Dell unveils 10-inch Windows 7 tablet

Dell expanded its foray into tablets today with a new 10-inch Windows 7-based device designed, the company said, for users "who need greater mobility, as well as IT organizations that demand control, security, manageability, and integration with existing infrastructure investments."

The Windows 7 Business Tablet, which will run on an Intel processor, could be available by the middle of the year (note that the tablet in the above photo is a nonworking mock-up of the machine).

The tablet was among 39 new products unveiled at the company's Dell Means Business event in San Francisco this morning. They include laptops, desktops, workstations, and a convertible tablet, the Latitude XT3 (a follow-up to the laptop/tablet hybrid XT2).

The Latitude XT3 is a follow-up to the laptop/tablet hybrid XT2 (click to enlarge).

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

 

But the news out of the event likely to grab the most attention is the Win tablet, even though details on specs remain scant and we don't yet have a price or a release date beyond sometime later this year.

Businesses want Windows because it fits into the IT management scheme, Steven Lalla, vice president and general manager of Dell's commercial client product group, said at the event. Not to say Android doesn't, he added, but he maintained that a bigger chunk of the business sector wants to go the Microsoft route.

The new touch-screen tablet, however, will also come in a 10-inch Android version, apparently named the "10-inch Android Tablet," at least for now. That means neither version will fall under the Streak banner.

The Latitude-E series of laptops, meanwhile, has gotten a refresh. The new Latitude E5000 laptops, starting at $859, come in 12-, 13-, and 14-inch models that feature Intel second-generation core processors, new graphics and memory, and backlit keyboard options.

As expected from a business laptop, they have hard-drive accelerometers and remote IT features, including remote data deletion. The keyboard is also the same across the entire line, which the company says will make it easier for business workers to switch devices.

But while IDC estimates that one third of the world's workforce will be mobile by 2013, and Dell took great pains to emphasize that segment, the company also focused on its three new OptiPlex desktops, a new small form factor all-in-one design, and an update to its Precision workstation line.

"We have 30 years in which the PC has proven to be able to adapt itself to the environment," said Rick J. Echevarria, vice president of Intel's Architecture Group, adding that "rumors of the death of the PC have been greatly exaggerated."

The new Optiplex desktops start at $650. They have the new Intel vPro processors, planned compatibility with the desktop virtualization lineup, and tool-free access to system components (meaning the back just pops off). Dell also said that since none of these systems is scheduled to ship in the next 30 to 45 days, they should go out with the updated version of Intel's Cougar Point Sandy Bridge-compatible chipset, which does not contain the recently discovered Cougar Point SATA flaw.

Dell says it interviewed 7,000-plus Gen-Y customers, IT managers, and other business segment customers to figure out what people want out of Dell's business products.

To design its new business laptops, Dell hosted focus groups over 18 months.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Fixed Intel chip to ship in mid-February

Intel said today it would begin shipments of fixed Sandy Bridge chipsets in mid-February.

The chipmaker announced a week ago that it had stopped shipments of the "Cougar Point"--aka, the Intel 6 series--chipset that accompanies its second-generation Intel Core ("Sandy Bridge") processor owing to a flaw that can affect, in a small percentage of systems, access to a hard-disk drive, optical drive, or other device that connects to a computer using SATA technology.

"Intel has started manufacturing on a new version of this support chip. Intel now expects to begin shipping the new parts in mid-February," Intel said today.

The chipmaker also said that after "extensive discussions with computer makers...Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel 6 Series Chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue."

"Several customers [PC makers] still wanted to buy the current [not fixed] version of the Cougar Point chipset to continue Sandy Bridge sales. They will work closely with Intel to ensure 'known good' configs," an Intel spokesman said in an e-mail.

The issue affects SATA ports 2 through 5, not ports 0 and 1. Therefore, some laptops, which use only those two "good" ports, for example, would not be affected, according to Intel. In more technical terms, the affected ports 2 through 5 are 3 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) SATA 2 ports. The "good" (0 and 1) ports are 6Gbps SATA 3 ports. In a small percentage of systems performance degradation may occur on the "bad" ports.

The glitch caught the PC industry and retail channel by surprise. PC makers and retailers, who were just beginning to transition their laptop and desktop lineups to systems based on the Sandy Bridge processor, had to bring sales to an abrupt halt last week.

Retailers like Best Buy had been literally pulling Sandy Bridge systems off the shelves, while PC makers such as Hewlett-Packard had pushed out shipment dates for the first Sandy Bridge laptops until March.

PC makers are eager to ship systems with the latest Intel processor because it offers improved power efficiency and better performance. In particular, it speeds up gaming graphics and multimedia tasks at virtually no extra cost because the graphics silicon is built directly onto the main processor--a first for an Intel mainstream chip.

And a highly-anticipated Sandy Bridge update for Apple's MacBook line is also due. A prolonged delay due to the glitch had the potential for thwarting Apple's plans.

But with Intel's updated schedule of mid-February for fixed chipset shipments, consumers can rest easy that delays will be relatively brief and painless, according to Intel.

Luckily, Sandy Bridge is a new processor line and Intel was able to catch the glitch in the chipset early. And on another serendipitous note, most of the systems with the flawed chipset had been shipping in relatively small numbers, as they were not mass-market but rather pricey, high-end PCs that relatively few people would buy.