Dell Launches Ultra Slim Notebook

Dell has proudly introduced a new 16-inch Dell Latitude Z600 laptop that is claimed to be the world's thinnest, lightest laptop with wireless charging. This ultra slim notebook also features Latitude ON, an instant on Linux Kernel based OS customized by Dell for instant-boot. Design and built wise, Dell stands head to head with Apple-class notebooks in the business segment. The new Latitude Z600 is priced at $2000 (Rs. 96,000) and is available in US starting Tuesday.

New Latitude Z600 is basically intended to be a business portable notebook and has matching features to meet the business environment. Dells engineering efforts are fairly visible with the design, styling and functions of the Latitude Z600 notebook.

Dell has used Intel's 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo (SU9400/SU9600) consumer ultra-low voltage processor that helped to keep the notebook thickness up to a half inch. With up to 4GB of DDR3 memory and 64GB SSD storage, the graphics has been taken care of by Intel GMA 4500MHD. Though Latitude Z has a 16-inch screen, the notebook weighs 4.5 pounds. Along with the USB ports, Dell has also added DisplayPort, eSATA and Ethernet port.

One of the most novel parts of the Latitude Z600 laptop is its inductive charging laptop stand - yes, this slim notebookcharges wirelessly. The entire wire-free step with legacy ports accessible will impress users with its DVI out port, twin USB ports, and audio out. Another interesting technology incorporated is the dedicated Latitude ON Button that boots up the system in a matter of seconds.

Latitude ON is enabled with instant-boot OS combined with self contained TI OMAP System-on-Chip based motherboard (Yeh, that's what Dell says) on the system motherboard. This system motherboard won't turn the hard drive instantly on in order to secure the confidential and critical data. The interface is built on Linux kernel customized by Dell along with browser, mail, contacts, calendar, VPN client and Citrix client).

Dell has also added a new FaceAware, face recognition feature that uses built-in 2 megapixel webcam to check if the registered user/owner has stepped away from the system. If the user has stepped away from Z600, this feature automatically logs the system making it inaccessible. Also, an invisible trackpad on the right-hand bezel of the screen detects swipe gestures.

For instance, swiping finger up or down will make the active window on the screen move up or down accordingly. This right hand bezel acts as quick access shortcut to frequently used applications.

Aimed for business professionals, this Latitude Z600 notebook comes preloaded with Windows Vista SP1 and for wireless connectivity offers WiFi with support for Draft N. However, with all these power-packed business friendly features, Dell equips Z600 with four cell battery pack only.

Considering the form factor, Latitude ON and the other features added in the Latitude Z600, Dell truly is a MacBook Air competitor.