The new Dell Streak comes somewhere in between a smartphone and the Apple iPad.

A new tablet from Dell will be launched on the O2 network in June called the Streak – and takes its place neatly between the smartphone and the recently-launched Apple iPad.

Dell and O2 today (25 May 2010) announced that the Streak, which was first shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in January,  will launch exclusively on O2 early next month, bringing the internet, entertainment, easy turn-by-turn navigation and thousands of Android Market apps to customers looking for a big screen experience without having to carry a laptop around.

The new Dell Streak, or Mini 5 as it is also known, features a 5-inch touch screen, 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, fast processor, built in Wi-Fi and can easily connect to a range of social networks – as well as function as a normal mobile phone. It seems to bridge the gap between smartphones and iPad-style tablet computers, which typically have screens of around nine inches or larger.

It will also offer the open Google Android platform rather than Apple’s closed iPhone operating system – and according to Dell, has been created as a “data first” piece of kit, rather than the “phone first” approach of regular smartphones.

Web browsing on the larger screen means that most sites look very similar to their desktop equivalents, while watching films is also slightly easier than on a smaller mobile phone screen. Also featuring turn-by-turn navigation, the Streak will run Android 2.1 but will be upgraded to the Adobe Flash supporting version 2.2 later in the year, for free and over the network.

O2’s General Manager Devices, Steve Alder, said: “The Dell Streak is a bold new class of product, something we wanted to bring to our customers first. This means we can continue to offer our customers a range of the very best devices to make their lives a bit easier.”

“The Dell Streak hits the sweet spot between traditional smartphones and larger-screen tablets,” said Ron Garriques, President, Dell Communication Solutions Group. “Its unique size provides people with new ways to enjoy, connect, and navigate their lives.”

The device uses the same 1GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that powers HTC’s much-lauded Desire handset and will ship with 2gb of internal storage, expandable to 32gb.

It will launch in June exclusively with O2, which is preparing a special data tariff for the device, though has not yet announced its prices. Further versions of the Streak, with 7- and 10-inch screens, will follow the launch of the 5-inch device.