BOSTON, USA:Making foray into the emerging tablet arena Dell Inc. has unveiled a touch-screen tablet computer called Streak. The release the leading PC maker head-on with Apple Inc, the producer of popular iPad.

The computer maker introduced the device in the U.K., where it will be available at wireless operator O2's stores and other outlets by early June. The Round Rock, Texas, company said it plans to make the tablet available in the U.S. later this summer, though no specific date was given. Dell didn't provide pricing information.

The Streak, which Dell unveiled in January, is a tablet with a five-inch screen based on Google Inc.'s Android operating system and uses an ARM-based processor called Snapdragon from Qualcomm Inc. The Streak, which will be able to connect to wireless Internet and 3G cellular networks, is smaller than Apple's iPad, which has a 9.7-inch screen.

"It's curious that they're doing a 5-inch form factor, which is half the size of the iPad," Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu said. He speculated that Dell may be aiming for lower price points and production costs.

Pricing for the Streak will be announced closer to launch, an O2 spokesman said.