Dude, you’re getting a tablet PC. That could be the ad tagline for the Latitude XT, Dell’s first tablet, which was announced on Monday. The company described it as “the industry’s only sub-four-pound convertible tablet with pen and capacitive touch capability.”
Dell is emphasizing the quality of its tablet’s touch technology, noting that most tablets use resistive touch, which requires more pressure for an input to be recognized and can be less accurate or durable than capacitive touch.
Capacitive Touch Tech
“Until now,” said Dell Product Group Director Margaret Franco, “customers have been forced to make tradeoffs in tablet functionality to have usable systems.” But the XT’s capacitive technology, she said, allows users to get more done, more quickly and more precisely.
Capacitive technology does not require pressure because the technology recognizes a finger touch. The model has “advanced digital palm rejection,” so that, if the rest of your hand gets in the way of your finger, the XT recognizes your intended input. And the touch response time, according to Dell, is up to 10 times faster than other tablets, such as the Lenovo X61T.
The XT features Core 2 Solo and Duo low-voltage processors, ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics, a full-size keyboard, up to 9.5 hours of battery life, and an optional media base for docking and optical media. The tablet is available with a solid state drive or a standard hard disk. Prices start at $2,499.
Tablets ‘More of a Play’
Doug Bell, an analyst with industry research firm IDC, said that tablet PCs are “becoming more of a play” for vendors, as they become more common for consumer and business users. HP, for example, came out with a tablet last year, he noted, and on Monday Toshiba announced its first tablets with LED screens.
“Most of the high-profile vendors are releasing tablets,”…