Dell launches the Rs34,990 Streak hybrid smartphone tablet

Dell Inc, the $54-billion technology giant today launched in India a 5-inch tablet called the Streak, a hybrid device that can juggle between being a smartphone and a netbook.

The Streak, which is priced at Rs34,990 and sold with a Tata DoCoMo post paid connection with a 500MB free data usage plan for the first six months, is powered by the 1GHz Snapdragon ARM-based mobile processor from Qualcomm and customised multi-touch version of the Google Android 1.6 operating system that features Dell user interface enhancements.

It is the first time that a tablet is using Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon mobile processor.

Because the Streak is made with Gorilla Glass, the screen also has a pretty big durability advantage over other smartphones.

Compared to the 9.7 inch touchscreen Apple's iPad, the Streak comes with a sharp 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA (800x480) display and 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash that offers easy point and shoot capability and quick uploads to YouTube, Facebook and other networking sites.

''Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets. The smartphone facility distinguishes Streak from other tablets. Since the device is Android-based, there are possibilities that lots of applications pertaining to industries like healthcare can be built on top of it.'' said Mahesh Bhalla, executive director and general manager, Consumer, Dell India.