March 27th, 2009
"School Bus Yellow" Dell netbook leaked - I mean School Bus Orange
Just a quick post for Friday afternoon to give you something to think about over the weekend: Gizmodo has leaked photos of what appear to be Latitude-branded, Atom-based netbooks, replete with school-happy colors like School Bus Yellow and Apple Red.
They look incredibly slick (even the School Bus Yellow Orange (thanks for the catch, @ctsant; I can’t imagine why Dell would call it Orange - they must have orange buses in Texas)):
Gizmodo lists the specs as follows:
They can support an optional SSD, hold up to 2GB RAM, hit 1.6GHz and weigh in at under 3lbs…In other specs, there’s three USB ports, SD/MMC slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 a/g/n, Bluetooth, 3 and 6-cell battery options and a possible Touchscreen.
The biggest concern with these is that, in typical Latitude style, they are going to be overpriced for sale to enterprises. Projected in the $600 range, neat colors just might not cut it. Value-added features around the touchscreen (if that materializes) might make them worth it.
We’ll have to see what happens as more details emerge (Gizmodo estimates a May release date), but I’m glad to see Dell offering some Adamo alternatives for education.
Follow Chris Dawson on Twitter! Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts and a member of the Internet Press Guild. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations, but always keep in mind that the opinions expressed here are his own and not those of his daytime employer, even if he talks incessantly about his day job.
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