The Dell Streak Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on August 15, 2010 6:59 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Dell
- Streak
- Gadgets
- Mobile
The Keyboard
The keyboard is what surprised me the most. With the 4.3” screen on the EVO 4G I found that typing was much easier than any other Android phone. With the 5” screen on the Streak you’d assume it would be even better. Unfortunately, at least with the default keyboard, that’s not true.
Instead of making the important keys larger, Dell chose to try and mimic a standard keyboard layout on the Streak. What you get is something that looks similar to a desktop keyboard, complete with numpad, but ends up more annoying to anyone who has had experience with a smartphone keyboard.
The caps, shift, arrow and alt keys on the left side of the keyboard shift everything to the right by enough room that I found myself mistyping a lot. I don’t doubt that it’s something you could eventually get used to, but even after using the Streak as my only smartphone I still have to type extremely slowly on it.
On the bright side, the larger screen makes the default keyboard feel far less overwhelming than it does on a more cramped display. I still don’t think it’s necessary to have alternate functions printed on each key. Simply having the keys change function when you hit the alt button should be sufficient and keep the keyboard a lot cleaner.
The dedicated numpad on the right of the virtual keyboard is a nice touch. I didn’t use it very often but enough times for me to appreciate it.
Multitouch isn’t supported by the keyboard so if you’re used to typing quickly on a physical smartphone keyboard there will be an extra steep learning curve.
The default keyboard predicts both the word you’re trying to type as well as the next word you may type based on the previous word. For example, if I type “I’m” and hit space the keyboard will suggest “bringing” as the next word. If I tap the spacebar, it’ll accept the recommendation and move on. If I start typing another word however it’ll toss the recommendation away.
I just typed the word You, the Streak's keyboard suggested in as the next word
This predictive strategy has the potential to be great, and it really is amazing when it works perfectly. It’s not limited to one word, it will keep predicting as long as it can, and the suggestions are all based on things you’ve previously typed.
The limitations however are numerous. The biggest problem is that the word prediction isn’t based on what you’re typing, or more specifically, who you’re typing to. Something I’d type in a text to a professional contact at AMD is very different than what I’d text to a friend of mine. For example, if I type “Hey” the next word suggested is “baby”, regardless of who I’m texting. This is a problem.
Here’s where the flexibility of Android is nice. I downloaded Swiftkey and quickly improved my typing speed on the Streak just by switching keyboards. Some may prefer Dell’s default keyboard but I don’t think scaling down a standard keyboard to fit the Streak’s screen is the best option.
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ned14 - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
Useful review - and good call on the button size which no other review bothered to mention. However how come you didn't try the Dell 2.1 build 6941 firmware which has been online for a while now? Here's a link to it:http://www.mediafire.com/file/bb9cvm5uaap2z8k/upda...
It *does* have bugs, hence why Dell haven't released it proper. Here's hoping that enough of you Americans buy the Streak to get a Cyanogenmod port working for the Streak ... so far the Brits haven't done much other than complain (if you look at the cyanogenmod forums).
Cheers,
Niall
Goty - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
Brits complain about Americans? Noooooooo....=P
In all seriousness, though, I don't see this device becoming a huge seller. It's simply too large to become popular with the public and so will probably be relegated to the few people like us who appreciate the advantages of such a device and to some corporate users.
neogodless2 - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
You stated that this will work for GSM carriers other than AT&T but other sites reported that it is "officially" SIM-locked to AT&T. Could you clarify this?Anand Lal Shimpi - Sunday, August 15, 2010 - link
Hmm the t-mobile support part came from Dell, let me clarify and update tomorrow.Take care,
Anand
Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Dell just responded - you're correct, all Streak devices are carrier locked to AT&T. I've updated the article.Take care,
Anand
JHBoricua - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Sorry, that's a deal killer for me. I like the fact that all of my mobile devices now come with a standard micro usb connector for which I only have to carry ONE cable and for which I'm not held hostage by the device maker if I need it replaced.I can run to my local Microcenter and get 4 micro USB cables for $9 a piece. That's one for the house, office, car and my backpack.
How much do you think Dell is going to charge you for a replacement USB to 30-pin cable?
s44 - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Who cares how much Dell will charge? Monoprice will charge a lot less.medi01 - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
" the Streak doesn’t perform anywhere close to the Nexus One, HTC Incredible or Droid X. Let’s forget about comparing it to the iPhone 4 or iPad."Should you've said "forget about Nexus One"?
damianrobertjones - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
I was under the impression that all phone makers were moving towards the standard mini/micro/whatever it's called usb port on phones for sync/charge etc?I really wish they would...
JHBoricua - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
I believe in Europe they mandated this, but enforcement starts in 2011. Also here is how it works:First option is a charger with a *fixed* cable that must terminate with a Micro-USB plug. How this connects to the phone is outside the scope of the EU mandate, it can be a direct connection or through an adapter.
The second option is that a *detachable* cable is used that connects to the *charger* using a standard USB A connection. Where the phone does not have a Micro-USB charging port and an adapter would be required, this cable is allowed to *be* the adapter; in other words it can terminate with a proprietary plug, it doesn't have to be a Micro-USB plug if the cable is detachable. An example of this is the existing iPhone charger.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/08/europe-univ...