September I, 2010
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Page 7
Awkward Phone, So-So Tablet
fl 'l f i t t d
A scorecard on the
new Dell Streak
ft//t tn e H r e t/t
B arber & B eauty S a
Aaron Peterson , Owner
by R achel M etz
Cosmetologist / Barber / Stylist
AP T echnology W riter
I’ve been feeling very self-con­
scious when talking on the phone in
public, and it’s not because I’m wor­
ried about strangers listening in on
my private conversations.
Rather, it’s because the cell phone
I'm using — the just-released Dell
Streak — is actually a touch-screen
tablet device that makes some of the
clunkiest handsets from the late '90s
Tbe Dell Streak phone displayed during a product review in San
look diminutive by comparison.
Francisco. (AP Photo)
The Streak ($300 with a two-year
AT&T contract) is a complicated for watching Flash videos.
tio n s as p e rh a p s the b ig g est
gadget. For a tablet computer, it is
Dell Inc. says the Streak will get viewfinder you've ever used. There
fairly small and thin— a fraction the what is currently the latest Android are plenty o f options for adjusting
size o f Apple Inc.'s popular iPad. Its software, version 2.2, later this year your shots, and I was able to take a
face is dominated by a touch screen and will get Flash 10 .1, too. I'm sty­ bunch o f crisp shots. You'll need to
that is 5 inches diagonally, com­ mied by decision to not even start hold it steady while snapping,
pared with the iPad’s 9.7-inch dis­ out the Streak with version 2 .1, which though, because the Streak takes a
play. Yet Dell insists it is also a is available on a number o f current long time to take a photo after you've
phone, and as such it is fairly enor­ smart phones.
pressed its shutter button.
mous and uncomfortable tatalk on.
A nother odd handicap: A l­
And you'll probably want to use
Beyond that, it comes with an older though the Streak has a low-resolu­ headphones with the Streak, as the
version o f Google Inc.'s Android tion front-facing camera, which could quality o f its built-in speaker is dis­
software. Overall, it's just too awk­
ward to bear.
Still, I figured the Streak's size
would be great for at least one thing:
watching videos. As expected, vid­
eos streamed well from such sites as
YouTube and Funny or Die, prob­
ably helped by the device's l GHz
processor. Images looked sharp and
bright on the screen. They didn't
look quite as stellar as they do on
Apple's latest iPhone or Samsung's be used for video chatting, it's only mal. When watching a Ted Leo And
new Galaxy S smart phones, though. currently enabled for taking photos The Pharmacists music video online,
There is plenty o f storage space and videos. Video chat is expected the sound was muddled, even at a
on the Streak for the videos you want to work when the device gets the low volume. Because the speaker is
to watch (and for photos and songs, Android software update, but for located on the Streak's back, it gets
too), as it includes a 16-gigabyte now it feels like quite a tease.
even harder to hear when you set
microSD memory card. And the
Fortunately, the Streak comes the gadget down.
device's battery seemed to have no with fully functional 5-megapixel
Fresher software will surely im­
problem getting through a day filled digital camera on its back. The cam­ prove the Streak, but whether you're
with video and music streaming, Web era takes sharp images and has a looking for a phone, a tablet com­
surfing and chatting.
bright flash, and the display func­ puter or both, the Streak falls short.
But using it to instant message
my friends was more difficult than
on other touch-screen keyboards
I've used; despite the Streak's size,
Fill Out & Send To:
I kept hitting the wrong keys.
The Streak didn't sound bad, but
it didn't sound great, either.
Beyond the Streak's basic awk­
Attn: Subscriptions, PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208
wardness, its biggest flaw is that it
s u b s c r ip tio n s are ju s t $60 p e r y e a r
relies on old software. Despite the
inclusion o f a swift processor, the
(please include check with this subscription form)
Streak is saddled with an older ver­
N ame : _______________________________
sion o f the Android operating soft­
w are— version l.6 — which means
T elephone : ___________________________
it is missing some o f latest features
and can't run some applications that
A ddress : ____________________________ _
call for newer operating software. It
also lacks Adobe's Flash Player 10 .1
Fortunately, the Streak comes with fully
functional 5-megapixel digital camera on
its back. The camera takes sharp images
and has a bright flash, and the display
functions as perhaps the biggest viewfinder
you've ever used.
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