DellAero
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Dell Streak retailing for $299 with contract, $549 without; Dell Aero gets launch deets as well
So, Dell still won't say when it will actually start selling and shipping the Streak in the US, but it did clear up a bit of confusion. First off, folks who register with the Streak pre-sale on Dell.com between July 20th and July 27th (yeah, today is the last day) get first access at ordering the phone. Pre-sale-ers will get an email link to buy the phone today, with the handset priced at $299.99 with a two-year AT&T contract, or $549.99 without. Meanwhile, Dell is being even more forthcoming in the Aero. It'll be available on August 9th for $99.99 with a contract and $299.99 without. So, are you ready for Dell to be a US phone manufacturer? Have you braced yourself? Because the time is at hand. [Thanks, Jas] Update: It looks like Dell has pulled its blog post we sourced this from. We'll let you know if the facts change, but for now we're gonna stick with these numbers.
Dell Aero confirmed to offer all that Google's got to give
When we first got our paws on the Dell Aero it was missing Maps, and the Market, and all the other Google-branded apps that make Android as good as it is. Initial fears regarding their absence were assuaged by representatives indicating that all of Google's goodness would be available in the phone, and now it's confirmed: the Aero will include all of the Google Mobile Services, including the Market, Maps, Gmail, and search. That contrasts with other AT&T Android offerings, which are still bereft of Google Maps. So sad. [Thanks, Alex D.]
Dell's Lightning, Thunder, Flash, Smoke and more: rounding up a storm of mobile leaks
You might have missed it if you were sleeping, but we broke open a huge treasure trove of leaked Dell mobile devices last night, including the high-end Lightning Windows Phone 7 slider and Thunder Android set. We also got wind of the mid-range Flash and Smoke Android phones, as well as the Looking Glass seven-inch Android tablet, and to round things out we scored more details on the Aero and Streak. Yeah, it was a hell of a night, but we've got it all rounded up for you right here, so click on through if you missed anything! Lightning: the ultimate Windows Phone 7 Thunder: 4.1-inch OLED, Android, Hulu app Flash: Android Froyo in 'dramatic' package Smoke: 'Like a Pixi but awesome' Looking Glass: 7-inch tablet with Tegra 2 Streak: Android 2.1 in September Aero: Spec'd Dell's mobile outlook
Dell Aero details confirmed with new leak: 624MHz processor, handwriting support, DRM
Compared to the other crazy handsets Dell leaked today, the Aero is definitely the runt of the litter. But with a leaked Q2 AT&T release date, the Aero will be first on our doorstep. What other juicy morsels have we gathered? On the hardware side, it's sadly a slow 624MHz Marvell processor that drives that 3.5-inch capacitive multitouch screen, but hey, like the Chinese model, it's planned to ship with a capacitive stylus for handwriting recognition. More interesting is software. Like Motorola's CLIQ, Aero comes with QuickOffice right out of the box, and supports Microsoft ActiveSync and Exchange to ostensibly keep in touch with your business. For the social crowd, there's on-device photo editing and "aggregated notifications" for the bevy of social networks Dell's agreed to support. While you probably knew the device would have a WebKit browser with Flash Lite, leaks reveal it will have a robust media player as well -- robust enough to have some sort of music streaming and download ability (PlayReady, anyone?) protected by Windows Media DRM. Though it's probably still Android 1.5 onboard, docs show Dell plans a "refresh" to Android 2.1 sometime between Q3 and Q4, but it's hard to say whether the Aero will get an OTA update, or whether only new Aeros will ship with Eclair. That said, given the relative insignificance of this handset compared to its new big brothers, we're more than willing to wait and find out.%Gallery-91354%
Dell's 7-inch and 10-inch Streak tablets leaked!
We'd heard through the grapevine that the engineers at Round Rock were working on a number of slates to fill the Streak lineup, but man, we didn't see this coming... at least not yet. A couple of images along with an internal Dell announcement landed on our virtual doorstep this fine morning, and lo and behold, it looks as if a 7-inch and 10-inch Streak tablet is on the horizon. But that's not all -- we learned that the "coming soon" we heard earlier regarding the Aero's release date on AT&T really means "June." Later this "summer," said phone will be joined by the Streak 5 (yeah, that's the Mini 5 we've had for months now) for those who prefer a more capable mobile. As for the 7-inch Streak? Look for it to launch (presumably with or without AT&T support) late in 2010, while a 10-inch flavor follows in "early 2011." Is Sidetalkin' really about to return? We're ready -- so ready. Update: Dell hit us up with a totally corporate line when we dug deeper for details: "Dell continually develops and tests new products that extend the mobile experience. We have not made any product announcements and do not comment on speculation, rumor or unannounced products." So insightful. %Gallery-90999%
Exclusive: Dell Aero hands-on and UI walkthrough (video)
We took a look at the Dell Aero during last week's CTIA bonanza, but AT&T and Dell weren't exactly forthcoming with letting us take the UI for a spin. Luckily, we're pretty resourceful folks, so we've wrangled some face time with a functioning device, and walked away with some insight into the phone's unique personality. Read on after the break for a bulleted breakdown of exactly what this phone is all about, a video of the Aero in action, and make sure to feast your eyes on the gallery below. Update: We've just been contacted by an AT&T spokesperson and told on no uncertain terms that the final version of the Aero will definitely have the Android Market, so that's a relief -- and it also means we should be able to get our hands on Maps, even if the firmware doesn't include it. Update 2: We've also had Dell reach out to us, who adds that "since the Dell Aero is not generally available, this is not representative of the final product." Seems like the software deficiencies here have riled up carrier and manufacturer alike, which is probably a good thing. %Gallery-89242%
Dell Aero first hands-on!
Here she is, folks -- Dell's first-ever Android device destined for a Stateside release, and AT&T's second overall handset (the first being the Backflip) with a Google-based operating system. At CTIA's MobileFocus event, we were able to brush up against a fully functional Aero (shown beside a Mini 3, just for your information), but we left without seeing the actual home screen. The closest we came to witnessing Android 1.5 boot up was the typical AT&T intro screen, and once that popped up, our presenter promptly popped the battery out in order to stop what would've otherwise been a truly momentous occasion. We begged and pleaded for a few interface shots, but Dell insisted that AT&T was holding an invisible gun to its head in order to keep the screen dimmed. We were told that the interface was still being tweaked, and the carrier simply wasn't ready for the world at large to take a peek. Outside of that, we learned that this will indeed be the planet's lightest Android phone ever when it ships (believe us, it was light), and while v1.5 will be onboard, Dell seemed confident that 2.1 (and beyond) would be made available shortly after launch. We were also told that it would ship with a 5 megapixel camera (a step up from the Mini 3's 3 megapixel shooter), an undisclosed amount of internal storage, a new color / design scheme (the one you see here will be the only shade available at launch) and a 2GB microSD card bundled in at purchase. You'll also find a good deal of AT&T baked into the OS, but it's not like you should be surprised to hear of carrier meddling. Finally, we were informed that pricing would be set by AT&T, and that it would be shipping "soon" -- far sooner than "six months from now" -- from both AT&T and Dell channels (though not available unlocked from the latter). There's also the possibility that Dell could arrange some sort of Aero / Mini 10 combo deal for those looking to really sink their teeth into a hefty AT&T contract, but there's nothing substantial to go on just yet in that department. Enough chit-chat -- give the gallery below a look to see what's coming your way. %Gallery-88872%
Dell Aero is 'the lightest' Android phone yet, poses for pictures
AT&T's teaser site for the Dell Aero has gone live and we can now fill in a few more gaps in our knowledge about this forthcoming handset. It's looking every bit the renamed Mini 3 we thought it was, so click here and here to get a closer look at the body of the device. The official web mouthpiece confirms a 3.5-inch screen with nHD resolution -- which may or may not signify the same 640 x 360 as on the Brazilian and Chinese versions -- and one definite point of departure, a 5 (rather than 3) megapixel camera on the back. Claimed to be the lightest Android smartphone yet, the Aero will also come with WiFi and GPS built in, though its biggest attraction will undoubtedly be the thoroughly tricked out Android UI, which promises Picasa, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitpic integration right out of the box. Check out the gallery below for some hints of what that will look like. [Thanks, Chilko]
Dell Aero is AT&T's second Android phone
Looks like Dell's finally entering the modern US smartphone market with a renamed Mini 3 called the Aero for AT&T. There's some serious Android UI skinning going on here -- it looks like a riff on what we've seen on the Streak / Mini 5 -- but that's all we know specs-wise at the moment. To be honest, we're somewhat concerned that this custom UI skin will be built on top of Android 1.5 or 1.6 instead of 2.1, and that AT&T will mandate a Backflip-style app lockdown -- until we get some hard details all we have is this pic and our usual hope for the future.
