Dell has unveiled a new device called Streak, which is designed to take on the Apple iPad.
The touch-screen tablet computer works on the Google Android platform and is aimed right at the Apple iPad. The device could be launched in Australia by July. It has a 5-inch screen, uses an ARM-based Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, and will connect to wireless Internet and 3G networks.
“It’s curious that they’re doing a 5-inch form factor, which is half the size of the iPad,” Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu told the Wall Street Journal. He speculated that Dell may be aiming for lower price points and production costs.
A Dell spokesperson said that pricing for the Streak will be announced closer to the launch, however, it is expected to be under $500.
Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates said the Streak seems targeted for a “slightly different audience” than the iPad, given the different size. “The Streak is closer to a phone in size and can go anywhere with the user,” he said. “It has some of the same touch commands as the iPad, but can be used for more specific functions, like navigation.”
