PC-maker Dell has announced its new tablet computer – known as ‘Streak’ – will make its global debut in the UK early next month via operator O2. The Android-based device is considered the first in a wave of new tablet computers from PC manufacturers looking to tap into the market created by Apple’s iPad. In its first official statement regarding the product yesterday, Dell said Streak will be made available across the UK via O2 and the Carphone Warehouse stores in early June, and later in the month via Dell’s own website. O2 is expected to announce pricing details in the next few weeks. Dell plans to make Streak available in the US later in the summer. The device has a 5-inch touchscreen, making it considerably smaller than the iPad, but it also offers some functions that the Apple device cannot: notably support for Flash and voice calls. “The Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions Group. Streak is powered by Qualcomm’s 1GHz snapdragon processor and boasts 3G (HSPA), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a 5MP camera and 2GB of internal storage (upgradable to 32GB). It also support over-the-air platform upgrade updates allowing it to migrate to the new Android platform (2.2) later this year. 

The deal with O2 is part of a wider agreement struck recently between Dell and O2 parent Telefonica. While pricing is not yet known, it is thought that O2 will subsidise up-front costs, which could make the Streak significantly cheaper than the iPad. Analysts were broadly positive on the new product. “They are taking some advantage of Apple’s legitimising of the product category without getting stepped on [with too faithful an imitation],” Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates told the Financial Times. Analysts expect Dell to introduce larger screen versions of the device soon.