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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jmunjr - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
If I am forced to use AT&T then I'm not buying it. Being a techie I get razzed all the time about my ancient V195 flip phone. I'm not succumbing to the subsidy scam that goes on in pretty much only the USA. I want a choice and if companies want to force you to use a specific carrier to get their phone and allow those carriers to cripple the OS/phone then they won't have me as a customer. I work from home so my PC will blow away any smart phone no matter what the challenge.cjb110 - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
could try importing an European one? Try www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=196312Adul - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Any followup going to be done on phones that have upgraded to Froyo like the evo, droid and soon incredible?nilesh_dd - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Sorry to barge in with my un-related request. But, is there any chance you will be reviewing the Samsung Vibrant/Captivate? I was interested in an AnandTech review of Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000, but I assume any closest phone will do.Thanks
Nilesh
wildkarrde21 - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
I second this request for a review of the Captivate/Vibrant. Thanks for the informative review of the Streak, but I'm not sure why you guys reviewed the Dell Streak first when the Captivate/Vibrant have been out for almost a month now... I would love to hear Anandtech's opinion of the Captivate/Vibrant or even Epic 4G :)Anand Lal Shimpi - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
The Epic 4G should be here this week - expect a review later this month :)Take care,
Anand
JimmiG - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Where does the Streak get its excellent battery life from? At first I thought "big device - big battery", but it's not that much higher capacity than the Nexus One (5.661 vs 5.18 Whr). They both use the Snapdragon platform so internally, the Streak looks like just a Nexus One with a bigger screen. Is it all due to software optimizations, or are there other significant differences hardware-wise?Imaginer - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Why not have the phone be with multiple carriers instead of this exclusivity BS. I like the fact that the device has two cameras for things like mobile skype and the battery seems decent. The keyboard if it is as bad as the review says, hopefully can be updated.adonn78 - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
I would buy a version without the phone as I use a prepaid phone for $50 a month unlimited everything. AT&T is the worst network out there. I would love to have a nice tablet PC without the phone and would pay $300. Just to surf the web and have a GPS and video watching device.brianmc - Monday, August 16, 2010 - link
Anand, thanks for another great review I didn't expect from the site. I've been seeing commerical after commerical on the new Samsung Galaxy S phones, would it be possible to review one of them some time?Also I think it would be a good idea to have a Bench for the cell phones too! Only dreaming :)