Quote:
Originally Posted by Maggie Leung
Cool. I want as much detail as you're willing to share. I'm not able to buy one where I am now (unless gray marketed), but I'd seriously consider one on return to the U.S.
I'm interested specifically in Streak vs. iPhone / iPad. I bought an unlocked iPhone 4, so I could use it overseas by just changing SIM cards, but I figured I could easily sell it on return to the U.S. if I chose, because all U.S. ones are sold locked.
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I can compare to iPhone4 and iPad.
Design/form factor: Streak doesn't look or feel cheap. But it can't measure up to iPhone4 or iPad. The bigger display has some advantages over iPhone4 and it still fits in your pocket/purse. I've got Android 1.6 (O2 in UK did roll out 2.1 already, but I didn't bother yet), which might be an explanation for the sometimes sluggish UI.
Apps: Android may be a rising star. But in any instance I find it way harder to get apps. Be it navigation software, hotel booking, reader apps or games. I'm already not too fond of the quality of many iPhone apps (very often it's pretty obvious it's from a "one man show"), but Android sometimes even is behind that quality level.
I found a
phantastic feature though:
Uninstall and refund. Bought a navigation app for $ 99 (!!), which didn't work. Got my refund instantly.
Display quality: iPhone4's retina display is more impressive. But Streak is absolutely okay, no complaints.
Build quality: Even though I'm an Apple sceptic (I hate my Mac mini and my iMac isn't that impressive either), I have to say: They know how to build their gadgets. In direct comparison to iPhone4, Streak seems to be 2 quality levels below. There's no actual fault with it. But its housing is plastic and everything just feels and looks a bit cheaper and less "stylish".
Reader experience: For whatever reason, I can't get the nook app. So I'm just using the Kindle app and Aldiko for now. Experience is what you'd expect: The bigger screen tops iPhone4, although I'm fine with the amount of information on iPhone4's display.
Camera: I haven't done any "benchmarks". I've been surprised by the picture quality of iPhone4. Streak even seems to top that a bit. Focus on Streak is quite impressive. Didn't test the geotagging on Streak yet, which is great on iPhone4 (love the combination with faces and places in iPhoto).
Conclusion:
Maybe the 7" or 9" models of Streak make more sense. But for the 5" I have to say, it's "neither fish nor meat" (as we say in Germany). No way it can compete with iPad of course. It's mobile enough to compete with iPhone4. But given the higher resolution of iPhone4 and (slightly) better retina display, I don't see any significant advantage over iPhone4.
The open Android platform theoretically would be of advantage. But so far, I've found way more iTunes apps than Android apps for my needs.
I'm eagerly waiting for the Android 2.2 update and even thought about flashing the UK O2 update to 2.1. But with the existing Android 1.6, iPhone4 beats Dell streak. Not by miles, but not by millimeters either...