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Dell has introduced the firm’s debut 10-inch tablet PC, the Dell Streak 10 Pro in China.
Skipping the Texas-based PC maker’s home country, the 10.1-inch Android Honeycomb tablet has appeared first in China at a press event in Beijing. Armed with the familiar 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 and a 1,280×800 LCD, the 16GB WiFi version went on sale in the middle kingdom priced at around £285 or $465.
Tech blog Engadget said the build quality of the Dell Streak 10 Pro "doesn’t disappoint but added that the chunky Dell tablet was "no match for the likes of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and iPad 2" in terms of portability.
One thing the Dell tablet does have is a micro-USB port, something which requires a custom cable for the Samsung Galaxy Tab.
The debut in China is indicative of Dell’s eagerness to launch new products into the firm’s Asian business. A star performer for the company, having played a large part in buoying Dell’s financial results given lackluster growth in the Western markets.
Dell does not, in fact, seem in a particular hurry to launch the 10-inch tablet elsewhere, saying only that it would "evaluate other regions and segments in the second half of 2011".
Recognising that this may ruffle some feathers, last month Dell Asia boss Amit Midha blogged a lengthy explanation titled "Why not also launch in the US and Europe?"
Midha pointed out that the Android Market isn’t available in China and that as a result the tablet would be quite different from a Western-launched device.
"That’s why it makes sense to start there," he said although it’s not clear why the lack of the Android Market makes it any easier to launch a product.
"Offering an Android 10 tablet in these markets at a later date allows developers more time to create robust apps, particularly for mobile professionals."
It didn’t seem to stop a slew of rivals including Samsung, Motorola, Toshiba, Asus and Acer. It’s likely Dell actually intends to develop their own Android customisations and managed solutions for business for a large-screen Android tablet launch in the US and Europe.
