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Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets

By | October 27, 2011, 4:49am PDT

Summary: Dell hopes you keep that iPad at home when you come to work and instead use its new Latitude ST tablet to get your productivity on. The company has just launched the Windows 7 slate with an eye to the corporate market, as well as healthcare and education workers. Dell says the Latitude ST is ideal [...]

Dell hopes you keep that iPad at home when you come to work and instead use its new Latitude ST tablet to get your productivity on. The company has just launched the Windows 7 slate with an eye to the corporate market, as well as healthcare and education workers.

Dell says the Latitude ST is ideal for these settings, combining Windows 7 Professional with the company’s Electronic Medical Records and Connected Classroom services. Dell is also collaborating with a slew of business partners to get the tablet certified for their apps.

We don’t know much about specs at this point, other than the Latitude ST uses Intel Atom processors, sports a 10-inch screen, offers stylus support, and includes front and rear cameras, USB and HDMI ports, and an SD memory card slot. As Engadget points out, the link to the product page on Dell’s blog post isn’t working, so other details are scarce.

The Dell Latitude ST will launch on November 1, with pricing yet to be announced. Can it provide a viable alternative to the iPad in an enterprise setting? Let us know your thoughts in the Talkback section.

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Topics

Dell Computer Corp., Education Market, Health Care, Dell Latitude, Tablets, Notebooks, Vertical Industries, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist.

Disclosure

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist; currently, all work that Sean does is on a contractural basis. Sean has also written corporate communications documents for CA.

Sean does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.

Biography

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy started his tech writing career at ZDNet nearly a decade ago. He then spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. He received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. from the University of Southern California.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
darkriderdesign 27th Nov
I just bought one. And its incredible. I'm glad I didn't buy, an iPad, or an android tablet... I build apps for both devices at work and having used both ipad and Android tablets at work I can honestly say they are cool bit seriuosly missing an Os.

I was close to buying an iPad or android tab. but part of me has always wanted a "real" tablet PC again. Back in the day I owned a compac tablet and it was great but ridiculously slow, then sometime after that owned a Fujitsu U80 which was a step up but no capacitive touch or accelerometer.

Had it running most of thanksgiving weekend without a charge, check email, RSS, then putting in standby, waking it up, drawing a picture(with a real stylus) then putting it standby. It has adobe cs5.5, visual studio 2010, wp7 dev tools, office 2010 and it runs them like a champ.

If you've been holding out waiting for a sweet tablet, the dell latitude at is well worth it.
View in thread
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Wow!
Tim Acheson 27th Oct
I want one. Already have a Win7 tablet, a full-power PC in tablet/slate form. Makes iOS/Android tablets look like a toy.
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You say toy like it's a bad thing:)
James Quinn 27th Oct
@Tim Acheson ... First point I know of several individuals and have read of a few industries and or businesses who get actual productive use out if their iPads. However I'm still wondering what is wrong with a toy? A well made toy that it's owner enjoys to use, and finds the toy satisfying? Seems to me that us a good thing.

Pagan jim
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
Rob.sharp@... 28th Oct
@Tim Acheson

That's because IOS and Android tablets are TOYS! MS is still king of productivity and it's sort of annoying to see IT managers allow junk on their networks! I for one won't permit IOS/Android devices due to security concerns. On top of that my team doesn't need more crap to support!
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Who cares?
killsport@... 27th Oct
If it is like most Dell products, it will be bulky and have issues until they get to the third iteration. I'm waiting to see what functionality (not specs) this truly provides over the existing slew of offerings (iPads, Android tablets, etc). I think the one thing Apple truly got right is to take the focus away from specs and focus on what the tool can do for me. For example, just because a car has 400HP doesn't mean it's better for me, especially if I do all city driving.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
Rob.sharp@... 28th Oct
@killsport@...

Really? You'd turn down 400HP in the city! Sorry but give me the 400HP and some slicks to lay down the rubber!
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
windozefreak 28th Oct
@killsport@...
I think some people will disagree?? I've visited a few hospitals on several occasions Most all of them use Dells to power their systems and all user stations sports the name, DELL! The cheap stuff must be what they crave or dell make a special iterration for the hospitals!! Maybe I'll ask next time. You might want to do that too and sound creditable on your posts.
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fdhrete
HRSYRW 27th Oct
http://snipurl.com/2dkivf
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
LoverockDavidson_-24231404894599612871915491754222 27th Oct
Dell hopes you keep that iPad at home when you come to work and instead use its new Latitude ST tablet to get your productivity on.

That is what most people are doing with their iPads, keeping them at home. Having the Windows tablet will be better for the enterprise because its going to be easier to port their applications to it, reducing the costs of application development and maintenance.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
fatman65536 27th Oct
@LoverockDavidson_

Now, if I were to get my hands on one of these things (he says: "Boss, are you listening?"), I would scrape WindoZE off of it and put Linux on it. Who needs all of that bloatware?
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
windozefreak 28th Oct
@fatman65536
You had better hope he is not listening?? If he is, he probably have a he pink slip waiting for you, unless he values delusional employees! LOL!
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
deusexmachina  28th Oct
@LoverockDavidson_

Do you have any data to back up that ridiculous, specious assertion? No, I thought not, liar.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
Orangy 27th Oct
Next Article: Apple sues Dell because is looks like a tablet.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
Rama.NET Updated - 27th Oct
@Orangy
Nah, it doesn't even look like iPad (no home button, the back side is not like iPad, the front and sides are not close to iPad). And moreover it has Windows 7, so the total Microsoft Patent Portfolio is backing that and I don't think Apple would go to that extreme.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
Fletchguy 27th Oct
@Rama.NET
They would and have. The samsung tab looks nothing like the ipad except its rectangle and has a touch screen lcd and they sued and won.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
Wilson_Energy 28th Oct
@Orangy Next Article after that: Microsoft counter-sues because the supported slate tablets before the iPad.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
grhaigh 27th Oct
I think that Dell is making a good business decsion. Since the Dell Streak horribly failed in the consumer industry, why not give the enterprise side a try with something new like a full on Win7 Tablet. Of course we will have to see just how well the device works before making any really judgements.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
SbySW 27th Oct
Nothing new here... we already have Win7 tablets... they fail because of 2 things: Horrid battery life (4 hours or less) and high price ($600+). My guess is that this Dell tablet is aiming at the Enterprise because its high price would be an automatic fail in the home/personal market.

C'mon Dell... prove me wrong!
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
spokanedj 28th Oct
The big problem/roadblock I see with all the current tablets is the screen resolution. Since Windows 8 will require 1366x768 for side-by-side apps, that feature will not be availabe on all of these current tablets. Who knows what other things might not be available or work as well. If this had the slightly better resolution, I'd definately by it or the Asus. But I'll pass until then.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
TWyG 28th Oct
Good move by Dell for enterprise customers. As an enterprise client, a Windows tablet will have the cost advantage of not having to have a VDA license ($75) for virtual desktop use. This would be covered as a Software Assurance benefit under the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. All iPads and Android tablets would have to have VDA licenses purchased.
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Another Loser Windows Tablet
ldo17 28th Oct
Yet another in a long line of Windows failures stretching back 10 years. I don't know how their market research continues to show that there is any kind of potential market for these things, when the sales figures invariably say otherwise. This is what happens when you get too close to Microsoft's Reality-Distortion Field, I guess.
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RE: Dell officially introduces Latitude ST Windows 7 tablet for enterprise, healthcare, education markets
darkriderdesign 27th Nov
I just bought one. And its incredible. I'm glad I didn't buy, an iPad, or an android tablet... I build apps for both devices at work and having used both ipad and Android tablets at work I can honestly say they are cool bit seriuosly missing an Os.

I was close to buying an iPad or android tab. but part of me has always wanted a "real" tablet PC again. Back in the day I owned a compac tablet and it was great but ridiculously slow, then sometime after that owned a Fujitsu U80 which was a step up but no capacitive touch or accelerometer.

Had it running most of thanksgiving weekend without a charge, check email, RSS, then putting in standby, waking it up, drawing a picture(with a real stylus) then putting it standby. It has adobe cs5.5, visual studio 2010, wp7 dev tools, office 2010 and it runs them like a champ.

If you've been holding out waiting for a sweet tablet, the dell latitude at is well worth it.

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