I have to hand it to Dell, they really stepped outside of the box on this one; at least compared to most PC manufacturers these days. Instead of just re-branding a Mini 9 netbook, they looked at the needs of the education sector and added some well thought out features. Just check out what the Latitude 2100 brings to the table:

• Standard netbook technology (Intel Atom, up to 2GB RAM, 3 or 6 cell, etc)
• XP, Vista, & Ubuntu OS options
• Rubberized case for better handling & durability
• Vent-free bottom cover to better resist spills
• External LED to let teacher’s know if students are using the wireless card
• Remote management capability (Wake-On-LAN, Alert Standard Format, & Systems Management Server)
• Mobile Computing Solution is a piece of hardware that will store, charge, & manage up to 24 netbooks with one Ethernet & power cord (i.e. can push system updates)
• Starting price of $369

Now are these features anything to get excited about individually? No, not really. But when you see a computer company take the initiative to be innovative, at least in an evolutionary rather than revolutionary sense, it is a very good thing. Hit the link at the end for more details and a video from Dell.

Now I do have one concern: the vent-free design to better avoid spill intrusion. Maybe there is no fan vent, but are there keyboard drain holes? I’d be more worried about spills going onto the netbook, but I like where they’re going at least.

When Lenovo released their S10 netbook, and now the S10-2 refresh, they missed the opportunity to do something truly innovative with their unique brand. Maybe they will take this as a wake up call and remember why ThinkPad had the following it did for so long.

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