While there was no fancy 2 hour press conference at 4am, but today hardware manufacturer Dell has had a cracker. The company announced their first round of Windows 8 products. The large variety of new form factors is on display here and touch now standard on almost every new product Dell offers.
One area that hasn’t got a lot of attention is business. Most estimate that a lot of businesses will skip Windows 8 after just having deployed Windows 7. Dell is certainly hoping that doesn’t turn out to be true with the introduction of an Optiplex desktop and Latitude laptop and tablet running Windows 8.
Another interesting addition is Dell’s version of Apple’s Magic Trackpad. One feature that is often forgotten about is the multi-touch trackpad gestures added in Win8. This means if you do end up on a machine that doesn’t have a touchscreen, then you can pickup this $69 accessory and operate your computer as if it was touch enabled.
XPS One 27 with touch – starting at AUD$1899
The 27-inch all-in-one computer has a Quad HD display that has 78 % more pixels than a Full HD display, and features an articulating stand that tilts the display to a 60-degree angle. This provides additional options when using the touchscreen interface.
S2340T multi-touch monitor – starting at AUD$699
Dell’s offering up a new 23-inch multi-touch monitor, a first for them. Designed to maximize a media entertainment experience with great performance, aesthetics and a multi-position, 90-degree articulating stand. The S2340T monitor would be the perfect compliment to the XPS One 27 for multi-monitor multi-touch setup. The addition of touch and the adjustable stand do come at a premium over the standard Dell 27” monitor.
Inspiron One 23 AIO with touch – starting at AUD$1199
The Inspiron One 23 All-in-One PC has a new trick, touch. The touchscreen option allows you to take interact with games and applications while also operating with your traditional keyboard and mouse.
XPS 12– starting at AUD$1,499
The XPS 12 is a convertible that tries to be two devices in one. A fully-featured laptop that easily becomes a fully-featured touch-powered tablet. The unique flip hinge touchscreen display easily transitions between laptop and tablet mode with a simple flip. When in tablet mode, the display completely covers the keyboard, protecting it from dirt and spills.
Latitude 10 tablet – starting at AUD$930
As the name suggests, the Latitude 10 is a 10-inch tablet for business. Like all products in Dell’s commercial laptop line, the Latitude 10 plugs easily into existing management consoles, features a swappable battery and touts optional security features such as Dell Data Protection for encryption from the hard drive to USB port.
Latitude 6430u – starting at AUD$2599 (incl. 12 months Next-Business-Day onsite warranty)
Dell’s first business Ultrabook puts an end to ugly corporate laptops and delivers some style. The combination of a thin, highly-mobile form factor paired with the security, manageability and durability companies require. The Latitude 6430u is the first to offer a wireless docking based on WiGig technology, which allows devices to communicate wirelessly at multi-gigabit speeds for data, video, and audio. With 10 hours of battery life on a single battery charge, the Latitude 6430u delivers all day battery life, crucial for road warriors and on-the-go executives.
OptiPlex 9010 All-in-One with touch– starting at AUD$1499
All-in-one computers in the enterprise aren’t very common, but the smaller footprint will be inviting to some. Mobile has really pushed touch into the enterprise, but for ancillary applications, not your main desktop. It’s great to see a device like this exist as touch interfaces make their way into more and more work environments. The business-class All-in-One offers options for a multipoint touchscreen, fixed or rotating camera and an articulating stand and is optimized for Microsoft Lync to enhance the user’s work experience with Windows 8.
Inspiron 15z– starting at AUD$799 / Inspiron 15z (touch) – starting at AUD$999
The 15z Ultrabook has an optional touchscreen interface, and packs loads of features into a thin design, perfect for those who want a preferment road warrior. If you’re after the Windows version of a Macbook, you should consider this. It’s a little thicker at just less than 1-inch thick, but for the price, you’d be hard pressed to beat the performance on offer here.s
TP713 wireless touchpad – starting at AUD$69
Unlike most other touchpads, the TP713 has a full-touch work surface that extends across the entire device top, allowing users to swipe and scroll with ease. Users can place multiple fingers on the smooth, durable glass touch surface; the multi-touch functionality provides expanded capabilities when using the new apps on Windows 8.
More information @ Dell Australia
