Dell Impresses with the New Latitude Z Laptop

If you think you’re better than your old clunky laptop docking station. You’re even better without a power cord sticking into your computer. And you’re definitely better than waiting for Windows to load-up just to check your e-mail. Well, of course, you’re an executive and you definitely need distinction. Here’s Dell’s answer to you.


Dell released their Latitude Z laptop on Tuesday to the upper elite. Dell claims their new Latitude Z laptop is the world’s thinnest (at 14mm) 16-inch laptop. Price starts at $1,999.

The new Latitude Z laptop comes with a slick, black cherry finish that makes it look black in certain light and burgundy in other light. It’s refined with a high-definition (1600×900) WLED display, a back-lighted keyboard, a 2 mega-pixel camera, solid state drives and carrying cases designed by Timbuck2 and Cole Haan.

However, the real magic of the Latitude Z is buried elsewhere. For instance, current laptops would require brute force and crunching noises before finally making their way into docking stations. Never with the Latitude Z.

The Latitude Z just glides onto a shiny and thin platform that charges the laptop thru an inductive charging system. The platform subsequently uses wireless communications to connect with a small, rectangular docking station that handles a connection to the office network as well as the monitor.

An executive trying to impress can just buy a wireless mouse as well as a wireless keyboard and then place the Latitude Z onto the platform, revealing only a one-cord wonder. Another impressive feature on the Latitude Z is also the ability to check e-mail, contact information as well as calendar and even browse the Web thru an instant-on software package.

The software fires up the moment you open the laptop and immediately connects right to a wireless network without having Windows to load.

Most of the users Dell surveyed spent 70 percent of their time working most in the instant-on mode. That should make Microsoft take note of that figure. It turns Windows into a clunky cup holder.

The new Latitude Z also has more features. You can just slide an identity badge (RFID) across the keyboard and the computer will automatically read it. The laptop utilizes the camera to check if a person is at the keyboard and will automatically lock down when the person leaves. The right side of the monitor acts as a touch-wheel allowing you to scroll through application icons and start applications just by rubbing your finger along the edge of the laptop.

Though the wireless bits and pieces really impress at first look however they seem more about form than function. Nevertheless, you still have to use a plug into the docking station even if the laptop already uses inductive recharging.

Todd Forsythe, the vice president of life-cycle management at Dell explained, “This is designed for impression makers and executives on the go.”