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Just bask for a moment in the pure awesomeness that is the above picture ... oh, yeah. So, Jenn Lee at Streak Smart had the amazing idea of paring a new Dell Streak with a Logitech diNovo Mini bluetooth keyboard to create the 5-inch MID you really want: Android-powered, and oh yeah, it's also a phone with 3G data.

The diNovo Mini is actually designed to be a portable keyboard for your HTPC or media center, but it works just fine here. This pairing is only possible because Dell has wisely chosen to allow the Streak to work with Bluetooth keyboards, a feature we haven't yet seen in stock Android. The article recommends using some tape to keep the Streak fastened to the inside of the diNovo's lid and propping said lid against something firm to keep the whole thing from falling over backwards. This thing would be perfect for a long plane ride, especially as you could bring an extra battery for the Streak.

As the diNovo doesn't have a "Menu" button, the two devices aren't 100 percent seamlessly compatible, but the keyboard does have a light sensor for backlighting, which is also awesome. This sort of device is what gets me really excited to see full Android or Chrome OS netbooks in the future. Click on the link for more details and pictures. [Streak Smart]

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13 Comments

Posted by digginter
July 24, 2010 - 11:471 year ago

Nice post.I think a lot of people should read this article and got the useful information.
Thank so much.

 
Posted by bearmacerick
July 24, 2010 - 12:071 year ago

Neat idea. I have a dinovo mini for my HTPC. It's very nice and all my friends love it.

 
Posted by likwidsoul
July 24, 2010 - 12:301 year ago

Nice

 
Posted by AndroidGuy25
July 24, 2010 - 12:511 year ago

Dell Streak FTW

 
Posted by booboolala2000
July 24, 2010 - 13:591 year ago

Is it available for all networks ir just gsm?

 
Posted by JohnnyACE562
July 24, 2010 - 14:051 year ago

Why does Dell Streak look so much like a Blackberry Storm?

{{-_-}}

 
Posted by dpendleton
July 24, 2010 - 15:061 year ago

Minor point, it's a diNovo Mini, not diNova.

 
Posted by Kyle Gibb
July 24, 2010 - 15:561 year ago
Fixed, thanks.
 
Posted by Bushido Brown
July 24, 2010 - 18:401 year ago

I'm really close to getting one these things to designate as my mini iPad'ish type of device. but I don't travel enough to justify the purchase

 
Posted by Se7en2
July 25, 2010 - 00:111 year ago

I actually use a Freedom Pro Bluetooth keyboard with my EVO, and it works pretty much flawlessly. The only thing that doesn't work are the dedicated buttons on the keyboard for email, calendar, etc. However, you can program the F keys to open whatever program you want, so not a big loss. Below is a link for step-by-step instructions on pairing the keyboard with your Android phone:

http://www.simplemobilereview.com/step-by-step-freedom-pro-keyboard-setu...

I used it for an extended period of time the first time a few days ago, and it was great. I attended a seminar and used it to take notes using Note Everything (which I then uploaded to my Google Docs and shared with colleagues that weren't able to attend the seminar), as well as answering emails, since I was out of the office. I didn't have to pull my laptop out all day. Next time, I'm leaving my laptop at home.

 
Posted by Impulses
July 25, 2010 - 05:361 year ago

While this looks pretty neat for the Streak (considering it's size and how perfectly it sits on the diNovo), there are far more usable BT keyboards out there that will work with any Android phone (and can be folded so they're portable). See the post above for one instance...

It doesn't seem like you'd be able to type on the diNovo much faster than you could type on a Moto Droid (or even Swype) since you're still limited to just your two thumbs... Not very ideal for note taking or long e-mails. A laptop-sized foldable keyboard would be the way to go for that.

Judging by the Amazon reviews a lot of people are already using the one mentioned above w/their EVOs, I'm quite tempted...

Not sure why, I have a 10" netbook that doesn't occupy that much space in my book bag and it's probably more comfortable to type and edit docs on it, but the sheer novelty of sitting down and taking notes on my phone and this tiny fold-away keyboard is attractive nonetheless.

 
Posted by ConfoundedJoe
July 25, 2010 - 12:101 year ago

If Dell simply had the driver map the windows button to the menu button we would be set.

 
Posted by Inthus
July 25, 2010 - 12:361 year ago

What's the name of that wallpaper?