Computer giant Dell today sought to steal a bit of thunder from Apple’s iPad launch by announcing the release of its Google Android-based Streak tablet in the UK. It will be available to UK customers in early June and US customers later this summer.

The 5” device is hotly anticipated in the US because it will bridge the gap between smartphones and iPad style tablet computers, which typically have screens of around nine inches or larger. It will also offering the open Android platform rather than Apple’s closed iPhone operating system.
 
Dell says that the device is conceived as “data first”, although it can be used as a phone too. 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 and a 5mp camera, the Streak will run Android 1.6 but will be upgraded to the Adobe Flash supporting version 2.2 later in the year, for free and over the network.

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

Neither HTC nor Dell are confirming prices until closer to the product shipping, but it is expected to be priced more like a high-end smartphone than the iPad. “The Dell Streak is a bold new class of product, something we wanted to bring to our customers first,” said Steve Alder, O2’s General Manager Devices.

Salespeople and Service Managers at 40 of the US Mercedes-Benz dealerships will be getting to try out iPads in order to better service their customers. They didn't create a new iPad app, though, instead Mercedes converted their existing web portal into a web app to work on the iPad. Dealerships have already been using a web-based app on their PCs. One of the biggest changes necessary was the removal of Flash content. (Yet another shot fired at Flash in the Apple-Adobe war.)

UPDATE: Apple issued a press release Monday putting first-day iPad sales at over 300,000. They did not offer a number that included Sunday sales.

"It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world — it's going to be a game changer," said Steve Jobs, in a prepared statement. "iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad."

Even with all the hype that preceded the launch of the iPad — or perhaps because of it — Apple managed once again to blow past expectations.

As of 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 19 of the 20 Apple Stores reached by independent Apple analyst Gene Munster of Pier Jaffray reported having iPads in stock. But a search of Twitter messages Sunday morning turned up reports of stockouts at many Best Buy outlets and several Apple retail locations.

In a report to clients issued Saturday night, Munster's estimated that by midnight Sunday, Apple will have sold 600,000 to 700,000 iPads, including pre-orders — more than double his relatively conservative pre-launch estimate of 200,000 to 300,000.

It took Apple 74 days to sell its first million units of the original iPhone, and three days each to sell a million units of the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3Gs.