Priced at $300 or less, the Dell Streak 7 is one of the cheapest tablets shipping with a 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor and 7 inch display. But it’s hampered by two constraints. First, it has a low resolution 800 x 480 pixel display. Second, it ships with Google Android 2.2 Froyo which is starting to look a bit dated.
It turns out there are fixes for both of those problems… to some degree. A few months ago a hacker going by the name of DJ Steve ported Android 3.1 Honeycomb to run on the tablet. Now he’s back, and this time he’s brought Android 3.2.
For the most part the new operating system looks like earlier builds of Honeycomb, but there are a few changes in Android 3.2 Honeycomb including:
- Third party applications can now automatically detect media stored on SD cards.
- There’s support for additional screen sizes.
- Apps designed for phones can now be stretched or zoomed to fill larger displays.
That last feature should be a non-issue on the Dell Streak 7 since it has the same screen resolution as many Android phones.
Oh yeah, and as for the screen resolution? While there’s no way to change the physical resolution of a display, DJ Steve uses a software trick to change the pixel density so that you can fit more on the Streak’s 7 inch display.
In order to install Android 3.2 on the Dell Streak tablet you’ll need to download the HoneyStreak HD7 2.0 custom firmware and use it to replace the stock software on your tablet. You’ll want to backup any important data first, since this process will erase everything on your device.
You can find detailed instructions at the xda-developers forum.
via Streak Droid
Okay, but this updated Kyros may be the best under $200 tablet on the market in terms of specs:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/Coby+-+Tablet+-+Black/2903297.p?id=1218361851397&skuId=2903297#BVRRWidgetID
Apparently there may be a $25 instant rebate bringing it down to 150 at Best Buy.
actually that $25 rebate was from somebody who bought it at Toys R Us.
dude whats up with you and the coby kyros? haha
Now that I have a Asus Transformer, the Dell Streak just looks like a piece of junk in terms of actual official support.
Try getting support from Asus. It’s like pulling teeth…