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Dell Streak 7 launching at T-Mobile on February 2nd: $200 with two-year contract, $450 without
It's been an interesting few weeks of rumored Dell Streak 7 prices, but as promised, T-Mobile's setting the record straight with some official dollar figures. Yep, that predicted $330 price was indeed pretty far off -- turns out, T-Mobile will be offering the 7-inch, Android 2.2 tablet for just $200 (okay, $199.99 to be exact) on contract starting this Wednesday, February 2nd. Of course, you'll have to sign a two-year contract to get that sweet deal as well as send in a $50 mail-in rebate. Those looking for a bit more freedom can snatch up the NVIDIA Tegra 2-powered, T-Mobile HSPA+ slate for 450 bucks, which actually seems like a pretty sweet deal to us considering the Samsung Galaxy Tab is still about $500 off contract and $300 with two years of service. Sure, the Galaxy Tab has a few more things going for it, including a higher resolution display and bigger battery, but you'll just have to wait for our full review of the Streak 7 to find out if Dell's got a killer "4G" Android tablet hitting shelves later this week.
T-Mobile expected to cut Galaxy Tab pricing to $249.99 (update: drop is official!)
After initiating the first on-contract Galaxy Tab price cascade back in December that quickly led Sprint to respond, T-Mobile may chop subsidy prices again today for the 7-inch tablet to just under $250 (after a pesky $50 mail-in rebate). Together, that's only $62 more than the bargain bin CherryPad, which should infuriate early adopters who paid double that only a few months ago, not to mention sober up Samsung. However, when you consider that pseudo-4G tablets like the Dell Streak 7 and LG G-Slate will join Magenta's lineup soon, it is a viable strategy for extending the Tab's consumer appeal in this viciously competitive Android tablet world we live in. Then again, if the dual-core processors teased for the Tab's successor actually pan out, we doubt Samsung will need any assistance getting back to its smug position on top of the Android heap. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled on T-Mobile's site today and be sure to update should the price change actually materialize. Update: A recent peek at T-Mobile's site shows the price drop is now official. If you're in the UK and prefer buying the Tab unsubsidized, Amazon and Tesco have also chopped their prices to a palatable £341.24 ($542) and £359.20 ($571), respectively. Thanks, Raphael and Rupert!
Estimated Dell Streak 7 price incorrect according to T-Mobile, honest to gosh MSRP coming soon
We can do math, simple addition and multiplication anyway, but we have our doubts about T-Mobile. It seemed like a fairly straightforward thing to multiply $82.50 by four and take the result to determine the cost of the Dell Streak 7, but good 'ol T-Mo says that was the result of a "technical error" and actually has no relevance to the MSRP of this here tablet. What is the actual price? Sadly we're still just as much in the dark as you. Update: This is of course a T-Mobile story, not Verizon, despite what the title original stated.
Future Dell Streak 7 owners do the fine-print math, figure tablet will cost $330 max on contract
We've never seen an official price for Dell's Streak 7 tablet, but we can now readily guess what it will be -- thanks to T-Mobile's website, which is now two for two. You see, the wireless carrier typically lets you pay for devices in monthly installments rather than one lump sum, and StreakSmart discovered the former number is already printed below. As we're sure you've already discerned, that means four easy payments of $82.50 will buy you the Tegra 2-toting 4G tablet -- assuming the figure is correct -- and now that we've perfected our QVC salesman voice, we'll let you decide whether or not that's a deal.
Dell Streak 7 pops up on the T-Mobile website
We had a nagging suspicion that this was goin' down eventually. and here you have it: the Dell Streak 7 has appeared on T-Mobile's website! As of this posting, actually clicking on the option gives you nothing -- but we assume that will change soon enough. In the meantime, they do have a Sidekick XL to sell you.
Dell's Looking Glass tablet passes through FCC, shows off SD and SIM card slots
Dell's still calling this a Mobile Internet Device, but you can call it by any of its codenames: Looking Glass, M02M, iPad eviscerator, they're all in here. Yes, the FCC has spent a month of quality time with Dell's still unofficial, but very much upcoming, tablet and has given the go-ahead for its integrated 3G (the listed UMTS bands II, IV and V indicate compatibility with both AT&T and T-Mobile), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and 802.11n WiFi radios. Labeling for the attached (and apparently not removable) door on the back of the device indicates an SD card slot, which will sit right alongside a SIM card port. The latter will presumably be used mostly to funnel data into the Dell tablet, but voice calls aren't completely out of the question either -- there's a (inactive) proximity sensor thrown in as well. Either way, Dell's almost sure to launch this device, expected to feature a 7-inch screen and Tegra 2 internals, at CES next week.
Exclusive: the Dell Streak 7 will be televised, here's the ad treatment
Well, that was fast. Not long after we saw Dell's 7-inch tablet earn its WiFi certification, we happened upon a treatment for its in-production commercial -- exhausted Android mascot and all. Of course the video'll touting the gaming, social, and internet capabilities, but it's also got Blio reader, Stage UI (same skin as the 5-inch Streak), the new campaign slogan ("You can tell [it's] Dell"), and yes, even a name: Streak 7, as said by the voice over. Not the most original, but when you got a brand, might as well keep it going. Looks like we've got something else to keep an eye out for when CES rolls around in a few weeks. Peep the treatment for yourself below. %Gallery-111938%
Dell lowers Streak price to $400, but will make you wait until January to get it
Good news: Dell's unlocked Streak has just plunged down the pricing charts with a neat $180 discount taking it to a palatable $400 level. Bad news: you won't get yours shipped until the 10th of January, according to Round Rock's web outlet. Android 2.2 won't come preloaded, you'll have to snag the OTA update, though you do get a wide palette of colors to choose from, including black, noir, nero, preto, and schwarz -- pick wisely! [Thanks, Xelaenil]
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Tablets
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. You didn't think we'd let the holiday season go by without an official Engadget Tablet Gift Guide did you? Hey, give us more credit -- we know it's not 2009 anymore! The past year has seen an explosion in the tablet category, and while the iPad may still be the market leader, there's no shortage of Android and Windows 7 alternatives out there that let you surf the web, read books, and watch videos with just a flick of a finger. Sure, more are on the way, and all signs point to Apple updating the iPad in early 2011, but if you've got to have a touchscreen slab before the end of the year, we're here to lend a helping hand. Hit the break for a rundown of the best choices by price category.
Dell Streak slips to $100 on contract at Best Buy
Discounts are raining down from the heavens these days as retailers try to offload old stock and do a bit of tidying up before rolling in the fresh batch of 2011 smartphones. Best Buy is keeping with this trend by treating its customers to a nice big saving on the AT&T-attached Dell Streak, offering it up for a mere $100 in upfront costs. The typical two-year commitment will be required from you, but that might just be worth it for this 5-inch Android slate, particularly if you load it up with the latest firmware. Pricing is the same for both the black and white versions, so if you're keen to swap a small bulge in your wallet for a large protruding tabletphone in your pocket, you know where to look. [Thanks, Jeremy C.]
Dell US now offering Streak unlocked with Froyo, in Cherry Red
We knew good and well that Android 2.2 was sneaking out and making itself active on Dell's unlocked Streak units, but now it seems that the backlog of older units has been cleared. That has made way for new stock over at Dell's US site, with a 16GB Carbon Black unlocked Streak going for $579.99 with Froyo from the factory; the 32GB model is listed at $678.99. Curiously, that 16GB model is $30 more than what the unlocked Android 1.6 model went for back in August. Also, we're left to assume that even the "unlocked" models will still be SIM-locked to AT&T, though Dell does play up the fact that unlocked Streaks can be used as a mobile hotspot for up to eight WiFi-enabled devices without ponying up extra to Ma Bell. In related news, the long-awaited Cherry Red Streak is also on sale in the US of A, but you'll have to flip to page two down in the source link in order to find the 32GB and unlocked variants. Good luck wading through the options, champ. [Thanks, Jar Jar Binks]
Dell Streak Android 2.2 (Froyo) update review
Dell Streak. Froyo. Need we say more? If you're not already getting giddy, let us remind you that said tabletphone's technically still stuck on the aging Android 1.6 OS, so this is obviously great news for all anticipating (and presumably very patient) users. Well, the handful of us anyway, given the majority's distaste for this five-inch device's abnormal form factor. Here at Engadget, we've been fortunate enough to give this final 2.2 build a thorough test over the weekend, but has it fixed the bugs that plagued the 2.1 release? And will it make the Streak relevant again? Read on to find out.%Gallery-107961%
Dell's mobile chief Ron Garriques is out
Ron Garriques, who has been leading Dell's mobile communications group ever since its formation a year ago, is leaving the company. Ron originally joined Dell in 2007, after a high profile career at Motorola, and has overseen a rather ambitious entry for the company into the phone industry. Now Dell is folding the communications unit into its "core operating structure," and Garriques won't be along for the transition. Of course, it's not like there haven't been some missteps and head scratchers along the way (we still don't know if the Streak is a phone or a tablet or a phonelet or a tabset or whatever), and it's a little hard to tell whether Ron decided to leave willingly when he heard his unit was being absorbed, or if Dell gave him a little "push." True or not, it would be the perfect comeuppance for the man who re-dubbed the Lightning the Dell "Venue Pro." Not that we're bitter or anything.
Dell Streak busts out a white back for Best Buy exclusive
Seems like Best Buy has developed something of a taste for snow-white exclusives, as it's now become the first retailer to offer up Dell's 5-inch Streak tabletphone with an alabaster case. We're hearing the only way to grab the new palette option is to go down to your nearest Best Buy store, though online reservation and payment is also available. Not every store has them just yet, so checking ahead of time might also be advisable. Skip past the break to see the new Streak's front end -- it actually retains a lot of the black bezel of its noir family mate.
Android 2.2 update starts rolling out to unlocked Dell Streaks, includes Stage UI
We've pretty much been waiting on the Dell Streak's Android 2.2 update for as long as the 5-inch tablet / phone has been on the market, and it looks like the time has finally come... well, at least for owners of unlocked Streaks. Word is that Dell has started to push out its over-the-air Froyo update to unlocked Streaks; those that purchased devices locked to a carrier will see the update hit those 5-inch screens sometime in December. (Note: Streaksmart also reports that Dell will start selling an unlocked Streak in the US with Froyo preloaded in the next couple of weeks.) There are details on the entire upgrade process at the source link below, but just as we'd heard, the update includes Dell's new Stage UI, which we've been told will eventually be included as a software layer on all of Dell's consumer devices. We got a chance to see the interface a few weeks ago, and have to say the widget-based UI looks really slick. Those who prefer their Android untouched will be happy to know you can turn off the layer. We'll be doing an in-depth preview of the updated software once it hits our AT&T and O2 Streaks, but until then you can check out a few pictures of the new Froyo goodness below. %Gallery-107464%
Dell Streak Android 2.2 update imminent in UK, other territories on the way (update: OTA update rolling out now, locked units in December)
Looks like Japan's not the only one that'll have Froyo on a five-inch tabletphone this year -- Dell's official Facebook account confirms that Android 2.2 will be rolling out to the Dell Streak starting this very month. That date's just for the UK, mind you, as Dell plans to stagger the release from country to country for that winsome Stage UI. That said, if you're a particularly astute diner you may be able to get your sweet spoonful sooner than some, as just last evening Dell directed a number of Streak owners to the website pictured above. While that "Continue with Update" button reportedly didn't work and the website has since been pulled, it seems that Dell's considering the idea of letting users directly download Android 2.2 themselves. See what that update might include (spoiler: mobile hotspot!) over at StreakSmart. [Thanks, Naz] Update: Dell's just put up a new post detailing the Streak's upgrade process. Unlocked units will gradually receive the OTA update starting on November 15, whereas locked devices won't be getting the new goodies until December. Let us know if your slate got the early bird treatment.
Dell's Stage UI headed to Streak, also unofficially works on EVO 4G (video)
The first time the words "Stage UI" passed our lips, they were in relation to the Dell Thunder leak, but now we're hearing that Dell's custom Android user interface will actually appear alongside Android 2.2 when the update finally arrives on the five-inch Streak. We've just learned that's going to happen this winter in Japan when the Streak launches on SoftBank at the very least, as both are advertised for early December there, but we expect we'll see the updated OS even sooner in the US and Europe for obvious reasons. What's more, an unofficial build of Froyo that leaked out for the Streak last month has since been found to have Stage UI on board. StreakSmart's got a video of a custom ROM running a series of Dell-specific widgets on the Streak, and sister site Good and Evo managed to trick the very same software to run on a rooted HTC EVO 4G. You can see examples of both on video after the break, but here's the basic idea behind the UI -- giant panes of contacts, apps and shortcuts that fill an entire screen each, but leave your app drawer accessible at a swipe. If you're feeling daring, you can try the ROM for yourself at our more coverage link. Just be careful flashing that new baseband, eh? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Dell Streak gets SNES controller dock, navigates owner through Yoshi's Island (video)
Who'd have thought that a little thing like the inclusion of USB Host capabilities could open the door to such wonders as an SNES controller dock? That's exactly what we have here. The Dell Streak's ability to work with standard USB keyboards has enabled it to also work with a suitably modified SNES controller, having had a cablectomy and the addition of a PDMI connector on top. That, with the addition of a USB board, turns the controller into a keyboard and, hey presto, it's Super Mario World time. Modder 0TheRain0 did the handiwork here, which you can watch him demonstrate after the break.
Screen Grabs: Dell Streak recruited into NCIS:LA for some undercover duty, fights evil Adamo XPS
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. Dell's product placement deal with CBS apparently doesn't stipulate whether its gadgets will be used for good or evil, as illustrated by their cameo appearances on the network's NCIS:LA crime drama. In last night's episode, lead do-gooder Special Agent Callen is seen preparing a Streak tabletphone for some audio recording action before a meeting with the baddies -- who in turn whip out an Adamo XPS (yes, it's still alive!) to seal a deal for some ultra-advanced weaponry. Yep, it's a non-stop cliché extravaganza! [Thanks, James and Tarek]
Dell Streak, HTC Surround, white Samsung Fascinate, and Taylor Swift-ified white SE X10 coming to Best Buy exclusively
We've got a little more detail on those four new pre-orderable phones up in Best Buy Mobile's business this week now that the news has gone from leak status to official, and needless to say, the truth is even stranger than fiction. The Dell Streak will be available for the first time in retail stores for $299.99 on contract come October 24, joined by a white version of Verizon's Samsung Fascinate for $149.99 on contract; those two will be followed on November 8 by the HTC Surround for $199. Here's where it gets interesting, though: the white Sony Ericsson X10 for AT&T -- also rumored in our original leak -- will come pre-loaded with "The Essential Taylor Swift Experience," which frankly doesn't paint a picture of the target demographic we'd really expected. But hey, we like surprises! What does her essential experience entail, exactly? Two albums, a new single, ringtone and video content, and access to her new album when it launches on October 25. This bad boy also comes in on October 24 for $99 on contract. Best Buy claims that all four of these are in-store exclusives... which, particularly with the Surround, is pretty insane. Follow the break for the press release.
