Dell Latitude XT and Azentek Atlas CPC-1200

Source: Exec Digital Canada

Date :13/02/2008 22:56:23

Exec gauges Dell's first foray into the PC tablet market and Azentek's latest in-car technology

Dell Latitude XT(pictured)

The XT is Dell’s first foray into the much-maligned tablet PC market. And a pretty solid offering it is too - as well as the 12.1 inch display and stylus it features a 40 GB hard drive, Wi-Fi and nine hours battery life. The interface feels fairly intuitive and responsive, especially compared to some of the clumsy tablet PC’s we’ve seen in the past, but overall, it’s still some way short of the ‘new era of computing’ that Dell are claiming.

And then there’s the price. A standard Dell laptop will cost somewhere around the $1000 mark. The XT, however, is $2,500. That won’t be enough to put off the truly gimmick-hungry, but the question to ask yourself is ‘How often will I use it?’

If you have a real demand for touchscreen that can’t be met by an iPhone or tablet peripheral, then go right ahead. Somehow though, I can’t see that being too many of you.

Price: $2,657

Stockists: Dell

Azentek Atlas CPC-1200 / Calypso CPC-1100

In car entertainment is a concept still very much in its infancy, but Atlas have come up with an ingeniously simple solution; since all of the core features we want in car technology -GPS navigation, Bluetooth cell phone integration, and audio and media playback - can be handled by a PC, why not put one in your car?

Azentek’s two new in-dash are powered by an Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz CPU with 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM/CDRW drive. The Atlas CPC-1200 is the smaller of the units, with a 6.5 inch screen, while the flashier Calypso CPC-1100 boasts a motorized seven inch screen. Standard car stereo features can be upgraded with either XM or Sirius satellite radio.

The comforting familiarity of Windows Vista has been overlaid with a custom automotive interface designed by Azentek, and both units can receive data from your car, such as trip information. While they provide ports for USB drives, SD cards, and an auxiliary jack, with such a large hard drive, there’s little need – these units will hold an extensive library. The audio quality is superb, and with built-in VoiceBox technology that delivers your voice commands to activate navigation and music functions, in car PCs aren’t just for passengers. If you still want more, the flexibility of a PCs upgradable platform means there’s sure to be plenty of future functionality to add. Perhaps that’s why they don’t come cheap - both units are scheduled to ship in April at around $2,700.

Price: $2,799

Stockists: Azentek