[sortageek]

When I ordered this, our Dell account manager told me that this was the first order for this machine ever placed in Australia. It didn't have pricing codes etc...

It arrived earlier today and I have just unboxed it (there is a video although I sorta fail to see the point... except this is one of the first units delivered). I've also put some very basic pics on Flickr for comparison.

Dell Latitude 2100 - a set on Flickr

I'll post a first thoughts message later tonight after I have taken it home and spent some quality time with it.

[jay-zi]

Guess what? My 2100 arrived yesterday too. But I didn't had the time to take some photos.

It was pre-installed with Ubuntu 8.10 which I deleted immediately and installed Windows 7 RC on it (with an 4 GB USB stick and this tutorial: http://www.bwana.org/2009/01/11/how-...without-vista/). Nearly all drivers were included in Windows 7 even for the Touchscreen. I only needed to download drivers for Realtek audio and the Dell Bluetooth 365 module.

It's funny that I ordered mine with 1 GB RAM (which is already soldered on the mainboard) but got it with an additional 1 GB in the expansion slot without extra charge. 2 GB are enough for Windows 7. Everything is running smooth and fast.

The fan seems to be always on, but it is really quiet. Board temperature is around 50 degree Celsius, but the left bottom side of the 2100 gets a little hot.

I noticed that the height of 576 pixels (which will be 600 from August) are sometimes not enough. There are some apps (e. g. Hearts) and some software dialogs which needs 600. But for me it's no problem.

The 3 cell battery lasts for around 2.5 hours. Primarily I wanted to order the 6 cell battery, but I decided finally for the 3 cell. The 6 cell is too big to me.

All in all I'm extremly happy with my decision.

I still need to calibrate the touchscreen...

_______________________________________

Dell Latitude 2100 Black | Atom N270 | W7 RC | 2 GB RAM | 250 GB HDD | 1024x576 Touchscreen | Bluetooth | Intel WLAN 5300 | Webcam | German keyboard layout | 3 cell battery

[tntc.tig]

I hate you BOTH! Mine isn't due to arrive for another two weeks! Now that my mini 9 appears to be a collectors item, I'm going to be treating it a lot more gingerly, and lug the Latitude 2100 around. I opted not to order a 6 cell (Didn't like the extra size.) What is the resolution on the screen? Is it the 1024x5?? reported on the dell site, or did you get an actual 1024x600 as others have reported? Also, what does the power adapter look like? Is it a wall brick like most cell phone chargers, or is it a standard laptop style brick with a cord at either end?

I ordered mine in the US with Ubuntu and standard 3-5 days shipping on May 22, and it's not due to show till June 19th (Which probably means june 15th, based on my experience with Dell). The shoulder carry strap has been delayed twice so far, but is fortunately in a separate order.

[sortageek]

The powerbrick is the standard Dell 65W adapter included with most Dell notebooks. It's big and fairly chunky and much heavier than the Dell Mini 9. Heavier is the best word to describe the L2100 in general - its more like an IBM X-Series ThinkPad in design and weight than a traditional netbook.

This doesn't turn heads the same way as the 9,10 or 12 but it is very solid and feels a lot more durable than the Inspiron netbooks.

The screen is 1024x576. No 2100s are being built at this stage with the 16:10 panel.

[zrtom]

Great information. Thank you.

So the 2100 has 1GB RAM soldered and one slot. I guess that answers one of the questions whether it had two slots and the potential for more than 2GB RAM (albeit BIOS support would be another question). Is the soldered RAM on a daughter board like the Mini 1010?

My biggest curiosty is the touchscreen and whether that extra layer makes the display less sharp or less bright. Any thoughts??

Thanks.

[jay-zi]

Hi everybody.

I'm still very excited about my 2100...

For the touchscreen calibration I needed to download the software from the support.dell.com. I guess this is normally included in the recovery DVD, but I ordered mine without it.

The included 1 GB is soldered directly to the main board.

I don't have any relation between the touchscreen and the non-touchscreen display, but I can say, that my touchscreen display is bright and sharp enough for me.

What I'm missing is a touch pen and a slot for it. But I think in school those would get lost very fast... I took one from my nintendo ds and it is working really good.

Cheers
jay-zi

[Kelvinyam]

I have not gone through the spec... does the touch screen support multi-touch? And does your unit comes with screen protector?

[jay-zi]

As I can see so far, the touch screen does not support multi-touch and does not have a screen protector.

[tntc.tig]

My Latitude 2100 arrived today! WOO! However, it had the wrong wireless card in it. I was supposed to get an Intel WifiLink 5100, but instead got a Broadcom BCM4322. It's still 802.11abgn, but I want the 5100 because monitor mode works with it. Otherwise, this machine is excellent. I will be sure to take lots of pictures when I have to take the machine apart when the new wireless card arrives.

[jay-zi]

Originally Posted by tntc.tig

My Latitude 2100 arrived today! WOO! However, it had the wrong wireless card in it. I was supposed to get an Intel WifiLink 5100, but instead got a Broadcom BCM4322. It's still 802.11abgn, but I want the 5100 because monitor mode works with it. Otherwise, this machine is excellent. I will be sure to take lots of pictures when I have to take the machine apart when the new wireless card arrives.

Funny... Or not... I ordered the Intel 5300 and got the 5100. Still waiting on Dell's answer and replacement...