Dell Goes Back to School with Latitude 2100 Netbook

By Geoff Duncan May 19, 2009

Dell Goes Back to School with Latitude 2100 Netbook

Computer maker Dell has always targeted the education market with its desktop and notebook models—what computer maker doesn’t want to have its wares carted around in backpacks and populating university and high school labs? But now the company is targeting a much younger segment of students with its new Latitude 2100 netbook

Dell’s new Latitude 2100 is the company’s first netbook aimed at younger students, and features a ruggedized design with a rubberized casing to make the system easier for small hands to grip. Under the hood, the unit is much like many netbooks on the market—a 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 10.1-inch 1,280 by 576-pixel LCD display, up to 1 GB of RAM, hard drive and SSD options (up to 250 GB and 16 GB, respectively), gigabit ethernet, 802.11 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking, VGA output, a 3-in-1 media card reader, three USB 2.0 ports, and integrated speakers and microphone. Options include an external 8× DVD±RW drive, Webcam, and a six-cell battery for added usage time. The unit can also be configured with an optional touchscreen and an antimicrobial keyboard, and the unit’s security locks can also be rigged up with carrying handles and shoulder straps. The systems will be available with Windows XP, Windows Vista Home Basic, or Ubuntu Linux pre-installed.

The Latitude 2100s will be available in five colors—gold, black, green, blue, and red—and feature a "personalization window" on the spine where a schools or organizations can slip an insert for easy identification and personalization. And Dell isn’t planning to turn the 2100s loose on schools with no help: the company also plans to offer a Mobile Computing Station that can set up classrooms with a cart that can store, manage, and charge up to 24 netbooks with one power cord and one Ethernet cable.

Pricing for the Latitude 2100 starts at $369, and while that’s a long way from the much-dreamed-about $100 laptops the education market has been craving, Dell clearly hopes it has a hit on its hands as U.S. schools move towards a 1:1 ratio between computers and students.

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Deals

These TI-84 graphing calculator deals are just in time for back-to-school

Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus 10-Digit Graphing Calculator, Black

Back to school is officially here! If you've found yourself needing a brand new graphing calculator to keep up in math classes, then you're in luck. Right now, you can save big on Texas Instruments graphing calculators at Staples. Get the Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus 10-Digit Graphing Calculator on sale for just $120, marked down from its regular price of $128 so you can save $8; or choose the Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE 10-Digit Graphic Calculator for just $130, marked down $25 from its regular price of $155. Whichever you choose, you'll be on the path to straight A's all year long with these advanced calculators.
Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus 10-Digit Graphing Calculator -- $120, was $128

Whether you're a math whiz who loves to crunch the numbers, or more of an English major just trying to eke out these general studies credits, you'll most likely need an advanced graphing calculator to get through your higher-level math classes. Ideal for high school and college students alike, the more affordable basic Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus 10-Digit Graphing Calculator is a solid choice for most math classes. On sale now at Staples for just $120, you'll save $8 off of the regularly marked price of $128. While not a huge savings, we imagine that's at least two coffees or a half dozen items from your favorite dollar menu, and every dollar counts for under-caffeinated and hungry college students!

Deals

The Dell XPS 13 laptop got a huge discount, just in time for back-to-school

The Dell XPS 13 laptop on a table.

Preparations for the new school year are underway, and if you're a parent who wants to equip their child with an upgraded device for their studies, you should be looking for student laptop deals. There's a wide range of laptop deals that are currently available, but if you want reliable and powerful devices, it's highly recommended that you go for Dell laptop deals, specifically Dell XPS deals. If you're interested, the Dell XPS 13 is available from Dell with a $250 discount that brings its price down to $1,150, from its original price of $1,400.

The Dell XPS 13 is the top choice in Digital Trends' best laptops in 2021. The latest model of the laptop features a 13.3-inch Full HD screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, for a larger display without increasing its overall size. It also comes with a larger keyboard and touchpad than its predecessors, to make working with the Dell XPS 13 more comfortable.

Computing

Heading back to school? Change these laptop settings first

Laptop running Windows 10.

Going back to school often requires you to upgrade your gadget, which can turn out to be a major expense. Thankfully, there’s a much easier way of making sure your devices are up to date without replacing them.

Your computer already hosts a number of tools that can be utilized to turn its performance up a notch. This guide compiles a number of quick and easy ways to make sure your Windows 10 machine is tuned to perform at peak efficiency before your semester starts.
Disable apps that auto-run at startup
A number of apps are often set up to run automatically as soon as you turn your PC on. Not only this, they also turn on additional programs in the background that run every time you switch your machine on.