This is turning out to be a pretty big week for the mobile phone world, with the DROID 2 and BlackBerry Torch launching, and now the Dell Streak will be arriving this week, as well.  Dell announced in a press release today that the Streak will be hitting AT&T on August 13th, this Friday, for $299.99 with a two-year contract.  If signing two years of your mobile life away isn't your thing, you can pick up a Streak for $550 contract free.  It sounds like the device will be launching with Android 1.6 in tow with Android 2.2 coming "later this year," which is pretty disappointing.  On the upside, however, anyone who signed up for the presale will get to order the Streak a day early, on August 12th, and will receive a free second day shipping upgrade.  Check out the full press release below.

It's great to see the Streak finally getting a release date and price, although I'm concerned about the price a bit.  While the off-contract pricing seems pretty fair for a smartphone with a 5-inch screen, $300 with a two-year contract seems a little high, especially for a mainstream consumer that is used to seeing $199.99 for a new smartphone.  The fact that it's running Android 1.6 is a bit of a turn-off, as well, although Dell has said that Android 2.2 will be coming to the Streak.  Let's just hope that it's coming sooner rather than later.

Dell Creates Choice and Freedom to Talk, Watch, Surf, and Connect with New 5-Inch Tablet

ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dell (NASDAQ: DELL):

“The Dell Streak has found a way to fit your whole world in a 5-inch screen. Its unique size will help people discover new ways to enjoy the web, connect with friends, and navigate their lives.”
NEWS:

Orders for the Dell Streak Tablet open up for U.S. priority pre-sale registrants at www.dell.com/mobile this Thursday, August 12. General availability follows a day later at www.dell.com/mobile.
The Dell Streak is available for $299.99 with new two-year AT&T contract†, and $549.99 without. Customers who purchase the Streak, and signed up during the pre-sale program, will receive a free second-day shipping upgrade. Customers who redeem their pre-sale coupon can purchase a Plantronics Bluetooth earpiece for 99 cents while supplies last.
HITTING A SWEET SPOT

The Dell Streak, a carbon black Android-based tablet with a 5-inch display, is designed to provide an excellent “on-the-go” entertainment, social connection, and navigation experience. The spacious 5-inch screen is ideal for experiencing thousands of Android Market widgets, games and applications, all without squinting or compromising portability. Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth capability and available 3G connectivity brings easy access for downloading and listening to music, updating social networking status in real-time, and staying connected to friends and family through e-mail, text, IM, and voice calls.

On-the-go students, mobile professionals, and active families will find Streak’s web-browsing capabilities as natural as a laptop. The 5-inch screen is large enough to present Web pages in their natural form, create a comfortable viewing experience, and make turn-by-turn navigation simple. The Dell Streak is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon solution with integrated 1GHz processor to combine basic functionality and benefits of a laptop in a pocket friendly size.

The Dell Streak was designed with the future in mind to support future software, application and platform upgrades.

QUOTE:

“The Dell Streak has found a way to fit your whole world in a 5-inch screen. Its unique size will help people discover new ways to enjoy the web, connect with friends, and navigate their lives.” – Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions

DELL STREAK FEATURES:

Integrated Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation, street and satellite views
A full screen browsing experience with a 5-inch capacitive multi-touch WVGA display
Easily integrated social media apps: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
High resolution 5 MP camera, VGA front facing camera, removable battery, built-in Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth connectivity options
2GB* of internal storage provides plenty of space to access and download Google Android Market’s many options
Packaged with cushions made from 100 percent sustainable, compostable bamboo
DELL STREAK SPECIFICATIONS:

Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements
Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon solution with integrated 1GHz processor
3G + Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps*
5 MP Autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easily point, shoot, and upload to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more
User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32GB*. Store up to 42 movies* or 32,000 photos*, or 16,000 songs* with a 32GB* Micro SD upgrade
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