[Marketing] Dell Latitude 2100 School Netbooks: Dell PR + Dell blog post + Flickr set + YouTuve vid + CNet article

[Sean DALY]

The machine arrived yesterday and it seems very solid, more so than
the Inspiron Mini 10 I just received as well. But, heavier and bulkier
and not as rugged as the XO.

It closely resembles a small US-style 3-ring looseleaf binder. Very
friendly furry School Bus color.

Dell messed up my order and loaded Windows XP in Dutch instead of
Ubuntu in English (and they impose a preboot screen ordering you to
accept any preinstalled software), but I did manage to boot the latest
Sugar on a Stick snapshot (0615) on it. No networking on it (or on the
Mini 10 either) but I had no time to troubleshoot before bringing it
to the photographer's for the Sugar beauty shots. I'll have both Dells
back tomorrow and hopefully running Sugar with networking in time for
LinuxTag.

Sean


On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 12:31 PM, Sean DALY<sdaly.be at gmail.com> wrote:
> OK, I decided I need to run Sugar on this and have just ordered a
> School Bus Gold one with the optional 811n, touchscreen, and webcam.
>
> Ubuntu v8.11 was default option (XP was 30 roros extra)
>
> Pricey (> 500 EUR) with the VAT and delivery over the options, but I
> am already convinced that Dell's school support services will make
> this machine a success even if it costs more per unit than entry-level
> netbooks (and the charging/admin station is nearly $4000 as rumored).
> From a marketing standpoint, the scale of this launch indicates that
> Dell is counting on growth in the K-8 sector (and possibly businesses
> e.g. sales force) as older students switch to netbooks instead of full
> laptops.
>
> Sean
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Sean DALY <sdaly.be at gmail.com>
> Date: Tue, May 19, 2009 at 10:36 AM
> Subject: Dell Latitude 2100 School Netbooks: Dell PR + Dell blog post
> + Flickr set + YouTuve vid + CNet article
> To: iaep <iaep at lists.sugarlabs.org>, Sugar Labs Marketing
> <Marketing at lists.sugarlabs.org>, Sugar Devel
> <sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org>
>
>
> http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/press-releases/2009-05-19-Latitude2100.aspx
>
> http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/direct2dell/archive/2009/05/19/latitude-2100-dell-netbook-for-schools.aspx
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/dellphotos/sets/72157618110617117/
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_1N9UtEZWc
>
> http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10243917-1.html
> (Unfortunately, the writer has apparently never heard of OLPC and the
> XO, crediting the Intel Classmate for being "the first netbook" :-/  )
>
> http://www.Edu4u.com = New Dell online community for educators;
> education-specific "Educational Personal Purchase Programs"; software
> preloading service ("ImageDirect") so school districts can receive
> ready-to-deploy computers not needing admin prep; "TechKnow" 40-hour
> training program to help students troubleshoot tech problems directly;
> "webNetwork private cloud" pilot claims to provide "secure web access
> to web, hosted web or Windows applications and data, from anywhere,
> using any device."
>
>
> Dell Latitude 2100:
>
> * Aimed specifically at education market.
>
> * Choice of Windows XP Home, Vista Home Basic or Ubuntu (!).
>
> * 10.1" 1024x576 LED screen; optional touchscreen claimed as a "first"
> for an educational netbook.
>
> * Intel Atom N270, 1 Gb of RAM
>
> * Storage: hard drive < 250Gb, SSD < 16Gb
>
> * "Surfing" LED bar on the top of opened cover ("Network Activity
> Light") designed to inform teacher when kids have wireless activity;
> apparently can be called by applications. No info about whether it can
> be turned off (in a class running Sugar, all those machines would be
> blinking all the time, could drive anybody nuts)
>
> * Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11g standard, 802.11n optional
>
> * SD/MMC card reader.
>
> * VGA port, 3 USB ports, headphone/speaker out, microphone in
>
> * Rubberized case (optional strap with locking anti-theft feature) in
> five colors ("School Bus Gold, Chalkboard Black, Ball Field Green,
> Blue Ribbon and Schoolhouse Red"... reminds me of my beloved 1966
> Chevy Chevelle in "Tropic Turquoise")
>
> * 24-bay classroom charging station available in the US and has LAN
> update feature for admins.
>
> * Window on battery pack for inserting school & student name.
>
> * Optional webcam.
>
> * Optional anti-microbial keyboard (US-only; for my part, I recommend
> "wash hands with soap")
>
> * MSRP: $369
>
>
> Sean
> Sugar Labs Marketing Coordinator
>