don't like doing video chat, mainly because the camera always seems to aim up my nose.

The battery life was ok - I got through two movies before I had to charge it. The Galaxy Tab's battery is 44% bigger (2780 mAh vs 4000 mAh) so presumably I could get through another film. I travel quite a lot, so a longer battery life is preferred so I'm not always trying to charge things in between flights.

As for upgrading, I could add MicroSD cards (up to 32gb) and carry more music/shows/movies on them, but I really didn't feel like I needed to.

Overall I like the Dell Streak, but I can't help but feel tempted by the Samsung Galaxy Tab instead. The Galaxy Tab is $30 cheaper and gets better battery life (according to online reviews.) The Galaxy Tab seems like a no-brainer, but if you were to catch the Streak 7 on-sale, it'd be worth picking up.
49 of 57 people found the following review helpful.
4A Good New Offering in a Hot Category
By Lawrence H. Bulk
Courtesy of Amazon Vine, I received my Dell Streak 7 Tablet and I have been having a lot of fun with it.

It's a very good and very satisfying entertainment device. It is particularly good for reading e-books, for listening to music, and for watching video (including Amazon and Amazon Prime VOD).

Tablet computers are the latest thing and I wanted to see how this one, a direct competitor to the iPad, would fare. (This is my first experience with any tablet computer; I am unfamiliar with the iPad or any other tablet.)

I was supposed to receive the 'straight' Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet (Gray) (Wi-fi only) but in the event I actually received the Dell Streak 7 4G Android Tablet (T-Mobile), a T-mobile version. As I do not have a T-mobile account, I cannot comment on its cell data plan functioning but I can say that Wi-fi works perfectly. (The fact that my unit has T-mobile incorporated in no way interferes with Wi-fi usage. Both versions apparently operate and function in exactly the same way and the means of internet connection has no effect on the actual operation of the Streak.) It was fairly easy to enter my network password (though I do not care for virtual keyboards) and the Wi-fi signal was strong and remained so until I shut the tablet off.

Dell includes a set of earbuds and a charger as well as a Quick Start Guide and the usual warranty and legal information.

Operation is simple and intuitive. All external controls fall easily to hand and the touchscreen controls are fairly easy to use.

The video image quality is very, very good, in my opinion, (color rendition is especially rich and vibrant) and the sound quality is adequate, especially considering the size of the tablet and the size of the speakers (it sounds like a small table radio). The sound volume, in most cases, is adequate to fill a small room. I have not heard any distortion or breakup with the sound level set to maximum.

There are loads of applications ('apps') available for it, many of them free of charge (there appear to be thousands of free ones). I intend to install ONLY free applications. I found a free internet radio app (TuneIn) which is the same one on my Roku XDS Streaming Player 1080p; all I had to do was download and install it, enter my user name and password, and everything I had configured on my Roku appeared. Nice.

Entering whatever apps you would like is fairly easy. Just be careful as to what information the app collects and uses.

On our computers my wife and I use the Ubuntu Linux operating system; the Android operating system is based on Linux but, compared to what we are used to, the Android system is somewhat clunky.

In the settings I saw that there was a system update being offered, so I downloaded and installed it (the process was easy enough but nowhere nearly as easy to do as with Ubuntu on a notebook or netbook computer). The resultant system is now Android 2.2.2 but it's still somewhat clunky.

This tablet *may* eventually receive an update to Android 'Honeycomb' (v. 3.0); that's if Dell decides to offer it. I certainly hope they do and I also hope that v. 3.0 is quite a bit better than 2.2.2.

It was easy to connect to our various web-based e-mail accounts though I'm not keen about the fact that the tablet 'remembers' all of the entered account passwords; fortunately there is a setting to enter a system password used for startup which can offer some protection in the unfortunate event that your tablet falls into someone else's hands.

I wish that it had a standard USB port; it does not. To transfer files from a computer, you MUST use the supplied cable (an uncommon type) with its 30-pin connector. This is the same cable used for charging the Streak (you must plug the cable into the AC adapter; it is not possible to charge this device from a computer). The cable is too short and this is disappointing. I will be trying a USB extender cable to see if it is compatible with the Streak's cable.

There is no easy means for printing with this tablet (though it may be possible to do so via a Wi-fi-enabled printer; I don't have one of those, however, so I cannot state with certainty).

You can attach a set of external speakers to it by plugging them into the headphone jack; the speakers will have to be powered separately as there is no means to do so from this tablet.

Its battery is built-in, not user-replaceable. That is unfortunate.

But the unit does fully function with the AC power cord attached; when used this way the battery is charged at the same time. It can also function in a car via its cable and an DC -> USB power converter.

I ran it for three hours on battery power alone, playing an internet radio station. After that time, there was still a fair amount of power left; I do not know how long it would have played before the battery ran out altogether..

If you are just listening to music, you can turn off the screen and this will extend the battery running time. That's what I did.

At this time I cannot comment on battery life while playing video or engaging in other more intensive uses. (I have watched quite a few videos but only with AC power.) But I should think that the battery life will be nowhere near that of most other tablet computers (some of which claim to run 10 hours).

Thus, the battery life of this unit is mediocre at best and will probably be disappointing to most people. This may or may not be a deal-breaker. I myself plan to use it only at home or in a car and, in those situations, it can be plugged in.

Physically, I wish that it had some sort of handle (or even a wrist strap). It's somewhat awkward to carry (I just ordered a Quality Royal Blue Dell Tablet Case with Reinforced Exterior and Soft Suede Interior for the Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet ( 4G , Android , T-Mobile , Gray ) + Live * Laugh * Love Vangoddy Wrist Band!!! in order to carry it about). It's also heavier than I thought it would be but I found that even several hours of holding it and configuring it while sitting in my reclining chair caused me no undue discomfort. I think that a built-in fold-out stand would have been nice.

It does appear to be constructed with a great deal of integrity.

Because tablets are equipped with touch screens, the glass screen gets finger marks fast but it's easy to remove them with a damp soft cloth. Swype (swiping with your fingers) works well. But as I mentioned above, I am not enamored with touch screens and virtual keyboards. I 'chatted' with my son last night and it took maybe four times as long for me to type my text as it would have with a regular keyboard, as on a notebook or netbook.

But that's the way these tablets are. I'm sure that there are some people who like virtual keyboards and touch screens for swiping but I wish there were some way to physically attach a regular keyboard to this tablet for some uses (unfortunately there is not - but please see the first three comments: you CAN use a Bluetooth keyboard with this tablet). (Please keep in mind that just because I myself don't particularly care for touch screens and virtual keyboards doesn't necessarily mean that you will feel the same way.) At least this touch screen is VERY quick and responsive as well as being quite sensitive.

This is NOT a replacement for a computer. It is an entertainment device which is splendid for reading books and magazines; EPUB files look and work particularly well (tap right side of screen to turn page forward, tap left side to turn page back), PDFs less so (you have to scroll), for watching videos (including Amazon and Amazon Prime VOD which look really, really good), and for listening to music (either your own or internet radio stations). You can easily get your e-mail. It has some communication capabilities thrown in (but no GoogleTalk as yet). It will also work in a rudimentary fashion as a means for surfing the web. I think that, if you will accept it for what it is, you will be happy with it. I know that I certainly am.

So are tablets, and specifically this one, a replacement for a netbook? Definitely not.

Is it a nice, fairly useful entertainment device (which can do a few things on the web in a pinch)? Definitely yes.

I think that it's a lot of fun. I'll be taking it with us when we travel - but I won't leave behind our netbooks!

Other than the case, the only accessory I can see (thus far) that would be necessary would be a 32 GB SD card if you are planning to transfer a lot of music files, books, etc. to the Streak. It does come with 16 GB of internal memory so, depending on your desired use, you may or may not need an SD card. (I ordered this AmazonBasics 32GB Class 4 SD Flash Memory Card.)

So far, overall, I like it. Its OS has a few 'warts' and there are some functional disappointments, the short cord and the poor battery life (hence the 4-star rating) but I believe that a new version of Android, if supplied by Dell, will go a long way toward alleviating the 'clunky' OS situation and maybe the battery-life situation.

I think that if you buy one of these for entertainment purposes, you will like it as much as I do.

I certainly hope that this review has been of some interest to you and I thank you for reading it.
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful.
3Good Android tablet but flawed...
By Sumeet Lal
Dell streak7 tablet works very well, smooth operations fast and easy to hold read and operate. As always with Dell products there are some serious product flaws overlooked by designers.

I can understand the screen is not higher resolution, to save cost and it doesn't bother me but the battery life and a short power cord is absolutely dumb on Dell's design.

The screen if not compared side by side with a higher resolution screen is in fact quite pleasent and fluid to work with. The battery life is 3 to 4 hours, depends how you use it. If charged in the evening, with aggressive power savings options selected, it is dead by morning. The battery is not replacable and is a small one compared to competition. It is as if no one put a thought to it. The cord is short so you can't work plugged in. You would need an extension cord either from the wall to the charger or a usb extension to the charger since the supplied cord is 30pin dell at one end and usb at the other.

I just don't understand why there are always some flaws with Dell products, they make high end spec products then leave some basic important stuff out. My Dell XPS laptop has HDD light behind the lid?? This tablet has a very short battery life, every one cries for longer operation times, yet Dell neglected the most important aspect as if with an intention to kill the product prematurely. Not even a replacable battery slot...

This is my last Dell product purchase, next time I will stick with HTC for tablets, HP for laptops.. Goodbye Dell.

[UPDATE - 12 May 2011]
After using the WiFi only Dell Streak 7 for a few weeks now, I have to say my initial assessment of this device was correct. I can only manage 2 or 3 hours and find myself charging 2 to 3 times a day. I reckon, the battery will be dead within a year and after that I will have to put this in the bin, since the battery is not replaceable.

The software in Dell Streak 7 drains the battery unevenly sometimes I have noticed that within 10 minutes of web surfing using Dolphin Mini browser I had lost 20% of my battery life, even though I have installed auto-task killer to kill Dell Sync, Music and other Applications that seems to have a mind of their own to Startup in the background. This is absolute garbage. However, I still maintain the screen is usable and pleasant to work with given the lower resolution than competition.

Unless Dell comes out with a better Honeycomb update that saves this tablet's battery and within a few months it is not worth buying. For people who have bought this already will have their batteries ruined by frequent charging/ discharging every day, may have to trash the device.
See all 36 customer reviews...

No comments:

Post a Comment