Dell’s five-inch “entertainment, social connection and navigation device” might be more portable than the iPad, but it may not cost a whole lot less—provided you don’t want to get roped into a contract, at least. Engadget found out from a Dell blog post that the Streak will sell for $549 on its own and $299 with a two-year AT&T contract. The Dell blog post has subsequently disappeared, though. Oooh, intrigue.

In case you’ve been impervious to the Apple PR machine, the Wi-Fi-only iPad sells for $499, and the version with 3G connectivity costs $629. AT&T offers $14.99- and $25-a-month 3G data plans for the latter, but there are no contracts involved. Users just pay for the service on a month-to-month basis.

Also, the Dell Aero pricing and launch dates have been released by Dell. It’ll be available on August 9th for $99.99 with a contract and $299.99 without. That’s all folks.