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The Dell Streak comes as an appealing device for those seeking a pretty well-rounded Android tablet, so many without the need for cell and data service through AT&T have been wondering if the $549 off-contract price would net them an unlocked Streak. To clear up the confusion, Dell blogger Lionel Menchaca tweeted things straight, confirming that the off-contract Streak would still be SIM-locked to AT&T. If you had dreams of a solid Dell tablet featuring Android running on some other carrier, consider them crushed.
Now, given the strong development community surrounding Android there is a good chance this device will receive its own jailbreak, making it free to operate on compatible cellular frequencies without any interference from AT&T. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for that to happen, but for now those who prefer to be AT&T free may want to steer clear of the Streak.
[via TalkAndroid]
I would love one without cellular service at all, I can always tether it to my phone if I needed that.
Full price for a locked phone. Fail.
I wouldn’t exactly call the streak “solid” it’s got quite a few flaws even excluding the SIM-Lock.
The SIM-Lock simply turns it into a joke.
Is this even if you buy it straight from Dell, or just for full-priced purchases from AT&T?
So, let’s break this down a bit:
Android 1.6 = Fail
Price point = Fail
Sim-locked to AT&T = Fail
Too big for a phone, to small for a tablet = Fail
Need I go on?
Yea someone at Dell is way too optimistic about this so-so phone.
Please let it fail hard like it so truly deserves.
So much Fail, better luck next time Dell.
im heartbroken i hate u dell :( ur an epic failure. i new the phone had flaws but i was in love with the device. they couldve been fixed now i hate it! $550 not unlocked? if u go to dellstreak.com (unoffical site) u could buy it unlocked for $850 but im not paying that much! dont do this Again!
I just picked up a 10.2 inch android tablet sporting 2.1… can’t wait to see how well it does.
Just ordered me one of these for less than half for Dell’s 5″ streak locked to ATT. Run’s Android 2.1 with 2.2 in development. Has access to Market and wifi only but can be tethered. Full root access FTW.
10.2 Inch screen Android pad.
AT&T probably demanded that they put 1.6 on it. Who would release a device these days without at least 2.1 on it? AT&T, that’s who. God, I hate them.
DigitalIcecream,
Which pad did you get? Capacitive or resistive screen?
This is gonna be an epic fail like the stupid ass garmiphone.
The Streak is getting 2.1 very soon and will probably get 3.0 once that drops later this year. Dell is coming out with an entire range of Android phones including a 3.2″ and a 4.1″ model. So this is a nice choice for those wanting a bigger phone.
I imagine it’ll get unlocked quickly for those not wanting to use ATT…understandably.
simlocks dont’ even mean squat. it’s 100% legal to break a simlock.
One possibility: the Dell rep might have been confused or relying on a dumbed-down script, and was really trying to communicate that it won’t meaningfully work (as a UMTS phone, at least) on any American network besides AT&T. If the phone can’t do 1700/2100UMTS, it would be pointless to buy one for T-Mobile anyway unless you live in BFE and wouldn’t get to have anything better than GPRS or EDGE from either carrier, anyway.
Of course, it’s always possible that Dell was insane and/or AT&T twisted its arm somehow, but this is one of those minutes when there seems to be a plausible conflict between Occam’s Razor and Mark Twain’s most famous observation (“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity or incompetence.”)
I don’t get all the hate. If you aren’t interested in the phone don’t buy it. But how is competition a bad thing? The more manufacturers and models the more choices we have and the more motivation for products to be improved.
Sean, I think resistive… ping me on twitter by the same name and I’ll give you more details if this link doesnt work here. But for the price I’m definitely going to take the plunge. Should be here today or tomorrow.
h tt p ://bit.ly/a6OXYM
i dunno why all the hate honestly…. read up on reviews of customers who bought this on 02… most of them love it.
@ Mike D no one is saying that the phone should not be produced at all. The outlook on it is just very dismal. This is a forum where people express their opinions about articles and related devices. Sooooooooooo if people feel like they want to “hate” on it, this is the place to do it.
Thank god its on t-mobile network they barely have a 3g network
@Sean, it just arrived today. Interesting little device but definitely not worth it. Seriously wait for Moto’s pad or get an iPad.. this poor thing is fast, runs Android 2.1 and is rooted, but boy that resistive touch screen is is a four letter word for garbage ending in rap.
this phone has been out for along time and is now just getting a carrier. its runnign the old android and they will have another tablet that is way better. but yeah hopefully it goes to Att.
All I saw was, “Dell Streak will be tied to dead rodent.”