Dell Latitude Z could be first laptop with wireless charging

I'm really praying this isn't another Adamo. The soon-to-be-introduced Dell Latitude Z will have a premium design, super high-end specs, and a lofty price tag. I've heard that all before, but wireless charging in a notebook? That's new.

The laptop is said to have a 16-inch display, which is a larger screen than your average business notebook. Other than that, the details are few and far between. Apparently it will pack an Intel processor and, you know, RAM and a hard drive.

But back to the wireless charging that's being reported by Forbes, the details of which aren't entirely clear. My guess is the laptop would need to be put on an inductive pad of sorts to charge without wires. Sort of like the Palm Touchstone or those WildCharge mats, but this would be pretty new for laptops.

The whole package is said to be more than the "typical $1,100 business laptop," in both design and price, which means it's going to be costly. According to Forbes, Dell thinks the world is ready for another expensive laptop (or maybe optimistically thinks companies have the budget for that kind of thing these days). Sounds like it will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

[boyd087]

I never really "got" those inductive pads. At least with a power cable you can still use the device, despite being tethered to the wall. Sadly, I just don't see much convenience in the wireless pads, and I think "wireless charging" is a term that continues to over-inflate the hype of these wireless charging pads. "Plug-less charging" sounds more appropriate to me. Lame?

[nicdabomb]

my friend's dad works for dell and has this computer...it is really great. Looks good and performs well, the wireless charging is an added bonus.

[Woody-pkp]

It's not really "wireless" charging if you're still tethered. Seems like more work to have to carry a pad versus a flexible cord. Now if it was truly "wireless"...

[tomtodd86]

I was browsing the net today and came across the brand new, just released today, Dell Latitude Z Laptop. I gotta admit, I was liking some of the features it came with. The base price starts at $1799 for a limited time offer, which comes with the standard 16 inch LCD, Duo Core 1.4/1.6GHZ processor, with 2.0 GB DDR3 RAM. Ok, pretty standard for that price tag, but the real catch comes in the Latitude Z features and accessories. It is also currently the worlds thinnest and lightest 16 inch laptop. Let me just say that I am not promoting Dell, and in fact told myself that I would never purchase another Dell again after my last stint with their M1710 XPS, but this ?Z? may change my mind.

I want to brush over some of the sweet and innovative accessories and features that this model has, mind you, some of these do not come with the base package: 1) Inductive Charger Stand ? Although it is kinda bulky, it is pretty sweet. Rather than having to rely on power cords to give your laptop juice, all ya gotta do is lay your Latitude Z laptop on the stand, and it recharges wirelessly. Dell is the very first to offer this unique accessory on laptops. Is it really necessary is the big question, not really :) 2) Edge Touch LCD Sensor ? I really don?t know how many people will get use outta this feature, but it is pretty cool. If you don?t have a mouse handy, or if your hand is getting tired of using the touchpad, with the LCD Sensor on the side of the laptop LCD Screen, you can now scroll through websites by grabbing onto it with a couple of your digits and moving vertically up and down. 3) Integrated Auto Focus Webcam ? Ok, so a ton of laptops come with built in webcams. This webcam, located just above the LCD can not only take pictures and video, but also scans and copies. You can literally hold up a business card, a picture, a dollar bill and anything else you want and scan it right into the laptop, which will result in a clean picture. Need to quickly scan in a 2 page document? Not a problem with this feature. 4) Dell Face Aware Lockout - I like this feature. Basically if you are sitting in front of the laptop, and decide to walk away from your laptop, the built in webcam will take note of your absence and immediately log you off which can protect your data from ?prying eyes? and save on battery power if you don?t have a power adapter hooked up.

These are just some of the many features and accessories that might come with the Latitude Z. Innovative? Sure, but do you really need all of these extra features? Not really, but if you have the money to spend (yeah right, in this recession?) and are looking to upgrade laptops anyway, and are an accessory loving maniac, then you may want to consider the Dell Latitude Z. Oh yeah, it comes with a 3 year warranty, which is a MUST for dells? Well, all laptops, but dells in particular just because my damn XPS broke down just after my 1 year warranty expired and I had a hell of a time getting it fixed :)

Courtesy of www.blogtoilet.com