Dell has unveiled a new business-oriented laptop that can be charged wirelessly and features always-on capabilities.
The Dell Latitude Z is said to be the world’s thinnest 16-inch laptop with 1,600 x 900 display, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of memory. It is 2.5cm thick and weighs 2 kilos with a four cell battery. Prices start at £1,139.
It also has a number of features that Dell hopes will show the company in a more innovative light. The Latitude Z features wireless docking and inductive charging, which uses a coil in the base and another in the laptop to generate an electromagnetic field to charge the battery.
Lisa Homes, Dell UK and Ireland product manager, told CBR that users should not notice any difference between charging wirelessly and traditional laptop charges, and it can charge 80% of the battery in an hour.
The wireless dock, which can also be used to run peripherals such as printers, is available as an extra, costing an additional £159. It will go on sale at the end of October.
The Latitude Z also features always-on capabilities, called Latitude ON. Homes said that this is essentially a second computer within the laptop, which can be instantly switched-on in the same way a smartphone can.
It enables quick access to less power-hungry applications, such as email, calendar and the web browser. However, if a user wants to access their documents or attach a USB, a full boot-up of the laptop is required.
Latitude ON will be rolled out to all Latitude laptops soon.
Homes said that the laptop is aimed primarily at the business market, but said she was not worried that the price may be a deterrent to businesses watching their outgoings. “We’re aiming this at high-end execs who are often quite image conscious and do a lot of travelling. We don’t expect it to be part of Dell’s bread and butter and are not expecting huge market share. Although there are some companies that have been hit by the recession there are plenty that are doing well,” she said.
