Dell's Latitude Z Brings Wireless Charging to Laptops

The new, 16-inch Dell Latitude Z is the first laptop to bring
wireless inductive charging to the masses -- well, the
I'm-willing-to-spend-an-extra-$400-on-an-already-two-grand-
machine masses, at least.

Unlike the Palm Pre, the wireless capability on the Latitude
Z isn't a matter of a simple battery cover switcheroo. When
building out a system, you have to select the upgrade be
pre-installed in the undercarriage of the laptop for an extra
$200. Dell has partnered with eCoupled to incorporate their
charging tech into the Z; the system transfers charging
current to the battery (either a four- or eigh-cell) via
an embedded coil on the bottom of the laptop. Dell claims
inductive charging time is about the same as wired: about
3-4 hours for a full charge. The charging dock is another
$200 on top of that.

Beyond inductive charging, Dell's really swinging for the
fences with the Z's feature set, including all (yes, all) of
its top-drawer goodies in one machine. In addition to
charging, the Z also supports wireless docking to connect to
monitors and other peripherals. The right bezel of the
16-inch monitor showcases Dell's EdgeTouch quick-access
controls, and the trackpad is multitouch. It runs on an Intel
Core 2 Duo processor starting at 1.4Ghz, and can fit one or
two solid-state hard drives up to 256GB. You can also opt for
integrated mobile broadband to pick up WiMax or 3G data
networks.

The Z is also the showcase model for Dell's new Latitude On
feature, a sort of mini-quick boot for travelers. A dedicated
button alongside the power switch launches quickly into
a separate OS environment, which only allows access to
e-mail, document editing, Web browsing, calendar, and
contacts. The browser is Firefox-based, and the e-mail client
is cleverly skinned to look like Outlook. Booting in Latitude
On nearly quadruples the notebook's battery life.

In other superlatives, the Latitude Z also snags the title
of "thinnest 16-inch laptop," measuring about 0.8 inch at its
thickest point when closed.

Features like Latitude On are available as options on more
mid-range machines, but it's unclear when inductive charging
will trickle down to Dell's more mainstream lineup. Right
now, Dell reps only admit it as a possibility; we'll just
have to see how many people adopt it in this quasi trail run.