It sounds pretty certain that AT&T is dipping its toe in the Android pool within the next few months. The Dell Streak, captured on video last month, looks to be coming to AT&T in 2010 if you believe the Commercial Times out of China, says SlashGear. From what we’ve seen so far, the device appears to have a 5″ display, runs Android 2.0 and offers integrated 3G connectivity. The 800 x 480 resolution looks much better than it does on my 7″ UMPC, as well. I’d say Dell has nailed the screen size and resolution on this device. The Streak looks a bit big for a traditional phone, but nobody has confirmed if the device supports cellular voice — besides a Bluetooth headset works wonders.

That actually leads to an interesting question since I’ve generally been against a handheld that doesn’t offer cellular voice capabilities. Could a full-featured smartphone-like device be successful without the phone part? The most obvious example of a yes answer is Apple’s iPod Touch, but I can’t envision myself using a basic phone for voice and an iPod Touch for everything else. Of course, the Touch doesn’t have integrated wireless broadband, only Wi-Fi, so maybe I’d feel differently if the handheld had an always-on connection. Again, I’m not suggesting that the Dell Streak will be data only, but it does make me wonder about just such a device.

While we ponder that, here’s another look at the Dell Streak from last month.

Earlier this month, rumors out of China indicated that we’d see Google Chrome OS devices running on Nvidia’s Tegra platform. I had a product briefing with Mike Rayfield, Nvidia’s GM of Mobile Business, and heard it directly from the source. When chatting about supported platforms on the Tegra solution, the usual names appeared — Windows Mobile, Windows CE, and Google Android. Oh, and Google Chrome OS too.

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Last seen at Computex, EB’s reference design Mobile Internet Device is making the rounds this week at Intel’s Developer Forum. Since it’s reference for now, EB is hoping to woo a device maker with their design — either a simple rebadge or some reworking to the unit. Would-be MID makers will find Intel’s Moorestown platform and wireless technologies from Ericsson powering the handheld. So what’s new with the little MID that may never be a product on retails shelves?

EB has completely re-worked the user interface and QT framework which “enables users to multi-task and personalize the device through cutting-edge desktop features.” Also in the mix are 3-D and new haptic feedback, which is nice to see in a device with a 4-inch touchscreen. All in all, the updates make the device a bit more compelling, but without someone taking on the design to brand and sell, we’ll only see this at trade shows.

As expected, ARCHOS has debuted their Android-powered tablet (PDF) today. Joanna Sterns from Gizmodo was on hand at the product launch and offers up insights. The device appears to excel at multimedia, which is no surprise — the device has deep roots in the portable media player space. The Texas Instruments ARM Cortex A8 appears up to the task for 720p video playback and the device can be docked for external displays.

Android should bring an optimized web experience, but based on Joanna’s impressions, it currently leaves something to be desired. She says the ARCHOS  5 Internet Tablet is opening mobile versions, not full versions, of websites. I’m sure that’s something that can be easily addressed via a setting or a software update, so I wouldn’t call it a deal-breaker just yet. As far as Flash support, that’s lacking too — ARCHOS is waiting for Adobe Flash 10, so the new device uses Flash Lite for now.

Full specifications are now on the ARCHOS site: 4.8-inch, 800×480 display, choices of SSD (8GB to 32GB) or hard drive storage (160GB to 500GB), 802.11n, Bluetooth, FM transmitter and receiver, and battery life of 7 hours for video playback or 22 hours for music enjoyment. You’ll save 100 grams of weight with the SSD versions, but even the hard drive units are light at 286 grams. Steve Paine at UMPC Portal is hearing that European pricing for the 8GB SSD model 229 Euros. He also heard that an ARCHOS Tablet with phone features should appear at CES 2010. I’m already booked for the show, so I can’t wait to see if ARCHOS is entering the phone business. For now, there’s no phone, but there are thousands of apps in the Android Market to keep you busy.

The new Internet Tablet isn’t just about fun and games though. I just heard from the folks at ThinkFree and they tell me that their ThinkFree Mobile Android document viewer is fully supported on the new ARCHOS 5. Although I’d rather watch some 720p vids on the go, it’s always nice to know that I’m one button press away from viewing the latest spreadsheet of my fantasy football players performance.

Image Credit: Engadget

Oh to be at IFA in Berlin right now. If I was there, I’d be looking at the prototype Toshiba JournE tablet that Engadget peeped. Now when I say “tablet,” I don’t mean “Tablet PC” in the traditional sense. This resistive 7″ touchscreen device is based on Windows CE 6.0, not a desktop computing operating system. However, that doesn’t seem to hurt it for the intended purposes, which you can see on the main screen: browsing with IE, viewing photos both locally and on the web, watching YouTube or stored vids (you can watch Wall-E on your JournE!), catching up on RSS feeds or your friend’s latest Facebook status updates.

I’d put this squarely in the portable media player camp even though it does offer browsing and online capabilities through the Wi-Fi connectivity. While it is light and thin — one pound and 14mm in thickness — it points to the problem often found by converged devices: it’s probably better for digital media than most smartphones of today, but it might not be for other functions. That doesn’t mean for some folks it’s not worth taking the JournE when it arrives next quarter in Europe for around 250 Euros. Now the question becomes: would you prefer the Toshiba JournE  with Windows CE 6.0 or an anticipated ARCHOS device running Android?

Wondering how Maemo 5 will run on the recently announced Nokia N900 smartphone? Wonder no more, thanks to the videos coming from Nokia World. Maemo looks to be running silky smooth and offering the satisfied, full feeling of a fluid mobile operating system. In fact, the model reminds me very much of Palm’s webOS with its multitasking and view of all running programs. Even when viewing all apps and widgets, they’re live in the above video, which is something I’ve come to appreciate on my Pre.

SlashGear has their own hands-on — really hand-on, as Chris is holding the camera in his other hand — which shows the device from pretty much every angle. He’s already not enthused with the three-row keyboard and offset space bar, but I gather that many folks can overlook those potential issues. The device and OS just look too good to universally condemn it for some keys. There is an on-screen keyboard which will help overcome some of the hardware keyboard issues.

(via UMPCPortal)

The Android-based ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet is slated to launch on Sept. 15, but an online retailer has jumped the gun, as often happens. Retailer B&H has put the ARCHOS 5 on their site, in several configurations but has removed detailed information. The ARCHOS 5 is the 5-inch slate that uses Android to power the handheld web appliance. B&H has removed most of the original information posted (including pricing), but both HDD and SSD models were listed at one time.

When posted on the site, pricing for the ARCHOS 5 ranged from $294 – $420 depending on the configuration, so it’s looking like a decently priced gadget. It’s not clear how well received this will be but it’s nice to see Android appearing in something other than a smartphone.

(via pocketables)

Anything But iPod dropped the $399 I wouldn’t — I thought about it, though — and they’re now the proud owners of a Creative Zii EGG developer edition handheld. This early video look offers a detailed introduction to the hardware as well as the Plaszma operating system. It’s clear that this device still isn’t optimized to take advantage of the StemCell computing offered by the ZMS-05 platform, but it shows promise. The touchscreen looks bright, clear and responsive and the native music player appears intuitive. Browsing in Plaszma is done through a version of Opera, so it appears to be quite usable, as expected.

The Zii EGG supports Google’s Android operating system as well, but doesn’t include a cellular radio for voice. It’s conceivable that you could turn this into a fun Android device and use voice apps over Wi-Fi thanks to the built-in microphone. A quick recap of other key specs to refresh your memory of the Zii EGG:

• 3.5″ display running 320×480 resolution with 10-point capacitive multitouch support
• 1080p high-definition output
• 32GB internal storage memory, 256MB of RAM
• SD slot supporting up to 32GB of expanded storage
• 802.11g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2.1 +EDR, GPS, 3-axis accelerometer
• 3D hardware graphics accelerator supporting OpenGL ES
• Support for Android and the Android SDK

Although $399 for a development device is still too rich for my blood, I’m keeping an eye on the EGG and the Plaszma operating system for now. I suspect that Creative will have better success with this device using the Android platform, but you never know.

Can’t wait until the Sept. 15 ARCHOS event to see what’s coming from France? You may not have to, thanks to the Federal Communications Commission. It spilled the beans on two small tablets — the ARCHOS A5S and A5H. Engadget eye-spied pics galore from the FCC labs, which show a thin pad with a screen sized at, or just under, 5″. Without any physical keyboard, there’s no doubt it’s a touchscreen device, just like the very similar ARCHOS 5. The interface appears to be a heavily customized version of Android, but it’s difficult to tell. It’s quite obvious that the FCC needs to get a new testing table, though — the wooden one is looking pretty beat up, so I’m all for using a few of our tax dollars at the nearest Home Depot.

There’s not much else to go on just yet although Engadget points out which radios were tested. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, and an FM transmitter and receiver are inside. I also see a microSD slot and some USB ports — possibly an HDMI jack, but the FCC camera needs an upgrade right after the new table is purchased. Either that, or we should be investing in better lab lighting. All should become clear in a few short weeks, but with mention of 3G in one of the user manuals, one of these handhelds could make for a nice portable media player and web device.

Image courtesy of shanzai.com

Smartbooks are getting ready for the market, whether the market is ready for them or not. They are generally thought to be similar to Mobile Internet Devices, although laptop forms could easily be produced. They are expected to have ARM processors, meaning no support for Microsoft Windows. The OS options discussed so far have been Google Android or Windows CE. We haven’t seen any real smartbooks available for purchase yet, at least not until word of a Chinese unit purchased by a reviewer. The Lanyu LY-EB01 eBook was purchased for $98, which is pretty darn cheap. Of course, you get what you pay for, as indicated in the initial review of the eBook.

The Lanyu eBook has a 7-inch screen nestled in a rather large notebook case. There is a full keyboard and trackpad, with mouse buttons on either side of the pad for clicking. Windows CE 5.0 is the platform in residence, and as expected, the reviewer ran into a less-than-stellar web browsing experience. The initial review is an interesting look into this new product category, so check it out along with all of the photos of the eBook.