On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:55:52 -0400 (EDT), Andy Random
<andy.random@???> wrote:
> Thanks for all the suggestions and links.
>
> I'll check out the links people suggested, but I'm afraid I'm probably
> going to ignore the advise about learning Java first...
Well, don't say I didn't warn you :-) I understand the issue about needing
an interesting project in order to motivate you, but you could probably
learn the basics in half a day before moving on to Android development.
> What do you think of the Streak?
I bought it to use as a web tablet around the house, thinking it would
be too big to use as a phone. It's now replaced my Blackberry Storm as
my phone. It fits in my trouser pocket, and though it's a bit cumbersome
for answering calls and the like (can be fixed with a bluetooth headset),
it is fully usable.
It has a nice screen, Android (even 1.6, though 2.2 is rumoured to be
available for it next month) is nice and usable and there's lots of apps
on the android market. Not all work well with a large landscape screen
(not all apps do auto rotation), but I have most of my needs covered.
The touchscreen isn't great for typing - but I always have problems
with typing on touchscreens. It seems a bit over sensitive at times.
Comes with a trial version of Touchdown, which synced first time with
my work's Exchange servers. The Streak buzzes at me a second or two
before the Outlook notification for new mail turns up on my PC.
Syncs with google mail (to be expected), and I need to find the time
to setup IMAPS on my home mail server to try synching with that. The
browser doesn't like Roundcube webmail very much, so reading home email
via that route is a bit difficult. The browser otherwise works nicely
with most sites I've tried.
Battery life is an issue - it lasts a day reasonably well (as long as
wifi is switched off), and it seems better than my Storm was, but
ideally I'd like it to last a bit longer.
Dell also charge a fortune for the car dock (over £50!), and the much
cheaper third party one I ordered from Amazon arrived today and prompted
me to give it a 1 star review. Which is a shame, because the Google
Navigation stuff is really nice and though I wouldn't want to replace
my current SatNav (PSP with GPS) with it, it'd be good to have it as an
option when I don't have my real SatNav with me. If Google ever allow
maps to be fully downloaded, then I'd change my mind.
Oh yes, and finally, the ssh connector works from it, though doesn't
handle the escape key, making use of vi somewhat problematic.
So, in brief, I'm happy with it as a phone and mini tablet. Still waiting
for something with a real keyboard however. FWIW, I got it unlocked from
Dell directly, and plugged in my Vodafone SIM without any problems.
--
Samuel Penn
sam@???
