Dell Announces $2,499 Latitude XT Tablet PC

(Source: Dell)

(Source: Dell)

Dell's first entry into the Tablet PC market will command big bucks

Nearly seven months after the Latitude XT was first shown to the world, Dell is finally making its first Tablet PC available to consumers. Dell says that its new 3.53-pound Latitude XT is a ground-breaking device and is among the thinnest and lightest in its class.

The 12.1" Latitude XT has both pen and capacitive touch technology. Capacitive touch allows users to manipulate items on the screen without the need to apply pressure directly to the display.

"Until now, customers have been forced to make tradeoffs in tablet functionality to have usable systems," said Dell Product Group Director Margaret Franco. "With Capacitive touch technology, the Latitude XT will revolutionize the way customers interact with their systems, allow customers to take full advantage of tablet technology and enables customers to get more done with greater speed and precision."

Dell is taking direct aim at the leaders in the Tablet PC arena and claims that touch response times for its new Latitude are better than the competing Lenovo X61T. The Latitude XT also features advanced digital palm rejection technology for those that regularly write on the screen and uses a digitizer that is ten times more durable than competing solutions.

The Latitude XT is built around Intel's Core 2 Solo and Core 2 Duo ULV processor and comes equipped with a Radeon X1250 graphics core. The Tablet PC also incorporates a full-size keyboard with dual pointers and can accommodate a 64GB solid-state drive or up to a 120GB hard drive.

As previously reported, the display will be available with a traditional CCFL or LED-backlit WXGA display. As is the case with most high-end notebooks and Tablet PCs, the Energy Star 4.0-compliant Latitude XT comes equipped with 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, HSDPA or EVDO Rev A WAN options, biometric fingerprint reader and three USB 2.0 ports. Dell also gives users the option of a 4-cell, 6-cell or 9-cell battery back (the batteries feature a touch-sensitive power meter to report battery life at any given time).

All of the Latitude XT's Tablet PC goodness comes at a price -- the system features a base price of $2,499. Dell will take orders for the system and begin shipments before year's end.

DailyTech first brought you news of the device in late May when Dell announced to the world that it would enter the Tablet PC market. In October, LesDeLLiens.com leaked the specs of the device along with detailed pictures of the device from multiple angles.

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Toshiba Launches Portege M700 Tablet

by Cisco Cheng

Toshiba's convertible tablet line began with the Portege M205, which generated plenty of hype for the tablet industry. It slowly evolved into the Portege M400, which boasted an optical drive and a standard voltage processor. Today, Toshiba is giving the line another facelift with the launch of the Portege M700.

The new M700 incorporates a widescreen form factor and inherits a similar 12-inch LED screen to that found on the Toshiba Portege R500. With LEDs, the M700 will benefit from a thinner and more energy-efficient screen technology.

In addition to a digitized screen, the M700 will also include touch capabilities, so you can use your fingers or the included digitizer pen to navigate. Some of the design elements are being brought from the Toshiba Portege R400 Series. It's a latch-less design, which means the rotating screen is locked into place by two pegs rather than a locking mechanism in the front bezel. According to Toshiba, the design will beef up the hinge by 35 percent, holding the screen steady at multiple angles.

As with the M400, the M700 comes with an integrated dual-layer DVD burner at 4.4-pounds. The drive is also modular, which means you can substitute the optical drive with a second hard drive. A 1.3MP webcam above the screen will give you face time with family members. The system will come loaded with standard voltage Intel Santa Rosa parts. Processor options will start with the Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8Ghz) and go all the way up to the T7700 (2.4Ghz). Memory configurations are expandable to 4GB. As for battery options, the M700 will come with a standard 6-cell battery. Customers can slide an additional 6-cell slice underneath the base for a total of 9 hours of battery life.

Prices will start at $1,699 and $1,799 and systems will begin shipping immediately.

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