Dell shows off its second-generation Tablet PC

Dell's Latitude XT was met with great anticipation when specs for the device first leaked in May of 2007. Interest began to dwindle somewhat, however, when Dell announced the $2,499 starting price for its first entry into the Tablet PC arena.

The current generation Latitude XT makes use of Intel Core 2 Solo and Core 2 Duo processors and ATI's Radeon X1250 mobile graphics core. The Tablet features a 12.1" WXGA display that can be had with traditional CCFL or LED backlighting.

Connectivity options abound with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 802.11n and optional HSDPA/EVDO support. Users also have access to three USB 2.0 ports.

Dell isn't resting on its laurel with the Latitude XT -- Engadget managed to get its hands on a computer-generated image and specs for the XT's successor: the Latitude XT2.

The Latitude XT2 will be built on Intel's Montevina (Centrino 2) platform and will include Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) and Low Voltage (LV) processors. The Latitude XT2 will also make use of Intel's new integrated graphics core. Dell's port selection for the XT2 is not surprising and will include a VGA, NIC, Firewire, two USB 2.0 ports, and an eSATA port. An ExpressCard slot and SDHC reader are also included in the mix.

Dell is currently studying the feasibility of including an optical drive on the XT2 -- a feature that was lacking on the original XT.

The 3.5-pound Latitude XT2 is expected to launch this November -- hopefully Dell will bring pricing for its second generation closer to Earth this time.

Source from DailyTech

The Olympus E-420 is sized more like a point-and-shoot camera than a DSLR

Olympus announced a new digital SLR camera called the E-420 that it bills as the world’s smallest DSLR camera. Despite its small size, Olympus promises a full feature set.

Olympus says the E-420 is small enough to fit into a purse or jacket pocket with measurements of 5.1-inches by 3.6-inches by 2.1-inches the E-420 is sized more like a point and shoot camera than a traditional DSLR. The camera is also very lightweight at only 13.4 ounces.

Other features of the E-420 include autofocus with a live view LCD that allows users to frame shots with the LCD screen rather than the view finder is desired. The LCD itself is a 2.7-inch HyperCrystal II promising twice the contrast and better viewing in bright conditions. The camera uses a 10-megapixel Live-MOS sensor promising clear images even at high ISO settings.


The E-420 is also compatible with wireless flash units form Olympus including the FL-50R and FL-36R. The camera supports CompactFlash Type I/II, Microdrive and xD-Picture cards for storage and the lens mount is a four thirds system. A dust reduction system is built-in and uses Supersonic Wave Filter technology. Images can be shot in 12-bit RAW format, JPEG, or RAW+JPEG.

The viewfinder is an eye-level single-lens reflex design with approximately a 95% field of view with a magnification of 0.92x. Image stabilization is not included. The autofocus system uses 3-point multiple AF and has an available focusing aid. The ISO sensitivity rage is ISO 100- 1600 in 1EV steps and the shutter speed is from 2 – 1/4000 of a second. The camera ships with a 14-42mm f2.8 kit lens. Availability is scheduled for late April at about $599 for the kit with lens and $499 for the body only.

Source from DailyTech