Up Close and Personal with the Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet

The first iPad was received with skepticism; people believed that their laptop computers covered the same bases more than adequately. Very rapidly, however, the abilities of the iPad became better understood. As the industry caught on and Apple's accountants began rubbing their hands with glee, the other big computer and cellular companies sat up and took note. Tablets like the iPad became the latest must-have. Naturally, Dell is trying to find its piece of the pie. The product offering Dell is pinning its hopes on is the Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet. Whether this tablet makes the grade and is worth the money is what we are going to try to find out in this article.

The first "con" of this tablet is the company that is making it. Dell isn't really recognized for making good and reliable products. And as for the company's customer service: well, let's just say if it had a prize closet, it would not be stuffed with consumer awards. From customer feedback, it appears that once your warranty runs out, you will incur a charge for contacting customer support. Purchasing a product from this company can have future implications - and not just price - which may well outweigh the immediate savings from it being a relatively low-cost purchase.

Multitasking is made possible by the tablet's operating system, a version of the Android OS nicknamed "Froyo." The sytem's notification service keeps you abreast even if all applications aren't open and running, and simultaneously, you can keep your GPS data and listen to MP3s. Friends and business contacts will always be able to reach you on your tablet because it gives you access to your email acounts, including Gmail, quite easily.

One of the best things about the Streak 7 tablet that did not come with the first iPad design is video chat. Video chat is built-in with the Dell Streak 7 tablet via Qik software and a camera panel that faces front. Nonetheless, yes, there is a caveat: a person who has the same Dell Streak 7 tablet, or something compatible, presents no problem - otherwise, incommunicado you will remain. Thus, video chatting with people who own other platforms is not ensured. A bonus for this Dell tablet is that it comes with the On Demand service from Blockbuster. Admittedly, however, Blockbuster's recent difficulties have made us think twice about its value as a recommendation.

Reviews at this point are only a handful, but it does look like a lot of people are unbelieving as to the reasons why this product was developed. The device's functionality is pretty limited through it not being able to able to interact with devices that aren't compatible with it. Nonetheless, if you are desperate for a tablet computer and you have a small budget, the Dell Streak 7 could be a good way to get used to the technology and figure out if tablets truly are for you. Just make certain you understand what you are getting before you actually send your money to the company.

You can always look at Product Reports and learn more about the Dell Streak 7 Tablet and other interesting gadgets.