Dell has stressed it is not abandoning the fondleslab market despite deciding to pull the Streak 7 from its online store stateside.

All vendors have struggled to elbow Apple's iPad out of the top spot. HP gave up the WebOS tablet ghost in the summer and channel sources are expecting RIM to bow out in the next nine to 12 months, contrary to the BlackBerry maker's claims.

A spokesman at Texan tech titan said: “Dell remains committed to the mobility market and continues to sell products here and in other parts of the world".

Dell only discontinued the Streak 5 in earlier in the year.

The seven-inch Android device will still be available from retailers and disties in the US and Europe and a 10-inch version, Streak Pro, is currently being flogged in China.

The firm continues to sell the Venue and Venue Pro smartphones and last month unveiled the Latitude ST, a 10-inch Windows 7-based shiny slate targeting education, finance and healthcare verticals.

"We remain committed to expanding our reach beyond PCs with a targeted set of open, standards-based mobility solutions and services designed for commercial and mobile professional customers," Dell said a PR blurb. ®