Whoops! Looks like the old hacked Android interface with no update to Android 2.2 in sight problem. This is the fragmentation problem Google is facing by allowing other companies to hack their Android install.
In general, the Streak is a good first attempt by Dell at making an Android tablet, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Dell has promised that it will send out an automatic update to version 2.2 of Android within the year, but the Streak is stuck with version 1.6 in the meantime.
We’re craving an Android tablet to challenge the iPad, but the Dell Streak merely whets our appetite. The Streak’s sleek, powerful hardware is let down by the presence of a relatively old version of Android, and £399 is a considerable sum of money to drop on a gadget if you have to wait around for an update before it can reach its full potential.
The Streak is much better than the Android-based Archos 5 Internet Tablet, and it offers plenty of advantages over the iPad, but it lacks the polished user interface of Apple’s device. Ultimately, the Streak is a good omen for Android tablets to come, rather than a must-have gadget.
So now we know why Dell did not sell this thing in the US. They knew what would happen.
Tags: Google
Andrew wrote,
Let’s face it, the biggest and most influential improvement you could made to this device is to put an Apple symbol on the front. That’s all people want really. Operating system schmoperating system – none of it’s important compared to the little logo that says “I *belong*”.
Link | June 19th, 2010 at 4:49 am
TeddyPig wrote,
That’s not my opinion really. Google fixed a lot of issues in Android 2.2 so it is a decent user experience. Competition creates options and low prices I am all about the options and low prices.
Dell hacking Android so it could not be easily upgraded to take advantage of the support provided by Google was a stupid move.
I think more phone makers and tablet makers should quit hacking the basic Google Android install like they know better about such things and simply work at providing the best quality hardware and let the OS be what it is and do what it is supposed to do. Which should be WHY they decided to use that OS in the first place.
If they have some important service or interface to provide their customers make it a freakin App.
Link | June 19th, 2010 at 7:04 am