Hasta La Gadget!

Dell’s Android-powered Streak with its 5-inch display is being billed as a tablet. But when it comes to pricing the device, it’s being sold like a phone.

After a false start last month, Dell has announced that the Streak will be available to U.S. consumers starting Thursday. The Streak will cost $300 with a two-year contract on AT&T and $560 without one.

The Streak is targeted at smartphone users who crave a larger display but at the same time need a device that’s portable and could potentially replace their phone. The Streak has a 5-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, phone, browser and access to Android apps. (Read Wired.com’s review of the Dell Streak.)

But does the Streak deserve the ‘tablet’ tag attached to it?

With its 9.7-inch display and a monthly data plan that requires no contract, Apple iPad doesn’t draw direct comparisons against a smartphone.

So far with the Streak, Dell has done everything that it would with a smartphone–including pricing the device on a long-term contract. The only thing that sets the Streak apart from other Android-powered smartphones is that the home screen on the Streak is locked in the landscape mode.

Meanwhile, Android smartphones are getting bigger–the Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo have a 4.3-inch display. The Streak with its 5-inch screen is not a big leap forward.

Dell may be insisting on calling the Streak a tablet because the company is afraid to directly jump into the extremely competitive and crowded Android smartphone market. With devices such as the Evo and Droid X, HTC and Motorola are constantly pushing the hardware specs for a phone.

By positioning the Streak as a tablet, Dell can avoid being directly compared to these other devices. At the same time, it can tap into the consumer demand for tablets. After all, Apple sold more than 3 million iPads in just about 80 days of the launch of the product in April and it says it hasn’t seen signs of demand slowing down.

If that’s the case, calling the Streak a tablet is clever marketing wizardry but it may not be enough to convince consumers.

See Also:

• Hands On: Dell ‘Streak’ Tablet Feels Like Supersized Phone …
• Dell Streak Priced at $300 For AT&T
• Dell Streak

Photo: Dell Streak (Priya Ganapati/Wired.com)

We’re not certain how many screen suppliers Apple has at this point, but LG is certainly a major player, so our ears tend to perk up when the Korean manufacturer admits it can’t stay ahead of the game. LG CEO Kwon Young-Soo told reporters the firm just can’t keep up with incredible demand for the iPad’s brilliant 9.7-inch IPS display, and suggested that Cupertino might actually have to slow international expansion as a direct result. “Apple may have to delay launches of the iPad for some countries due to tight component supplies and strong demand,” he said, adding that even if the firm were to increase production capacity, supplies would remain tight through early 2011. Residents of Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and The Netherlands came in under the wire, but it sounds like there may be another wait for the rest of the world.

LG: ‘Apple may have to delay launches of the iPad for some countries’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seems like reports of the Roadster’s demise were indeed exaggerated. Tesla has announced it’s bringing its iconic electric automobile to five new nations. Canada and Japan are accompanied by Hong Kong, Poland and Turkey in being able to now take deliveries of freshly charged Roadsters. Of course, sufficiently motivated buyers could have imported theirs by now, but it’s always good to have local support on an official basis and this does seem to signal a more ambitious outlook on the part of Tesla. Also included in the press release — yours to peruse after the break — is word that the company has shifted 1,200 Roadsters since inception. That might not be a lot but you have to start somewhere, let’s hope the next 1,200 don’t take nearly as long to hit the road.

Continue reading Tesla Roadster goes continent-hopping, expands markets to include Canada and Japan

Tesla Roadster goes continent-hopping, expands markets to include Canada and Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A tiny bit of uncertainty has been cleared away thanks to good old Twitter, where T-Mobile has made July 15 (aka, today!) the official launch date for its Galaxy S derivative, the Vibrant. The original Tweet seems to have disappeared into the ether apart from that screenshot above, but T-Mo has reiterated the statement in subsequent missives, telling its followers that the Vibrant will be on sale today. We imagine the typical $199.99 price point will remain unaltered, so all you’ll really need to do now is decide whether this is the Super AMOLED handset for you, or whether you can wait the extra few days until Sprint et al intro their offerings. Decisions, decisions.

[Thanks, Alex]

Update: And it’s now available to buy directly from T-Mobile’s online store [Thanks, Volaris].

Samsung Vibrant launching today, awaits new owners in T-Mobile’s online store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not a fan of being tied down to a single network? Neither are we, so let’s all hold hands and rejoice at the news that Dell’s 5-inch Streak has today become available to purchase unlocked over in the UK. Freedom lovers will have to pay a hefty £50 extra for being unshackled from O2’s chains, but the £449 ($676) price point remains significantly lower than the 16GB iPhone 4 and should prove mighty tempting. Then again, if you wait until next month, you might be able to import one from the good old US of A, where Dell will be selling the unlocked Streak at a thrifty $500. It all depends on what you have more of, money or patience.

[Thanks, Manuel B.]

Dell Streak now available unlocked for £449 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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