Dell Latitude XT2 Tablet PC Officially Announced, $2399

Posted by | 02/09/2009 | 26 Comments

latitude_xt2_tablet_pcDell’s getting all official on us now, finally announcing what has been leaked the past several weeks, the new series in their XT Tablet PC line up – the Latitude XT2 Multi-Touch Tablet PC: 1.2 ghz SU9300 / 1.4 ghz SU9400 Montevina Core 2 Duo ULV, up to 11 hour battery life (6-cell + 9-cell slice), improved antennae design for wireless connectivity, Intel 4500MHD integrated graphics, up to 5 gb DDR3 ram, N-Trig capacitive touch digitizer for multi-touch support. The Latitude XT2 is available now at a starting price of $2399. More specs, pictures, promo video, and official press release after the break.

FYI – this was under embargo until Tuesday morning, but since other sites, and Dell + Dell Japan themselves, have broken the embargo, we have now published it.

Specs

  • Processor: 1.2 / 1.4 ghz Intel Small Form Factor Montevina chipset
  • Graphics: Intel 4500MHD integrated graphics
  • Display: 12.1″ LED and Daylight Viewable LED, 1280 x 800
  • Weight: 3.62 lbs with 4-cell; 3.78 lbs with 6-cell
  • Battery: 4, 6, and 9-cell slice
  • Memory: 1gb on board, 1 slot open for up to a 4gb DDR3 chip for up to 5gb of ram
  • Storage: 80 gb / 120 gb SATA HDD, 64 gb SSD
  • Input: multi-touch screen, digitizer pen. Full size keyboard, track stick, track pad. Dell has removed one of the programmable buttons previously on the XT – the 4th screen button for email.
  • OS: Vista Ultimate, Vista Business, each with downgrade rights to XP Tablet Edition
  • Connectivity: Wireless LAN, Mobile broadband (EVDO, HSUPA/HSDPA)
  • Ports: 1394, 2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 2.0/eSATA, VGA, RJ-45, Audio, 54mm Expresscard / SD card slot
  • Fingerprint reader
  • System management: Intel vPro
  • Docking: Latitude XT2 Media Slice (XT2 is backward compatible to previous dock)

Dell Latitude XT2 Tablet PC


Official Press Release:

latitude_xt2_tablet_pcROUND ROCK, Texas, Feb. 10, 2009 – Dell today announced the Latitude XT2 convertible tablet building on the industry’s first tablet PC with multi-touch screen capabilities designed to enhance security, increase performance and extend battery life. The system starts at $2,399 and is available today at www.dell.com/latitude.

Multi-touch capabilities on the Latitude XT2 allow users to use natural gestures like a pinch or tap for scrolling, panning, rotating and zooming that work with productivity applications they use every day. Dell’s integration of multi-touch screen technology allows customers to use the full real estate of the display, as opposed to just the touchpad.

““As part of our commitment to deliver the best mobility experience, Dell revolutionized the tablet space with the first multi-touch capable product that allows customers to use the entire screen,” said Brett McAnally, director, Dell Product Group. ““Today, we’re extending that leadership with the Latitude XT2 to deliver more performance, security and manageability.”

latitude_xt2_tablet_pcOther features include:
* Up to 11 hours, 28 minutes of battery life1 with six cell battery and optional 6-cell battery slice
* Daylight Viewable display that has up to 100 percent more luminance than the HP EliteBook 2730p.
* Full-size keyboard, touchpad, point stick and battery-free pen give users input flexibility.
* Combines performance with high touch accuracy to allow touch interface with small icons without drops or hangs.
* Comprehensive services options with Dell ProSupport.2

* Improved connectivity with new LCD-based wireless antenna design.

* Enhanced hinge design for improved panel stability.
* SATA drive support providing updated storage technology and enhanced performance.
* Comprehensive security features adding Dell ControlVault and ControlPoint Security Manager.
* DDR3 RAM allows better performance and up to 5GB RAM.3
* Manageability with integration of Intel vPro and DASH 1.0 compliance.

Full gallery of pictures here

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Dell Japan link via Engadget

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As the Founding Editor for GottaBeMobile.com, Rob oversaw the growth and overall direction for content, advertising, and management of the site. Keep up with Rob at RobBushway.com Send email to Rob
← Older Comments
  • Manuel

    @Rob
    “It has longer battery life due to montevina”. Sorry but that is not true. Montevina wont make any sigificant difference. Since the old platform used “only” 14 Watt which is an okay value. The Problem was(maybe is) the screen.

    @frank
    “The special thing is now, that they offer a display which uses very bright LED’s as a backlight source”
    What do you mean by that?

  • http://www.gottabemobile.com Rob Bushway

    @manuel – montevina does help with battery life. I’m sure there are other factors contributing, but Montevinia is a contributing factor.

  • VT808

    Hey Rob, I was just wondering what your take is on the matter? You purchased and used the XT (1st version) extensively and had some problems with it. Would you recommend this tablet, or pass on it?

  • Frank

    @manuel
    Almost all notebooks/tablets use transmissive LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) as a monitor, which needs a background lighting. Currently most of the monitors use CCFLs (Cold cathode fluorescent lamps) for this, newer monitors use LEDs as light source instead. The Fujitsu T2010/T2020/T5010, HP2710/2730p/TX2, Toshiba M700/M750, Lenovo X200t, use LEDs instead of CCFLs. The Dell XT has/had two options, a bright LED backlit display or an even brighter CCFL backlit display, for outdoor usage. The Dell XT2 now offers a hopefully still bright LED backlit display and an even brighter LED backlit display, called daylight viewable.
    CCFLs are cheaper, simpler and more common. LEDs are brighter, consume less power, the display frame can kept slimmer, they last longer, produce more vibrant colors, but are more expensive.
    The funny thing is that Dell compares its daylight viewable LED backlit diplay with the HP2730p LED backlit display. It’s well known that the HP LED backlit display is bright, but the Fujitsu and Lenovo LED backlit displays even brighter. So Dell just says that their expensive display model is brighter than the HP, but not if it’s brighter than the Fujitsu and Lenovo displays, and this also means that the normal LED backlit display from Dell is as “dim” as the HP display.
    Summarized: Dell upgraded their outdoor viewable CCFL backlit display version of the XT to an outdoor viewable LED backlit display.

    Maybe you’ve meant with “Its no longer an LCD display but a LED display”
    OLED? That’s the display type in which each pixels emits light, used in the latest OQO. But this technology is too new and too expensive up to now to build this in a 12″ large tablet.

  • http://www.ivylaw.com JimAtLaw

    Interesting. I chatted with a Dell rep and he thought they’re just being slow offering the HSDPA option – so this may come later.

    Also note that the “ultra” performance SSD is NOT one of the faster and longer lasting Samsung SLC drives, it’s the older MLC type.

  • Joe

    Keep in mind that the Dell now has an “All-Day Battery” mode which cuts the refresh rate of the LCD down to 40Hz as well, according to the Service Manual. I’m sure that helps quite a bit.

  • Lars

    Dell Germany has it on the website starting at 1449 € (1867 $). I wonder if that can be right?

  • MarceloR

    The bits about the USB/eSATA interest me. However, I cannot see myself paying any kind of money for a tablet with 1) a low-res wide-screen format and 2) no digital video output on the chassis. The Thinkpad X200 failed me on the two counts and I did not buy. I guess my X61T, albeit with VGA-only output but a high-res screen, will have to last a long time as I see no viable alternative coming out any time soon.

  • RDX.

    Why did the XT only have 2hr battery life compared to the T2010 or 2710p which had 2 or 3 times greater battery life?

    Does the capacitive screen (which is maintained at a constant electrical charge) use that much more current than a wacom screen, the ati 1250 graphics, different capacity standard batteries?

  • Frank

    @RDX:
    Poor batteries with low capacity.
    My 9 cell main battery in the T2010 has 94Wh
    Dell needs a 6 cell main battery with 42Wh together with a 9 cell 45Wh battery to reach 97Wh, that’s really poor.
    And the ATI graphics card also needed more power than the Intel X3100. So it was just a poor designed tablet, regarding battery life.

  • thecold

    87 wh. :) (still less than the 9 cell in the t2010)

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