Reported widely in the broadsheets this month is the announcement that Dell has entered the smartphone arena with its offering, the Dell Streak. Dell, the third largest computer manufacturer hopes to gain market share (of around 1.3 billion devices worldwide) - providing pad technology with integral phone, 2 cameras and wi-fi connectivity. The first Streak device will have a 5 inch screen (larger devices are thought to follow) and come with 16Gb of storage, GPS and runs on Google's Android operating system. Small enough to fit in your pocket, Dell claims they will make in-roads into Apple's domination of touch device techology.
Paul-Henri Ferrand, Dell's Chief Marketing Officer said of the Streak: "We believe that there is definitely a usage for an iPad form factor, but also between the phone and the iPad there is also a usage for the Streak." Ferrand also goes on to tell the TimesOnline that the Streak is data led not voice, but has the benefit of combining the attributes of both technologies.
Dell aims to launch the Streak across Europe first, and then the US some time in the summer. Guide prices are not currently available (and will be tariff-driven to some extent), but the product will be launched in June and sold exclusively through O2 and Carphone Warehouse. Referred to on the BBC site as the Mini 5, the gadget according to Ben Wood at CSS Insight will need to be priced correctly - "...at a price where people can buy it as an object of desire rather than necessity."
IDC analyst, Will Storega agrees and is quoted on Reuters as saying: "Can Dell sell millions of these? That's a tall order. There is certainly the potential. If it is priced right and if the thing sort of does what it's supposed to do."
Meanwhile, the iPad's eagerly awaited launch in Britain will be over this coming Friday. Critics believe the buzz created in the US will be more contained here, but still some analysts predict the iPad (retailing from £429 for the basic model though to around £700 for the 3G version) will sell around 2 million units in its first year of launch. Dell's Streak has a marathon to run, but perhaps shouldn't be dismissed out of hand...
privacy and cookies policy