Dell Mini 5

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Åndhrimnir

Limp Gawd
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Nov 28, 2009
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Alright, maybe I'm the only one, but I'm really intrigued by this device.

dell-internet-tablet-slate-announced-6.jpg

Dell-Streak-Android-slate-3.jpg


It's a 5" (EDIT: 800 x 480 resolution, it seems) multitouch android device from Dell - called either the Mini 5, the Streak, or the M01M depending on who you ask.

Here's what I know (or think I know) so far:
-3G and WiFi capable
-1GHz Snapdragon processor
-Android OS
-5MP camera w/ flash, plus a forward-facing camera for video calling (presumably)
-removable battery
-according to Michael Dell (CEO), it will be available in a "couple months" (quoted Jan 20-something)

Anyone else have info on this device? Anyone else excited at all?
 
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5" seems pretty freaking large to fit into my pocket and lug around. *shrug*.
 
Looks like a monster phone, hah. Very sleek looking though and good specs. My Droid is right at the verge of how big I'd be comfortable with, but that screen looks sexy too. Hopefully since it's so big, it's got like a 3,000 mAh battery to keep it lit for a while, hah.

They don't know if it's GSM or CDMA yet?
 
That's too small and too big at the same time.
Too small to replace a netbook and too big for a pocket device.
If you have a fairly new touch screen smart phone then you wouldn't really need this.

If it were 9" or 10" then it would be great.

It does look pretty cool though.
 
Hmm, that's funny, as I see netbooks as too big to be portable and smartphones as too small to be useful, so IHMO this is the perfect size.

no slideout - I used to like hardware QWERTY too, but it either takes away from the screen space (bar phone style) or thickens the device (slideout).
 
This unit is going to be $499 probably, or $149 if you sign a 2 year contract for a $30 Data plan with a mobile provider. For that money I'd probably buy an iPad.
 
Are you comparing? Or just saying you'd prefer apple's device? Because this thing is half the size, runs android, and is a PHONE, not an e-reader/media/internet tablet
 
Åndhrimnir;1035287660 said:
Are you comparing? Or just saying you'd prefer apple's device? Because this thing is half the size, runs android, and is a PHONE, not an e-reader/media/internet tablet
Click to expand...

Is it a phone as well? the link above mentions internet device, not mobile phone.
If it is a phone, then that makes a difference since then you only need 1 device.
 
Åndhrimnir;1035287605 said:
Hmm, that's funny, as I see netbooks as too big to be portable and smartphones as too small to be useful, so IHMO this is the perfect size.

no slideout - I used to like hardware QWERTY too, but it either takes away from the screen space (bar phone style) or thickens the device (slideout).
Click to expand...

Yeah I love the size of this, but without a slideout keyboard it's useless except for reading things (i.e. no real data entry or input of anything). I can type at about 25wpm on my Touch Pro 2's slide-out (it's a 3.7" winmo phone with 5-row QWERTY), so a 5"-based "phone hybrid" keyboard that slid out I bet would be darn close to 75% of my normal desktop typing speed (100+ wpm) as that gives so much more room for larger keys that it may be usable with a couple of fingers instead of one thumb on each hand.

Love the idea but the exclusion of the hardware keyboard (slide-out, I hate bar-style ones that use up screen space) severely limits its utility as an on-the-go device.

Zepher said:
Is it a phone as well? the link above mentions internet device, not mobile phone.
If it is a phone, then that makes a difference since then you only need 1 device.
Click to expand...

It would be shocking if they didn't allow phone conversations on it...
 
Zepher said:
Yes it is but doesn't mean the device that uses 3G is a phone as well. iPad isn't a phone but it comes with 3G for data access.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry I edited that back out once I realized what you were asking... :) to a different response.
 
Zepher said:
Is it a phone as well? the link above mentions internet device, not mobile phone.
If it is a phone, then that makes a difference since then you only need 1 device.
Click to expand...

Haha, sorry for any confusion - it is most certainly a phone. It's like the big brother of the Dell Mini 3, which is a smartphone that is available currently in several countries, and is coming to AT&T (and others?) this year.

http://gizmodo.com/5443837/first-hands+on-and-video-dell-mini-5-android-slate

there's a video of the Gizmodo guys watching a little impromptu demo of it, and the guy shows off a few features, one of which is making phone calls.

EDIT: here we go, proof for the visual people among us.

500x_DellStreak6.jpg
 
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The fact that it has a dialer doesn't mean its a phone.
I am thinking the dialer/phone features are more for VOIP services like Google Voice or Skype which can be misleading. It looks more like a PMP android device with 3G for on the go data access. Most are coining it as a "slate" or "tablet" device but considering it's size I would call it more of a PMP similar to an iPod Touch
 
Only Crunchgear seems to to touting that amount....not sure where they got the information form as nobody else has it.
That said, $1100 would kill the device before it started.....lets hope Dell wows us with an awesome low price of $399 :) hahaha
 
Only 800x480? Why? 720p (or at least some higher resolution...1000x600?) would have really set this thing apart from being just an oversized Nexus One.
 
Parja said:
Only 800x480? Why? 720p (or at least some higher resolution...1000x600?) would have really set this thing apart from being just an oversized Nexus One.
Click to expand...

5" diagonal screen at 800x480 is about 186.6 PPI, while the iPhone 3GS has a 3.5" screen at 480x320, which is 164.8 PPI. IMHO 800x480 is pretty impressive for a smartphone, even one with a five inch screen.
 
Sorry for double post, but bumping this because Engadget got their hands on a prototype one and did a sort of early-stage review.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/19/dell-mini-5-prototype-impressions/?s=t5

I think it's pretty damn impressive, even in it's not finished OS state. Also, this is a nice opportunity to influence some of the software aspects - if you feel strongly about something, leave a comment there or write to Dell about it - maybe you'll see it changed.
 
I'm very excited about this. I'd love to match a phone with a decently powered computer. My biggest wish for the product is VNC / RDP support. I would make use of that every day.
 
I'm excited. I'm currently useing the HTC X7500(Athena) which is a 5" VGA phone from a couple years ago. It only works on 2G here in the US but I love the size of it. If this thing has a battery life at all and comes out before my Athena breaks(I've had it for 3 years now and it is held togeather with electrical tape and solder now) I'll buy one!

I paid $800 for my Athena so if this is $600 that would be great. The Athena has a 624mhz proc and a 2200mah battery so I'm most worried about battery life.
 
Engadget said it'd last about a day on normal usage. This could be better, obviously, but for me that meets the minimum - I can just charge it overnight.
 
Åndhrimnir;1035290692 said:
5" diagonal screen at 800x480 is about 186.6 PPI, while the iPhone 3GS has a 3.5" screen at 480x320, which is 164.8 PPI. IMHO 800x480 is pretty impressive for a smartphone, even one with a five inch screen.
Click to expand...

iPhone is a dated comparison.

Nexus One is 800x480 in a 3.7" screen.
Droid is 854x480 in a 3.7" screen.

800x480 in a 5" screen brings nothing novel to the table.
 
Parja said:
iPhone is a dated comparison.

Nexus One is 800x480 in a 3.7" screen.
Droid is 854x480 in a 3.7" screen.

800x480 in a 5" screen brings nothing novel to the table.
Click to expand...

You have a good point - I picked the iPhone as a comparison based on it's popularity - didn't think to check some of the newer competition.
 
Two things. If i were to get this thing i will never turn back. Right now i have a hd2 and even that feels small.

Another thing is weight. How heavy will this thing be with that big battery?
 
I'd be down for using this as a phone if the price is reasonable. My pockets are generally big (though not deep) enough, an I use my phone for junk more than I use it as a phone - the bigger screen the better.
 
Down8 said:
I'd be down for using this as a phone if the price is reasonable. My pockets are generally big (though not deep) enough, an I use my phone for junk more than I use it as a phone - the bigger screen the better.
Click to expand...

This is my logic too - I'm on the web every day, and I fill my 500MB text message inbox almost every week, but I haven't made a call so far this month :p
 
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