SEATTLE — Dell Inc., already the largest seller of PCs to schools worldwide, is trying to extend its lead with its first "netbook” designed for young students at a time when adult consumers and businesses have cut back on technology spending.
Dell’s new Latitude 2100, which was being unveiled at an event Tuesday in Australia, is part of a newly popular category of computer that’s much like a laptop, but cheaper, smaller, lighter and less powerful.
Unlike Dell’s other netbooks, the 2100’s shell is made from brightly colored, grippy rubber, not slippery plastic. Its underside is free from vents and other openings, so plopping the computer on spilled milk won’t do any damage. And a light on the lid of the computer tells teachers when kids are connected to the Internet.
The extent to which laptops improve academic performance remains debatable, but Dell Chief Executive Michael Dell, perhaps not surprisingly, argues that computers in classrooms are a key ingredient to better schooling.
"There’s no question that technology can play a role in improving outcomes for students,” Michael Dell said in an interview. "This is not to say that putting computers and (information technology) systems in schools solves all the problems — there’s no chance of that. But it is to say that, look, these are required skills that people need to be successful.”
The 2100, aimed at students in kindergarten through eighth grade, has a 10-inch screen and a keyboard that’s a little bigger than regular netbooks. It can be configured with a touch screen, which Dell says is useful for kids’ small hands, and an anti-microbial keyboard, because those hands are often grubby. A Web camera add-on is also available. It can run basic versions of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP and Vista operating systems and the Ubuntu version of Linux.
Unlike the still-mythical "$100 laptop” envisioned by the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child organization, Dell’s machine starts at $369, which might put it out of reach in developing countries. Add on popular features and Dell said the price will be more like $500.
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dell’s new Latitude 2100, which was being unveiled at an event Tuesday in Australia, is part of a newly popular category of computer that’s much like a laptop, but cheaper, smaller, lighter and less powerful.
Unlike Dell’s other netbooks, the 2100’s shell is made from brightly colored, grippy rubber, not slippery plastic. Its underside is free from vents and other openings, so plopping the computer on spilled milk won’t do any damage. And a light on the lid of the computer tells teachers when kids are connected to the Internet.
The extent to which laptops improve academic performance remains debatable, but Dell Chief Executive Michael Dell, perhaps not surprisingly, argues that computers in classrooms are a key ingredient to better schooling.
"There’s no question that technology can play a role in improving outcomes for students,” Michael Dell said in an interview. "This is not to say that putting computers and (information technology) systems in schools solves all the problems — there’s no chance of that. But it is to say that, look, these are required skills that people need to be successful.”
The 2100, aimed at students in kindergarten through eighth grade, has a 10-inch screen and a keyboard that’s a little bigger than regular netbooks. It can be configured with a touch screen, which Dell says is useful for kids’ small hands, and an anti-microbial keyboard, because those hands are often grubby. A Web camera add-on is also available. It can run basic versions of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP and Vista operating systems and the Ubuntu version of Linux.
Unlike the still-mythical "$100 laptop” envisioned by the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child organization, Dell’s machine starts at $369, which might put it out of reach in developing countries. Add on popular features and Dell said the price will be more like $500.
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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