Netbook Choice » Latitude 2100

Dell Latitude 2110 Pine Trail Atom refresh for education/business

Jet Sun — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:54:16 +0000

Dell has announced the Latitude 2110 netbook as expected. The refresh over the 2100 comes in the form of the newer Pine Trail Atom processors with Dell targeting the device to not only the education market, but also business customers too.

Given that different segments have different needs, the netbook has not been designed with a one-size-fits-all mentality. The 10-inch model comes with either 1024 x 600 or 1366 x768 resolution options. As before the 2110 has a -resistant keyboard and anti-microbial rubber coating.

There are options for touchscreens, webcam, Broadcom Crystal HD media card as well as embedded mobile broadband and SSD storage up to 64GB. You can also choose from a number of operating systems including Windows and Linux.

The Latitude 2110 is also available in Red, Black, and Blue and is on sale now. The least expensive model ships with Linux and can be had for $389. $419 gets buyers Windows XP on the same hardware, with a $489 pre-configured model offering an integrated 2.0MP camera along with a touchscreen LCD display.

Dell Latitude 2110 to be announced next week?

Jet Sun — Tue, 04 May 2010 09:32:09 +0000

Sascha from NetbookNews.de says that the Dell Latitude 2110 netbook, a refresh of the popular Latitude 2100 netbook aimed at the education market, will be formally announced next week. There’s no other details for now unfortunately, so we’ll have to wait until next week to see whether Dell managed to make it a bit slimmer as well eye the full list of specs.

Dell demos Chromium OS on the Mini 9, Mini 10v & Latitude 2100 netbooks [Video]

Jet Sun — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:45:26 +0000

Dell’s Doug Anson has given his impressions of Google’s Chromium OS as well as demonstrating it in action on a number of Dell netbooks including the Mini 9, Mini 10v and Latitude 2100. With the latter, he even times how long it takes to boot to the login screen (15 seconds). It looks very quick and that’s just using a standard 250GB hard-disk drive rather than SSD.

His impressions so far are mixed. On the one hand it feels nimble and fast and uses new web technologies, but on the other hand, it is only really useful when connected to a strong fast network. Without a continuous network connection it’s pretty redundant.

If you want to try it out for yourself, the image has been recut and now comes in a 302MB download (rather than several GB). You can download it here, where you’ll find both the image and ReadMe text instruction files. I have also included Doug’s installation instructions after the break along with the video.

Chromium OS installation instructions onto a Dell Mini 10v netbook

Below are the instructions to transfer your Chromium OS onto your Mini 10v HDD from your USB flash key.

You will need a USB-connected CD/DVD player to do this.

!!!!WARNING!!!! THIS WILL *COMPLETELY* ERASE YOUR HARDDRIVE – SO, DON’T PROCEED UNLESS YOUR ARE OK DOING THIS.

These instructions & actions come with ABSOLUTELY NO SUPPORT from DELL of ANY kind and are for SERIOUS TECHNICAL users ONLY – IF UNSURE, DON’T DO IT.

IT WOULD BE WISE TO ENSURE YOU KNOW HOW TO RECOVER YOUR EXISTING OS & DATA BEFORE CONTEMPLATING THIS.

PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

1). Download and install onto a suitably sized USB flash key an image of Chromium OS

2). Verify that your USB key is functional by booting your Mini 10v with the USB key – ensure it boots OK and functions as expected.

3). Procure a LiveCD image from http://www.ubuntu.com for Desktop Ubuntu – create a bootable CD/DVD with this image.

4). Reboot your Mini 10v via the LiveCD image created in step 3). Choose the “try Ubuntu before installing it” option at the Ubuntu boot prompt 5). Once the desktop is up, Insert your USB flash key. Unmount any partitions that may be mounted from the USB key 6). Open up a terminal window 7). Type: “sudo fdisk -l” and note which device is your HDD/SSD and which is your USB key. For sake of example, my HDD is “/dev/sda” and my USB key is “/dev/sdc”

8). (!!!THIS STEP WIPES YOUR HDD!!!) Type “sudo dd if=/dev/sdc of=/dev/sda” – BE CAREFUL THAT the “if=/dev/sdc” references your USB KEY and “of=/dev/sda” references your HDD.

9). Once the command in 8 ) has completed, you can shutdown the Mini 10v, disconnect the USB key and CD/DVD drive.

10). Power on your Mini 10v – your Chromium OS image should now be on your HDD/SSD.

Via Dell Blog.

Dell Latitude 2100’s Mobile Cart in action [Video]

Jet Sun — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:47:22 +0000

The Dell Latitude 2100 netbook is targeted to the education market. The 10-inch netbook has special kid-proof features like a network activity light on the lid, rubberised case, a fanless bottom to avoid spills as well as some optional extras such as an anti-microbial keyboard, carrying handle and shoulder strap.

While we’ve already seen the Latitude 2100 unboxed, we haven’t seen how the Mobile Cart works. This can be thought of a Mobile Computing Station that allows you to manage and network up to 24 netbooks with just one Ethernet and power cord. It doesn’t come cheap though at $3,900. The promotional video below does a good job of showing this mobile station in action. It does look impressive and could be a sign of things to come in the future. Check out the video after the jump.

Via NetbookNews.de [via Liliputing].

Dell Latitude 2100 netbook gets video unboxing

Jet Sun — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:06:04 +0000

The Dell Latitude 2100 netbook is the company’s first 10-inch device targeted to the education segment. To keep it as kid-proof as possible, the Latitude 2100 has a network activity light on the lid, rubberised case, a fanless bottom to avoid spills as well as some optional extras such as an anti-microbial keyboard, carrying handle and shoulder strap.

Sascha from NetbookNews has unboxed the Latitude 2100 and given his initial impressions. The netbook is available in 6 colours and the one they handled was ‘School Bus Gold’. When you first lay eyes on the Latitude 2100 it does look quite chunky compared to current netbooks. However, Sascha says that this is incredibly well built that you could even probably drop without causing too much damage.

The netbook shipped with both Windows XP and Vista discs, giving you an option to choose which OS you want to install. It comes with a 3-cell battery that should be good for three hours of battery life. There are no access panels, not a surprise considering that it is “spill resistant”. The display was very interesting, looking like a cross between a glossy and matte display. Check out what we mean by watching the video after the jump.

Dell Latitude 2100 netbook options get priced up

Jet Sun — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:19:30 +0000

Dell yesterday announced the 10-inch Latitude 2100 netbook targeted for schools. It seems that Dell has thought of everything to make it is kid-proof as possible. This includes a network activity light on the lid, rubberised case, a fanless bottom to avoid spills as well as some optional extras such as an anti-microbial keyboard, carrying handle and shoulder strap.

Dell now has the Latitude 2100 up on its site along with a multitude of options all price up. The netbook in its $369 base configuration is already not cheap, but a premium can be justified due to the design considerations undertaken. However, this amount can quickly start to add up once you improve the specs.

If you opt for the Latitide 2100 with Linux Ubuntu 8.10 then it will cost $369. Windows XP will cost an additional $30, Vista Home an extra $79, whilst Vista Business will set you back an extra $129.

The Latitide 2100 will come with 512MB RAM as standard. To opt for 1GB RAM costs $15, whilst 2GB RAM is an additional $30. Storage comes with a 16GB SDD as standard. The 80GB/160GB/250GB HDD options cost an incremental $20, $35 and $85 respectively. The 6-cell battery costs an extra $25.

Draft N wireless can be added for $15 and if you want Bluetooth that will cost the same. The webcam costs an extra $15, whilst the touchscreen will set you back an extra $30. The anti-microbial keyboard option costs $20, the carrying handle costs $20 and shoulder strap $40. Any other colour apart from Chalkboard Black will cost $30.

As you can tell this is probably one of the most customisable netbooks Dell has offered and it will be interesting to see whether this carries through in future Inspiron Mini versions.

Dell intros Latitude 2100 netbooks aimed at schoolkids

Tej — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:05:54 +0000

Dell has launched a new series of netbooks which will be specifically targeted for the education market. The colourful Latitude 2100 netbook, which was rumoured a while back, has been designed to be as kid-proof as possible. It comes with a firm rubberised exterior all the way round and has an optional anti-microbial keyboard (+$20), carrying handle and shoulder strap.

A network activity light on the lid that helps teachers identify those pesky kids who may be surfing the net. The bottom is also vent free to avoid any accident from spills. There are also some quirky touches such as a slot on the netbook’s hinge for the school log or owner’s name.

I do wonder whether a slimmer profile would have worked better. Judging by the pictures, the Latitude 2100 looks quite chunky. It’s not light either, at 1.6kg with a 6-cell battery it is one of the heaviest netbooks around. However, it does have quite a large keyboard (95 percent the size of a full-size keyboard), which should be quite comfortable for long periods of use.

The 10.1-inch (1024 x 576) Latitude 2100 features your typical netbook internals. It comes with a 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM, various hard drive configurations, a card reader and a 3-cell battery. There will also be optional extras including a resistive touchscreen LCD, SSD storage and a 6-cell battery. Schools can also purchase a Mobile Computing Station which enables you to manage and network up to 24 netbooks with just one Ethernet and power cord. It doesn’t come cheap though at $3,900.

The Latitude 2100 will come in five colours, and as we saw before, will come with school-themed names to match. There is School Bus Gold, Chalkboard Black, Ball Field Green, Blue Ribbon and Schoolhouse Red. The Latitude 2100 netbook is meant to be available today, although the Dell listing doesn’t look like it is live yet. There will be a choice of operating systems including XP, Ubuntu or even Vista Home Basic.

The base configuration starts from $369 and runs Ubuntu Linux 8.1 on an 8-GB solid-state disk (SSD) drive with a three-cell battery that lasts 3.5 hours. The most expensive version will come at $500 which includes Vista Home Basic, a 160GB HDD, anti-microbial keyboard, touchscreen and six-cell battery for up to seven hours of battery life.

Update: The full list of pricing options can be found here.

It’s not cheap, but it does have a number of features that I think are genuinely useful when it comes to the kids market. There’s no confirmation of a release outside of the US, although as some of the specs are listed as “US Only”, it can only be a matter of time. If you want to find out more about the Latitude 2100, Laptop Mag have a review up now.

Latitude 2100 Technical Specifications:

Choice of XP Home, Vista Home Basic and Linux Ubuntu
Intel Atom processor N270
10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity coupled with a full suite of wireless communication options
2.91lb (1.32kg) starting at weight with 3-cell battery; 3.5lbs (1.6kg) with 6-cell battery
Hard (up to 250GB) or solid state (up to 16GB) drives for increased durability
Three-cell or six-cell battery
Three-in-one Media Card Reader
Optional External DVD+/-RW via USB
VGA port
Clean bottom is vent-free to avoid any intrusion from spills
Options: webcam and a keyboard featuring antimicrobial protection (U.S. only)

Images courtesy of Gizmodo.