Dell giving tablets another try with help from Baidu
Although Dell still has a few Streak-branded tablets in the works in the 7- and 10-inch varieties, the downfall of the 5-inch Streak was all but a surrender for Dell in the tablet market.
That is, at least, based on its current offerings. Dell is giving tablets another try with the help from a new partner: China's leading search engine Baido.
As for what exactly this partnership will entail and produce, that remains unclear. However, it looks like there will be some sort of Google Android parallel (meaning search engine leader expands with mobile operating system) as these tablets and also smartphones will be running Baidu's mobile software. That platform does in fact support Android apps, but it's very doubtful we'd see these devices sold in North America.
Lenovo recently announced plans of its own to push tablets full-throttle, hoping to garner 20 percent of the tablet market in China alone.
However, just because China might have an incredibly budding tablet market does not mean that Dell will find success there.
Michael Clendenin, managing director of technology consultancy firm RedTech Advisors, told Reuters:
I suspect this is just Dell, who has a lot of problems on the mobile and tablet front, grasping at straws to get any kind of publicity that it can to make its product more attractive. Ultimately in China, I still think it is Apple's game, still for the iPad and iPhone.
Can't anyone besides Apple catch a break in the tablet market? So far, only Amazon's unannounced entry is the only one gaining support from critics -- and that's mainly thanks to a predicted significant lower price tag.
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