Business meets Windows 8 in Latitude 10 tablet

12 years ago

It’s a stretch to say that Dell Latitude 10 tablet would replace the business laptop but for many remote workers the features in this Windows 8-powered device come pretty close.

Despite its decidedly good looks, there’s not much in the way of design that makes the Latitude 10 stand out from the parade of tablet choices these days that include the likes of Apple’s iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy Tablet, the wide assortment of Android tablets and even BlackBerry’s PlayBook.

However, beyond the magnesium-alloy armour, 10.1-inh Gorilla Glass display and the soft grippy surface on the back of the Latitude 10, this 1.45-lb tablet packs an assortment of features that many business users see on their notebook.

It’s 2GB of memory, dual core Intel Atom z2760 processor, internal storage options of 32GB, 64GB or 128GB, and 32-bit Windows 8 operating system, aren’t necessarily the specs one would expect in a business laptop replacement.

For remote workers though with specific duties such as technicians, agents and even executives that want the convenience of a light computing device, these Spartan specification would likely suffice. It could also be argued that with enterprises now uploading much of their corporate data and applications to the cloud, onboard storage is not the premium item it used to be.

Business-friendly features

If there’s one thing that many business users will be happy to see in the Latitude 10, it’s probably the user-removable battery.

Very few tablets feature owner-removable batteries. Internal batteries have always been a drag for remote workers as the require devices to be tethered to power cord while the tablet is in charging mode. With a removable battery, users can keep a spare one around so that they can keep the machine working while the other battery is charging. The choice of battery sizes available enable users to keep the device running for up to 10 hours.

Like other tablets, The Latitude 10 come with a front-facing camera (720p) and an eight megapixel rear facing camera. The device though is also equipped with ports and interfaces not normally encountered on other tablets.

For example, along the side of the machine you will find a full-sized USB 2.0 port, one full-sized SD card slot, a combination headphone and microphone port, mini-HDMI, a micro-USB charging port and a docking station port.

Four more USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet ports, HDMI and an audio output are available on the optional productivity dock.

A Wacom Active stylus also enables users to capture signatures, take notes and edit photos. A keyboard and case combo from Kensington is also available as an option.

The USB and SD memory features ensures that users can effortlessly connect to other machines such as mobile devices, projectors and widescreen displays as well as easily transfer data.

“The Latitude 10 was designed with the business user in mind,” said Marc Mondesir, director of Dell Canada. “We took the time to find out what business tasks users would want their tablets to tackle and built our tablet around that.”

“The result is a tablet that can easily switch roles, from helping executives conduct presentations or employees do on-the-fly basic to computing to perhaps some Web browsing and catching up with the family once work is done,” he said.

Secured computing

Management and security of mobile devices has become a crucial factor for many organizations dealing with the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend according to Elaine Mah, director of Intel Canada.

To that end, she said, the Latitude 10 has been equipped with an array of security options including SecureBoot, a component of Windows 8 OS that prevents malicious applications unauthorized OS from loading during system start up; Intel Platform Trust Technology, a cryptographic firmware which guards against software-based attacks; biometrics, SmartCard and encryption software for local and USB drives.

Three Latitude 10 versions

The Latitude 10 comes in three versions:

The Essential Edition with 64GB and non-removable battery, available May 1 ($599.90) and next day shipping available April 23 ($753.20)
The Productivity edition with docking station and removable four-cell battery good for 60 watt-hours, available May 13 ($949.20)
The Enhanced Security version with SmartCard, fingerprint reader and four-cell battery, available May 1 ($937)

The Productivity and Security models get Trusted Platform Module and Intel’s Platform trust Technology. All models include support for Computrace anti-theft technology.