American Dell Streak 7 tablet gets Android 3.2 software update

A few days ago Dell began rolling out a software update for the Dell Streak 7 tablet in the UK and Europe. Now it’s also available for US Streak 7 owners.

The software update brings Google Android 3.2 to the 7 inch tablet. It initially shipped with Android 2.2 Froyo — a version of Android designed for smartphones rather than tablets.

Google’s Honeycomb version of Android initially required high resolution, 1280 x 800 pixel displays like those found on the Motorola XOOM or Asus Eee Pad Transformer. But the Dell Streak 7 has a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display. Android 3.2 is the first version of Google’s tablet-optimized operating system that’s designed to play well with lower resolution screens.

The update will allow users to run Honeycomb-specific applications. It also adds the Honeycomb user interface including the new recent apps menu, support for home screen widgets that can be resized, and other changes.

Dell’s software update also includes a new version of the Dell Stage user interface with new widgets. The software also includes several third party apps including Zinio for purchasing and reading digital magazines and QuickOffice for viewing office documents on the tablet.

The Dell Streak 7 features a 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. You can pick up a WiFi-only version of the tablet for under $300. There’s also an HSPA+ 4G capable model available.

Update: Dell says the over-the-air update is available for WiFi and unlocked 3G Streak 7 tablets in the US, Europe, and Asia. But the udpate will not be available for rooted users (or anyone running custom ROMs, but that part should go without saying).