December 13, 2007 In a move they believe will help facilitate the tablet PC product category to go mainstream Dell has announced the Latitude XT – a 12.1-inch convertible tablet with pen and capacitive touch capability that weighs in at under four pounds and is just an inch thick. Capacitive technology, popularized recently thanks to Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, senses the touch of a finger with no pressure required for the system to recognize input. It is also the forerunner to emerging multi-touch capabilities that allow the use of more than one finger for tasks such as zoom and repositioning a picture.
Most competitive tablets on the market today rely on resistive touch that requires the application of force for the system to recognize user interaction. The older technology can be less accurate and durable than capacitive touch and may not support multi-touch. In addition, Dell says that many customers who use resistive tablets that support both pen and touch functionality may disable the latter because the palm rejection technology is not adequate. To overcome this problem the Latitude XT uses advanced digital palm rejection technology to help prevent inadvertent contact that disrupts pen input. The digitizer technology on the Latitude XT is rated up to 10 times more durable than competing resistive touch digitizer technology, offers faster touch response times, requires less force and results in fewer touch attempts. The pen with eraser for the Latitude XT is maintenance free, doesn’t require any batteries, and comes with several tips for precise and personalized writing.
The standard display for the XT is a 12.1-inch WXGA (1290 x 800) LED backlit LCD while an optional DLV panel is also available for viewing outdoors or under direct light. Powered by Intel Core 2 Solo and Dual ULV processors the Latitude XT is equipped with an integrated ATI Radeon X1250 UMA graphics card, a 32GB or 64GB solid state drive and up to 120GB hard drive. An optional media base for docking and optical media is available, as is an optional battery slice designed to provide up to 9.5 hours of battery life and, for those wanting to use the PC in a more traditional way, the Latitude XP comes with a full-size keyboard with dual pointing.
The system starts at USD$2,499 and Dell will begin to take orders and ship the Latitude XT by the end of the year. Energy Star 4.0-compliant configurations of the Latitude XT will be available in January 2008.
For further info visit Dell.