Dell unveils first handheld device

Dell yesterday unveiled the device that will spearhead its push into the handheld device sector, but quite what part of that sector remains to be seen.
 
The Streak is larger than a regular smartphone, smaller than a tablet PC, sports a five-inch touchscreen capable of playing movies and rendering Web sites in their original format, and runs Google’s Android 1.6 operating system.
 
It will launch in the UK in early June via O2 and The Carphone Warehouse, with online sales from Dell’s UK site later in the month. However, customers in the US won’t get their hands on it until later in the year.
 
Pricing will be announced by O2 closer to the launch.
 
Features include Google Maps, one-touch access to social networking sites, a five megapixel camera, and 2GB of internal user memory that can be expanded with a 32GB Micro SD card. It runs a 1GHz ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
 
Ron Garriques, president of Dell’s Communication Solutions group, says the device “hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” and will provide consumers with “new ways to enjoy, connect, and navigate their lives.”
 
However, the device’s unusual size has prompted a mixed reaction in the press.
 
Business Insider’s Dan Frommer said the Streak won’t even come close to competing with Apple’s iPad because it is “simply too small to compare,” while Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu called the decision an "interesting move," WSJ.com reports.