Dell To Launch Second Tablet

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Dell Streak Tablet

Chief Executive Michael Dell has unveiled computer maker Dell's second tablet computer, ratcheting up the company's competition against Apple's popular iPad.

Dell on Wednesday gave attendees of Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco a peek at a prototype of the 7-inch tablet, the company reported in its blog. The CEO did not offer any other details during his keynote or say when the device would be released.

Dell brought its first tablet, called the Streak, to the United States in August, after first launching the Android device in Europe. The five-inch tablet, which is also a mobile phone, sells for $299 with a two-year AT&T service contract. Without a contract, the device costs $549.

At about half the size of the iPad, the Streak fits between a smartphone and a tablet, offering many of the capabilities of both. The device packs a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Qualcomm's 1GHz SnapDragon processor as the engine.

Dell is only one of several computer makers lining up with tablets to challenge the iPad. Other vendors jumping into the market include Hewlett-Packard, Asus, Samsung and others.

Apple's success with the iPad has shown that there's a market for tablets. Released in early April, Apple sold more than 3.3 million iPads in the first quarter.

However, Dell has had little success in selling consumer electronics before, and it remains to be seen whether its tablet computers will catch on with consumers. In the meantime, the company has shown potential business applications for the Streak.

Earlier this month, Dell announced plans to offer the Streak with integrated healthcare applications. Starting in the fall, Dell will offer the Streak with clinical applications, such as e-medical records.

FURTHER READING:

Dell Streak Streets August 13 For $299

Dell To Offer Streak Bundled With Healthcare Applications