CES: Dell unveils new Streak, hints at 10-inch version for businesses coming soon
Dell today unveiled a 7-inch version of its Streak Tablet, a nice piece of hardware that utilizes 4G technology - well, T-Mobile's version of 4G technology. The device, as expected, touts some of the must-haves that all of the players in the tablet space are touting these days: strong processors, widgets and apps, gaming capabilities, rear- and front-facing cameras for video chatting, as well as social networking apps and widgets. (Statement)
Still, the announcements by Dell today show that the company has recognized that consumers have grown beyond the "Dude, I'm getting a Dell" days and have specific needs for their lifestyles. Gen Ys, for example, are all social and mobility while gamers are all about performance.
The company introduced an HD, 3D 17-inch laptop that carries its XPS brand, which also touts high performance audio. And it enhanced its desktop line, offering Intel's latest Core i5 and i7 processors.
For gamers, the company's Alienware brand unveiled its first 3D-capable laptop with an HD display. It features new, second-gen Intel quad-core processors with Intel's Turbo Boost 2.0 and hyperthreading technology for added performance that gamers want.
The company also unveiled one other product - a Venue smartphone running the Android OS. It has a sleek form factor that makes it attractive and worth pausing to look at twice. But during the presentation, the company left out one important detail - the carrier partner. Asked about it during a Q&A, the company said that the Venue is being sold unlocked without a carrier partner.
That's a tough road to go down - something that Google learned the hard way with the Nexus One phone that it wanted to sell on its own last year. Without the carrier subsidies, these unlocked phones usually carry higher price tags that consumers don't like. Details on pricing for the Streak tablet and the Venue weren't available today, which is unfortunate because it could change the way consumers feel about these products - no matter how cool they might look.