Dell Streak- your comments

thephantom_2

Hi Guys
Anyone got the Dell Streak? Seems to be good to me - except for the size- too large to carry aroung like a mobile. But if you have got it can you kindly share your thoughts?

bubblesmoney

it is android 1.6 so dont bother with this till it gets the 2.2 upgrade, rumoured for later this year. see reveiws available online on cnet uk which rate it poorer than other new phones.

Bowling_4_Gold

I tried it out in o2 on Saturday, and it is huge! Nothing particularly special about it... Can't say I really like the UI that much. Not worth £500 or whatever they're charging for it, at the moment.

gjchester

bubblesmoney wrote: »

it is android 1.6 so dont bother with this till it gets the 2.2 upgrade, rumoured for later this year. see reveiws available online on cnet uk which rate it poorer than other new phones.

Supposed to be december, but as I've said elsewhere, theres no guarantee it will get it Dell may change their minds, or O2 may not engineer it and release it.

Exemplar

It's very very poor. I have been trialling one here at the College where I work and quite honestly after the first hour I put it down and havent picked it up since. I think we are going to buy iPads instead.....

gjchester

alcot33uk wrote: »

It's very very poor. I have been trialling one here at the College where I work and quite honestly after the first hour I put it down and havent picked it up since. I think we are going to buy iPads instead.....

Not sure if that's the hardware or the users.

We've trialed a few Windows tablets over the years, initially users love them, then the fact it's a on screen keyboard and the smaller screen size becomes an issue, and you have to scroll around everywhere. And invariably they never get re-docked so the batterys are flat when you need to use it.

Then finally the go back to the assigned laptop, because it's taken care of and is easier to use.

I don't see the iPad or Streak overcoming these problems.

Exemplar

LOL I understand where you are coming from.

However for our specific purposes it looks like we are going for the iPads. I have placed a trial order for 2 this morning and we have Apple coming in to see how they will integrate into our systems. From what we have seen they will with a few tweaks. So what are we doing with them? Well we will be using them connected wirelessly to projectors so that tutors can walk around with the iPad and control what is seen on the front of classroom screen. Also we will be using them with special needs students as the interface and on screen keyboard are more than adequate (one of the two test units will be going to our E&D head who only has 5% vision and can still use it comfortably as tested in store).

blunther

I aim to get one in a couple of months, maybe if'when the O2 exclusivity elapses and there's a drop in price. Comparisons to the iPad are way out in my opinion. The iPad is a replacement for a laptop, whereas the Streak is a large phone. Surely comparisons, if they are to be made, should be with the latest Motorola Droid, the HTC Desire and the iPhone. The iPad is not portable, and doesn't make call. I'l be using mine as a phone, but since I use my phone more for internet than phone calls, it'll be perfect for me, and will still fit in my pocket easily enough.

gjchester

alcot33uk wrote: »

LOL I understand where you are coming from.

However for our specific purposes it looks like we are going for the iPads. I have placed a trial order for 2 this morning and we have Apple coming in to see how they will integrate into our systems. From what we have seen they will with a few tweaks. So what are we doing with them? Well we will be using them connected wirelessly to projectors so that tutors can walk around with the iPad and control what is seen on the front of classroom screen. Also we will be using them with special needs students as the interface and on screen keyboard are more than adequate (one of the two test units will be going to our E&D head who only has 5% vision and can still use it comfortably as tested in store).

Nothing that can't be done in any other tablet (remote desktop or RealVNC) but I can see the appeal of the iPad's form factor. Possibly makes it more desireable (read nickable) to the students though, but that depends on your students.

I can see why they are useful, we've had windows tablets that had multiple docks, each dock hardwired to serial interface of a instrument (ie balance, PhMeter etc) so the user could capture weight /pH easily then undock and move around. We've also had Itronix ruggedised tablets that were so heavy no-one would walk off with them...

It still does not get around the problem people either forget to charge them, don't treat them well or put them down in a box to carry and then forget them, and or course as the batteries die they fall off the LAN and no-one remembers where they are. Small is not always good from that point of view.

As I said the good part about the persons assigned laptop is they soon remember they need to keep hold of it or they get no email and web access at their desk, and that makes them go back and fetch the laptop. People also tend to get possessive and take reasonable care of theie "own" hardware, whereas if it's a supplimental one they know there are more so not an issue if they misplace / break this one.

Not a technological issue an end user care issue.

Exemplar

Well Chester, that's a very good, balanced, statement.

For what we, as a College, will be using them for they fit in perfectly though. We have had some of the tablet machines and the staff thought they were too unweildy and as for parially sighted/disabled people they judt thought they were poo!!

The great thing about the iPad in a scholastic enviroment is that staff/learners can just pick it up and use it. Also some of the features such as text to speech and zoom are well thought out and included not like the Windows ones (eg £2500 for a 3 user license of zoomtext)