Dell’s new netbook for the classroom


19 May 2009

Dell’s latest addition to the Latitude range of laptops is an industry first: a 10.1-inch netbook designed especially for education.

The Latitude 2100 has been designed for ‘K-12’ needs, or children in education aged between Kindergarten and 12th grade; in other words, children aged from four to 18.

The chassis is rugged and rubberised, and comes in five bright colours to appeal to school-going kids.

Meanwhile, a clearly visible ‘network activity light’ on the laptop lid will allow the educator to monitor their students’ wireless connectivity (no IM-ing your pals in class when you’re supposed to be reading offline then!).

While the netbook has plenty of functionality, additions such as webcam and touchscreen capability are optional to keep the base price affordable.

Like all personal possessions brought through the classroom, the Dell Latitudes will have nametags. There is a personalised window on the back of the battery pack where the school logo or name can be displayed, allowing schools to personalise and/or easily identify individual machines.

Specs-wise, the Latitude 2100 runs on a choice of XP Home, Vista Home Basic or Linux Ubuntu and a N270 Intel Atom processor, with the option of a solid state drive (SSD) and DVD rewriter via USB.

This model is currently available from the Dell.ie website, starting from €279, excluding VAT.

By Marie Boran

Pictured: Dell Latitude 2100