A screenshot from the video in which Dell announced it would build a tablet PC.
(Credit: Laptoping)More Dell news today: the release date for Dell's foray into tablet PCs is making its way around the Internet.
The Latitude XT will be available Tuesday, Engadget reported today. Dell first announced that it would build the convertible notebook PC in May, and last month teased audiences with it at the Oracle OpenWorld conference.
More details will be available about the product specifications next week.
If you are accident-prone and like choices, perhaps the new Panasonic 7 Series Toughbook is for you.
The notebook version of the new 7 Series Toughbook from Panasonic.
(Credit: Panasonic)Panasonic will introduce three versions of the new business-rugged notebook Monday evening. The ultraportable W7, tablet T7, and slim Y7 notebook. All come loaded with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and weigh between 3 and 3.7 pounds. (The 14-inch notebook is the heaviest of the three, if you can call 3.7 pounds "heavy.") They also come equipped with Bluetooth 2.0, and built-in Wi-Fi and mobile broadband from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon. The notebook and ultraportable have DVD Super multi drives, while the tablet nixes the optical drive in light of space and weight considerations.
The company has termed these three notebooks "business-rugged." What they mean by that is that these will likely survive a decent amount of abuse sustained over the course of a normal business day for people on the go. They have magnesium-alloy casing, shock-mounted hard drives, and flexible internal connectors, and the casing can survive a 1-foot drop, while the hard drive can withstand a 2.5-foot drop.
In addition, it should stand up under heavy pressure. The 7 Series was designed with the Tokyo subway system in mind, where business folk pack themselves in like sardines for the daily commute, according to Panasonic. Its engineers found that standing on a train with people crushed in on all sides can create more than 220 pounds of compression force on you and your briefcase and notebook.
The 7 Series also adopts the "spill-through" keyboard used in the Toughbook 52 Series.
The notebook version is available now for $2,449, while the tablet and ultraportable will be for sale next month starting at $2,099.
Dell confirmed Friday that it will sell a tablet PC before the end of year.
Jeff Clarke, senior vice president and general manager of Dell's business product group, made the announcement in a short video posted to the company's Direct2Dell blog.
"I'm here to end much speculation in the industry about our plans in the tablet marketplace," says a casually attired Clarke, while holding the tablet. The device will be a Latitude tablet PC designed specifically for the education, health care and corporate markets, he said.
On the video, Clarke gives a brief demo and offers a few details. It will be one of the lightest tablets on the market and will have a pen and touch-screen interface. He demonstrates how it will open like a notebook, and will have a screen that twists and shuts to become a tablet.
Intel and Motion Computing recently announced a slate-style tablet PC specifically for the health care field. It will be priced at just over $2,000.
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