Acer Review, Asus Review – Netbook 10

Designed for the classroom, the Dell Latitude 2100 is a welcome breath of fresh air. Features such as the texturized rubber casing, shoulder strap, network activity light, and the optional touch-screen and antibacterial protection show well suited it is for children from K-12. The netbook does come with its drawbacks though: weight (3.4lbs), and price ($369 to $500).

Rating – 6.8/7
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Top Features

The Dell Latitude 2100 comes with standard specs in terms of speed, performance, memory etc. Here’s what makes it perfect for schools:

• Network Activity Light – Located on the top of the 2100, the light glows when students are browsing the internet. This way, teachers can monitor what kids are using the netbooks for. The light can also be programmed to glow when students have completed tasks and would be great for in-class quizzes.
• Software partnerships – Dell is open to working with software companies to make use of the 2100’s network activity light and touch screen to create more engaging educational programs. It’s a smart move by the company and software companies will no doubt jump on to the opportunity to have their software used in schools around the country.

• Mobile Computing Stations – These carts are compact, store and charge 24 netbooks, and serve as WiFi outposts. Dell sees them as replacing computer rooms altogether – who needs entire rooms devoted to housing power hungry desktops? With the carts, schools can take the computer labs to the classrooms. It’s a great idea, and should help schools save space and energy.
• Rubber Casing/Shoulder Strap – Apart from looking awesome, the rubber casing is designed to make the netbook scratch-proof and bruise-proof. It is also texturized to give kids a better grip. Dell hit the nail on the head here, since younger students are likely to bump into things when carrying the netbooks around.
• Optional Touch Screen – This feature comes at an extra $30/netbook and will help in-class activities. This video shows a girl using the touch screen to draw on Microsoft Paint.
• Optional Antimicrobial Protection – A good feature to have on standby, most schools will want to pay the extra $20 to prevent the spread of too many germs as students share these netbooks on a daily basis.
• Remote Management/WLAN – The 2100 gives teachers the ability to manage the netbooks remotely (to deactivate the screens, pull one screen up on a projector etc.), and also gives the tech department the ability to run network updates over night.

There’s speculation that Dell will be offering these netbooks at a volume discount, which will help drive the prices lower and allow the netbook to really take off. Since Dell provides many schools with desktops and laptops, the netbook may be their biggest competition. On the other hand, they’re also well-poised to steal market share from other companies like Apple.

Drawbacks

1. Weight – 3.4 pounds is hefty for an adult, let alone a third grader. The next generation 2100 will have to slim down or face a lot of concern from parents and teachers.
2. Price – At $369 for the basic 2100, and about $419 for the optional features, the 2100 is far more expensive than other high quality netbooks. Especially when you think about the number of netbooks these schools will have to purchase.
3. 1 year warranty – These netbooks will face heavy –and clumsy – use from young kids – I’m surprised Dell isn’t offering a 2 year warranty to help jump-start sales.

Rating – 6.8/7

• Value for Money  – 0.5
• Speed and Performance – 0.8
• Screen – 1
• Keyboard – 1
• Portability & Battery Life – 0.5
• Looks and Design – 1
• Extensibility & connectivity –1
• * Bonus Point – for the network activity light and optional touch screen

Specs

• Processor – 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270
• Operating System – Windows XP Home
• Graphics – Intel 950/128 MB shared
• Memory – 1 GB/2 GB RAM
• Storage – solid state up to 16GB, hard drives up to 250GB
• Display – 10.1” matte screen (1024 x 576)
• Connectivity – Ethernet, WLan, WiFi, Bluetooth
• External Devices – 3 USB ports, VGA, 3 in 1 card reader
• Battery life – 4 and a half hours
• Dimensions – 10.43” x 7.36” x 0.89” – 1.57”
• Weight –  2.9lbs with 3 cell battery /3.4 pounds with 6 cell (heavy!)
• Colors – yellow, blue, green, red, black

The Bottom Line

The 2100 is a great choice for schools looking to expand their computing facilities. The netbook is well designed, and Dell is ready to develop the line further and meet the needs of students, teachers and schools.

Related posts:

1. Dell Mini 10 Netbook – Dell’s 10 inch 720p Screen netbook
2. Dell Mini 9 Inspiron 910, 9″ Netbook Review
3. Asus 8.9″ Eee 4GB PC Netbook
4. AT&T $99 Netbook Contract – Get Dell Mini 9 and Acer Aspire One netbooks for $99 with 2 year AT&T contract
5. The Netbook market – Some research

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