Dell Laptops Starting at $449
Hands-On with Dell’s Latitude XT Capactive Touch Tablet
March 8th, 2008 by Joanna Stern 
When Dell decided to finally enter the Tablet PC business in December 2007, we were left wondering why now? Tablet PCs have been around for years.
Dell’s response to that question is a mix of things. First, it has begun listening to its users through the IdeaStorm Web site. Second, the company believes that all the right technology is starting to fall into place and a very compelling tablet is ready to be built.
I say, after a week of hands-on time with its first tablet, the Latitude XT, Dell is right. Dell is one of the first tablet-makers to incorporate capacitive touch into its screens (most tablets use resistive touch). We were very excited about putting our fingers all over the XT’s screen to test its capacitive touchscreen technology. According to Dell’s Direct 2 Dell blog:
Capacitive technology senses the touch of a finger with no pressure leading to better accuracy, response times, screen durability, and ultimately, a better user experience.
We see a lot of tablets here at LAPTOP, but the XT’s capacitive touchscreen is one of the most responsive tablet screens we have ever seen. To burst the bubble of those expecting the screen to work like an iPhone’s, it just doesn’t. But it lets you do a lot more with your fingers. Though you can’t give up using the stylus or the keyboard altogether, you can really get the hang of using your fingers.
Check out our video comparing the Dell’s capacitive screen to a resistive touchscreen on the Toshiba Portégé.
3 Responses to “Hands-On with Dell’s Latitude XT Capactive Touch Tablet”
Leave a Reply
Featured Sponsors |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
March 9th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
What’s restrictive touch? Isn’t it resistive touch?
March 22nd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Hate to keep kicking the dead horse, but I’ll say it again. Why is a tablet pc called a tablet?
Because you write on it. Who writes on tablets the most?
Students. Students with laptops/tablet pcs don’t tend to be hardcore into fingerpainting.
Unfortunately Students also don’t generally have $2,500 to spend on a really cool finger paint set.
Guess I’ll look to someone else to actually try to succeed with the Tablet PC form factor.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I have never seen a more intuitive interface than touch. People who know little about computers can immediately begin using a touch screen model, whereas a mouse or trackpad takes time to learn. Also, it is the fastest interface for on-the-go users. I support physicians’ practices which exclusively use resistive touch screen laptops for seeing patients. The doctors love it and are totally unwilling to give up the convenience. Thus I am on the hunt for new touch screen enabled laptops.
Why can’t more companies see the benefits of this interface (note popularity of the iPhone!) and begin making more models like this?