[Hands0n]

Short version:
I nearly bought one today, but didn't.

Longer version:
Today is day five of my project to de-foliate my overgrown front and back gardens at the Hands0n household. Look, I'm a technology geezer, I don't do green. Well, at least, I didn't ... But now I have had to vow to pay more attention and not allow years of growth to overtake. There is a full 6yd skip outside bearing the wisdom of making that promise.

So, today, at the end of day five, I needed an RnR break from all this greenness, rotting wood and spiders the size of Labrador dogs. And so it was that at 7:45 I set off for Bluewater (formerly Europe's largest shopping mall) for a dose of air conditioning and synthetic everything for the last hour or so that the place was open.

Wandering around idly, having managed to avoid buying anything at the Apple store I came across Carphone Warehouse's rather nice store and strolled inside for a peek. And there, taking a prominent placement was a Dell Streak, something that I have not yet seen in the flesh, so to speak.

This one had seen better days, and the anti-theft device fitted bulked it out enormously. So it wasn't really that easy to get a "feel" for the device. It was also very grubby and a bit scratched up too, which put me off right from the start.

I had a short fiddle with it and it left me feeling rather ... uninterested, is the best word to describe how I felt. Having had ten minutes with the Samsung Tab on Thursday my 'expectations' for Android tablets are now quite high. The Dell Streak fell significantly below what I was expecting. Not that it is particularly bad, that would be entirely wrong of me to suggest. But the whole package seemed lacking. It was neither quick or slick, Android seemed to struggle on it - reminiscent of how Cupcake ran on the HTC Magic I once owned.

I wasn't exactly overwhelmed ...

Price
This was the killer, for me. Carphone Warehouse had it on sale for £429.00, on O2 but without any contract or suchlike. That, to me, seemed an excessive price for the device.

SIM Lock
The Dell Streak is SIM locked to the O2 network at the moment. You can buy SIM-free directly from Dell, but all the established UK shopfronts seem to be selling them SIM locked, unless someone can say differently.

As far as I can find out by researching the Interwebs the only unlock solution appears to be the Rebel SIM Card - this is a tiny electronic circuit that fits between SIM and device causing it to behave as if SIM-free. Earlier Rebel firmware was buggy but it is said that v1.2 has solved the problems.

The Great Escape
So I walked out of the Carphone Warehouse store without the Dell Streak. It was moderately interesting to see it for real, but completely uninspiring and so it has remained on the shelf. There is no way that the Dell Streak is worth £429 in my book.

[miffed]

Don't forget you can buy the same streak directly from O2 (�399) or Unlocked SIM free for �429 direct from Dell

Was the device you tried running 2.1 or 1.6 ? latter (and I suspect this to be the case given its physical state , then I understand your frustrations ! I shelved my streak because I found the 1.6 experience so frustrating . But above all else , the biggest turn off on the streak (1.6 or 2.1) is the awful Dell homescreen , fortunately ridding yourself of this is just a few clicks away and I find ADW launcher does the job nicely - leaving you with what the Streak SHOULD have been ! , and ordinary 1Ghz, 512MB, 5" screen Android handset running eclair !
I understand totally how you'd feel after looking at a Streak instore , but believe me , after 5 minutes of customisation it would feel like a different device !
Also , as you realised , the gubbins designed to secure the device in-store is blood awful , not only does it remove any perspective of quite how thin the streak is ,but the ones I have seen have been so tight that they are compressing the device and distorting the screen ! Certainly not good if you are trying to sell them !
One thing is for sure ....... The Streak is not for everyone ! most people I know simply wouldn't get on with such a large device , but then there are those like me that prefer a huge screen .
Lucky escape ? Nah , you missed a great adventure mate .......

[Hands0n]

@miffed - Wellllllll, never say never, as they say (who are they by the way?). I am currently bidding on a 16GB Dell Streak on eBay - it is a second hand unit, supposedly never used outside of the house as the user did not get on with the size of the thing, a familiar theme is forming here. I wonder if the so-called Android "Tabs" will sell after all? They are trying desperately not to be iPads, but perhaps they should instead.

I am not sure what version of the OS was on the in-store device. It put me off so much that I just had to put it down and walk away. But then curiosity got the better of me and after some copious reading of the Interwebs and a flirtation with eBay I found several that would fit my budget. Especially so as I got £107 for my HTC Magic. That is going to significantly contribute to the £250 - £300 that I am willing to pay for a Dell Streak, but not a penny more.

I like your idea of running a different launcher. I am using LauncherPro on the Nexus One and if it will run under Eclair (Android 2.1) then I'll be a happy bunny for now.

Typically, the Dell Streak will come locked to the O2 network and there is absolutely no way in hell that I am going to pop one of their SIMs into this device, should I win it. And O2 have stated that they will not be supplying unlock codes for the Streak until 12 months are up and the exclusivity deal is over. So what is to be done? Use it on WiFi only? Well, yes, that is an option. But I'm more of a mind to pop in one of the Rebel SIM Cards v2 running version 1.2 of their firmware that will defeat the SIMLock and allow any SIM in there.

It is important to use version 1.2 of the Rebel SIM Card firmware as earlier versions did not work very well. There is a good account of how one was used in an AT&T locked Dell Streak to let it on to the T-Mobile network --> http://www.streaksmart.com/2010/08/how-to-unlock-att-dell-streak-and-use-it-on-t-mobile.html

The Rebel SIMCard site is here --> http://rebelsimcard.com/virtu/ and the card itself is currently £13 which is not a bad price at all seeing as it is re-usable in other devices also.

So, in 13 minutes I'll know whether or not I've won the handset at £250. If not, there is a brand new but opened (shop display) model complete with manufacturer's warranty for £299 on a Buy It Now.

So miffed, have you updated your Dell Streak to Android 2.2 yet?

[miffed]

AFAIK 2.2 isn't around just yet , We have an official 2.1 , a couple of betas and a custom ATM , I have been through pretty much all three of them - the Official release appears to be the most stable , but it does have a bit of annoying lag on anything where the system fades the screen and presents a menu - Sounds bad , but in reality I it is rare that you even see it , the only time I notice is when adding a widget / Shortcut etc to the home screen , other than this it is lightening fast !
So no 2.2 as yet ,but Dell released the source code for 1.6 recently , which apparantly enables developers to see how to build a custom 2.2 (not sure exactly how that works , but I look forward to iit anyway )
Failing that , an official 2.2 is supposed to be here by the end of the year !

As I have said , 1.6 was far too "mediocre" an experience on the Streak to use as a main device , especially if you are used to the speed and reliability of the iphones & nexus etc . it "worked" fine , but the lag got very annoying , and occassional crashes were annoying - 2.1 moves the streak into a different class , and "legitimises" it IMO

Hope you do get one , so you can experience the fun ! , certainly is a better browsing experience than any other phone I've used , and I see that as it's niche.

[Hands0n]

Well, I won the bid at £270 - and have ordered the Rebel SIMcard to "unlock" it. I think I may just partake of one of those Three £10 30-day SIM only plans http://threestore.three.co.uk/dealsummary.aspx?offercode=1SO10D003 that includes 1GB of data (offer available till 30 Sep, it was previously to 31 Aug :D ).

I'll start it off with WiFi and see how that goes first. :)

So, the gates open and the dogs loose ... lets see where this all leads :)

[miffed]

Cool ! congrats !

...Just one problem with what you've just said (and this is not specifically a "streak" trait , but something I have noticed on various Android handsets) ... If you try to set up on Wi-fi , for some reason it won't sign into your google account ! Had this on my Deisre , Pulse , and my Streak - I have found that by turning the wi-fi off and doing the initial sign in over the mobile network it is all fine , and the second after you have signed in , you can switch wi-fi back on to speed up the sync , never really been a problem , but if you are trying to set up without a SIM card , then you may have troubles !!

Best of luck though ! Try and see past all the Dell rubbish and you'll love it !

oh , and chances are you won't put the battery cover on properly , causing the device to power down randomly !!!! - all it means is you have to give the cover a firm push into place - once you've done it once you'll see what I mean , but most people don't push it home enough , and then wonder why it powers down !

[Hands0n]

Cheers :) I really do need a new 'toy' of sorts ... The iPhone 4 is not my toy and so doesn't get messed around with.

Interesting about the initial sign-in to the Google account. But I am surprised to read this as I have done this many times before with the G1 on various flavours of Android up to and including a Froyo build. The WiFi set-up is obscure but it is there. Once established the handset was able to authenticate onto Google's servers.

Thanks for the tip, I will watch out for this with the Streak. If I can get it to work I'll document it. The Streak is going to be something to experiment around with rather than use with any particular seriousness or anger :D

Re the back cover - I can't help feel that Dell missed a trick there. The SD Card is behind that cover and so that means a handset restart is required rather than a hot-swap.

BTW, whats the deal with 32GB vs 16GB? All that I read says that the Streak is 16GB memory built in. So is the 32GB just mean that it comes with a 16GB SDHC card and the 16GB comes with nothing? I hate these mind games :(

[miffed]

Yes , you are right , it is not hot swappable for the very fact that removing the battery cover powers the device down !

WRT to the SD card , All the storage quoted is SD card , so the 16GB comes with a 16GB card , and the 32GB comes with a 32GB card

The device also comes with 2GB of "on board" storage

[Hands0n]

What is it with technology companies not having a fundamental grasp on usability? For all of its downsides, the iPad (and iPhone) score so highly precisely because it is "all in one", sealed for life, rather than the mess that products like this can [very obviously] miss through a lack of thought. How difficult would it have been to put the SD slot accessible from the outside?

People like simples :)

[miffed]

Think I've missed a bit !! The iPad /iPhone score higher because you can't swap the memory AT ALL ?

...I'm confused !

[Hands0n]

LOL, yes, thats right :) Let me explain my thinking ...

With the iPhone / iPad what you see is what you get. There is no SD card to attach. No misleading numbers about how much memory it has - the Dell Streak ads on eBay are a timely reminder where they are selling 16GB (with an 8GB SD card!!!), 16GB (one assumes with a 16GB SD card) and 32GB. It confused the hell out of me, and I know this stuff!!

The iPhone / iPad all align neatly with the overall Apple "experience" that I always reference. It is that simplicity that lends such great weight to the Apple experience. A great sense of understanding is there from the off. The choices are simple - how much storage do you want in your device? Having made that choice you are, fair enough, committed for the lifetime of ownership. But is that really such a bad thing?

And then, having made the choice of capacity the rest is just plain sailing. A consistent UI is presented to the user, across both devices, that makes understanding and operating both completely intuitive and interchangeable with no thought required whatsoever.

It is clean, it is simple. The great unwashed generally like that.

[Hands0n]

Well, the Dell Streak is here. All powered up and runnng Android 2.1 (Eclair) and I am using it to send this post. Its definitely an "interesting" device :)

I was able to cold start it into Wireless Setup without a SIM installed, connect to my WiFi and log in to my Google account effortlessly. The Contacts, Calendar and Mail have all faithfully synced up.

Now for some playtime :)

[Ben]

Hmm, just saw your pic on Twitter - it does look rather nice. I think for me it'd all boil down to how usable the thing is. I use the iPad for serious work as an ultraportable replacement, I'm just not sure if input and browsing on the Streak could hack it?

What would you say the Streak is 'for'?

[The Mullet of G]

LOL, yes, thats right :) Let me explain my thinking ...

With the iPhone / iPad what you see is what you get. There is no SD card to attach. No misleading numbers about how much memory it has - the Dell Streak ads on eBay are a timely reminder where they are selling 16GB (with an 8GB SD card!!!), 16GB (one assumes with a 16GB SD card) and 32GB. It confused the hell out of me, and I know this stuff!!

The iPhone / iPad all align neatly with the overall Apple "experience" that I always reference. It is that simplicity that lends such great weight to the Apple experience. A great sense of understanding is there from the off. The choices are simple - how much storage do you want in your device? Having made that choice you are, fair enough, committed for the lifetime of ownership. But is that really such a bad thing?

And then, having made the choice of capacity the rest is just plain sailing. A consistent UI is presented to the user, across both devices, that makes understanding and operating both completely intuitive and interchangeable with no thought required whatsoever.

It is clean, it is simple. The great unwashed generally like that.

I too think I've missed a bit? As I can't see how you could possibly spin fixed memory as being a positive thing. The choices seem to be equally simple when you buy a Streak, you decide how much storage you need then either buy an 8Gb, 16GB or 32GB depending on your needs, the difference here is that if your needs should later change then you can increase your storage accordingly. I can't really see how its confusing, if the Streak says 16GB then you get at least 16GB of storage how is that misleading?

The majority of the great unwashed would probably prefer to pay �18 for an additional 16Gb of MicroSD storage, than pay the �100 that Apple charge for the same privilege, it wouldn't be so bad if the fixed storage option was faster, but I've had faster transfer speeds with MicroSD than I get with my iPhone 4 or iPod touch, so for me MicroSD is clearly the better option. :)

[Ben]

Obviously a geek is going to favour expandable storage, but I agree that the general buying public would rather it just 'be'. Even if that is naive of them.

I've never been a fan of expandable storage in my mobile gadgets. Hence N95 8GB :)

[The Mullet of G]

Obviously a geek is going to favour expandable storage, but I agree that the general buying public would rather it just 'be'. Even if that is naive of them.

I've never been a fan of expandable storage in my mobile gadgets. Hence N95 8GB :)


Obviously an Apple fanboi is going to favour Apples solution. :D

The hilarious thing about this whole situation is that if Apple eventually decide to stick a MicroSD slot on a future version of iPhone or iPad you guys will be raving about how its the future, and how Apple have revolutionized mobile computing with the MicroSD. ;)

Currently with my iPhone if something goes wrong and I have to do a restore I lose all of my content and I also require the use of a computer and iTunes to do said restore and recover my content, with my 5800 and removable storage all of my files are safe on the MicroSD so I'm free to restore my device without losing my files, I can also backup the phones memory to the MicroSD meaning I can restore it on the move without the use of a computer. Should my iPhones internal storage fail out of warranty it'll probably be expensive to fix, most MicroSD cards come with a 5 year warranty, but even then it can be replaced for less than £20, its failure also wont brick my device it'll just reduce my storage capacity temporarily. These are real world reasons why expandable storage is the better option, if anyone can offer anything more substantial than "the apple experience" or "the general public would rather it just 'be'" then I would be happy to consider it. :)

[Hands0n]

What would you say the Streak is 'for'?

Thats an interesting question - and one that is as applicable to the Samsung Tab and others yet to come.

I'd say that the Dell Streak is 'for' more convenient mobile Internet use, particularly browsing. The larger screen on the Android is certainly "better" for browsing than the typical touchscreen mobile.

In all other respects, it is merely a larger Android mobile handset.

[Hands0n]

I too think I've missed a bit? As I can't see how you could possibly spin fixed memory as being a positive thing.

Ah, but very evidently there are several hundred million people on this planet who do. That is, they are not so fazed by not having removable memory that they are quite content to purchase an appliance. And that is what Apple have shown themselves quite capable of producing. Appliance mobile devices that people actually want to purchase. By any imaginable measure, that is pure and simple good business.

[miffed]

Slightly aside , one thing that does annoy me about SDHC cards is that they seem so "fragile" - not sure if it is just my bad luck , something to do with Android , or something to do with Macs , but I have a little pile of corrupt Micro SD's on my desk , where I have dared to take the card out of my phone to copy files across, I am always ultra careful to make sure the Card is unmounted before I remove it , yet somehow the card still gets corrupted.
For this reason , I have a couple of 2GB cards I use now for update.zip's etc . but the 16GB in my streak will never enter another device ! all files will go on via the cable.

[miffed]

Thats an interesting question - and one that is as applicable to the Samsung Tab and others yet to come.

I'd say that the Dell Streak is 'for' more convenient mobile Internet use, particularly browsing. The larger screen on the Android is certainly "better" for browsing than the typical touchscreen mobile.

In all other respects, it is merely a larger Android mobile handset.


The browsing experience is so much better than , frankly any other handset I've used , and what this means is that the threshold of what I am prepared to my phone (rather than wait till I get to a computer ) has shifted up a few notches
One of the things I am finding remarkably useful is Google documents , Of course we have had the ability to create and edit documents on the fly for ages , but (for me at least) this is the first time it has all come together as practical and useful
My Streak is always signed into my Google account , so I simply click my Google Docs Icon on my streak , no "signing in" , setting up , saving files or anything ! I simply create my document (which will autosave ) - if I get a phone call , or get distracted I simply forget it . Get into work or home (where my computer is also always signed into my Google account too - and open the document and continue , or print it , or whatever ! I still find it pretty amazing that I can do this so seamlessly and wit zero faffing around !
Of course , you can do all this on a smaller device , but having that large screen make you far more confident to do it - I am 100% comfortable creating a document on the 5" streak , whereas even with something like the Desire , I'd tend to wait until I got to a PC .

[Hands0n]

Slightly aside , one thing that does annoy me about SDHC cards is that they seem so "fragile" - not sure if it is just my bad luck , something to do with Android , or something to do with Macs , but I have a little pile of corrupt Micro SD's on my desk , where I have dared to take the card out of my phone to copy files across, I am always ultra careful to make sure the Card is unmounted before I remove it , yet somehow the card still gets corrupted.
For this reason , I have a couple of 2GB cards I use now for update.zip's etc . but the 16GB in my streak will never enter another device ! all files will go on via the cable.

Have a look here http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter/ where you can download a free SD Card Formatter as recommended by the SD Card Assocation. I have rescued many a corrupted SD and SDHC card using the tool (Windows) in the past where other stuff failed.