It’s been one of the more puzzling non-events over the last few months: why Dell has waited before launching its Streak tablet.

Well, aside from whatever reason there was (and there were likely several), the five-inch tablet device will now arrive in Australia on October 1 with a price of $649. It will also be available through telco Optus for $0 up-front on a $59/month contract.

In theory, there’s plenty to like about the Streak, especially the 1GHz SnapDragon processor (the same as that used in the HTC Desire) and obviously, that five-inch 800×480-pixel widescreen panel. The screen size has led many commentators to wonder whether its a tablet or a phone. Dell is hoping people will see it as both – and hoping they’ll get in before Korean rival Samsung gets its seven-inch Galaxy Tab out the following month.

However, in Dell’s spruiking, there is one glaring issue that Dell doesn’t address in its press release.

DELL STREAK FEATURES:

  • Integrated Google Maps, 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, mobile broadband 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 16G card included in sales pack, which will store up to 20 movies* or 15,000 photos*, or 8,000 songs* . The Streak  can be expanded to 32G Micro SD as an after sales option

And that’s the fact it’s running only Android 1.6. You need to head to the Tech Specs page to find that out. Dell says it will provide an over-the-air update to Android 2.2 later in the year but there are no specific details on when or how much it will cost. One things certain – doing it over Wi-Fi will be a damn sight cheaper than using up your 1GB monthly quota on 3G.

The Streak comes with a 2GB non-user-removable MicroSD card plus a second user-accessible MicroSD card slot with a bonus 16GB card preinstalled. The battery is a 1530mAh Lithium-ion rechargeable type.

You also get a 5MP rear-facing camera plus a VGA (640×480-pixel) front-facing camera for video face chat.

The Dell Streak will be available on October 1.

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