14 DAY TRIAL // Dell Streak, the flagship smartphone of the US-based multinational company, is one of the hardest devices to get, even after three months since its official launch on the market.
Also known as Dell Mini 5, the device is now only available in three countries: United Kingdom, United States and Romania.
If you're one of the few people that managed to grab one, then these tips will surely help you manage your device much easier.
As you all probably know by now, Dell Streak comes with Android 1.6 OS, which thankfully, is upgradable to Android 2.2 (Froyo), as Dell officials already unveiled at the beginning of the month.
Nevertheless, Dell worked very hard on this Android-tablet so that it could offer a smooth and stable experience for Android users.
That's the main reason the tablet is delivered with Android 1.6 OS, which was the most stable platform at that time.
Courtesy to the device's manufacturer, Streak features an improved GUI that you won't find in any HTC or Motorola Android smartphones.
Anyway, the main issue with the device is the huge amount of energy it consumes even when it's kept on standby.
One way to reduce the energy consumption and prolong the battery's life is to turn off any background data synchronization, as well as GPS localization and data connection.
The earlier Android versions had a problem with turning off the background data totally, which is not the case with Dell Streak.
To turn off the Data connection, Dell inserted a new switch in the firmware, which totally disables any APN point and doesn't allow any data connections until you switch it on again.
To access the option, simply go to Settings, Wireless controls, Mobile networks and uncheck the Data connection option.
The usual Background data option can be turned off from the Data synchronization menu, while the GPS localization can be found under the Security & location menu.
Here is another useful tip that will help you in case you want to take screenshots of your Streak after you “pimp” it.
Taking screenshots with an un-rooted Android smartphone running Android 1.6 OS might prove difficult if you don't know the entire procedure.
I have tried the usual thing with Dalvik's virtual machine, but I was surprised to find that my PC didn't have the USB driver of the phone installed, so I was unable to take any screenshots.
After downloading the latest version of Android SDK (r07), as well as the necessary USB driver included, I tried again, by pointing the install manager to check the usb_driver folder that I previously downloaded.
Unfortunately, it didn't detect the correct driver, so I started checking Dell's support forums, where I managed to find the solution.
Connect your smartphone to your PC and choose the first option from the pop-up menu, Copy media files to / from your computer (MTP).
Your device will be automatically detected and you will also have access to the SD memory card that comes with the device.
Check the new driver appearing now under My Computer and double click on the Dell PC Suite file.
This will install Dell's proprietary synchronization software, which also includes the USB driver that you will need in order to take screenshots in Dalvik's virtual machine.
Restart your computer, connect the smartphone through the USB cable and choose the second option Copy other files to / from your computer, and then open the virtual machine and notice that you Streak has been detected.
Feel free to add more of these tips, especially if you're a Dell Streak user.