Dell today announced the Latitude XT2 convertible tablet building on the industry's first tablet PC with multi-touch screen capabilities designed to enhance security, increase performance and extend battery life. The system starts at $2,399 and is available today at Dell Online. Multi-touch capabilities on the Latitude XT2 allow users to use natural gestures like a pinch or tap for scrolling, panning, rotating and zooming that work with productivity applications they use every day. Dell's integration of multi-touch screen technology allows customers to use the full real estate of the display, as opposed to just the touchpad.

Dell on Friday quietly updated its Latitude range to add Intel's 45 nanometer Penryn Core 2 Duos as an option. The 14-inch D630 and 15.4-inch D830 can both be custom-fitted with either a 2.5GHz or 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo on top of existing 65 nanometer chips. Both new optional Penryn CPUs offer 6MB of Level 2 cache, 800MHz FSB and lower power consumption which leads to improved battery life. The two pro systems otherwise appear to remain unchanged outside of prices. Either Latitude starts just below $1,400 with a 2GHz, previous-generation Core 2 Duo, 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, and built-in Intel graphics. Adding the Penryn processors contributes $130 to the price for the 2.5GHz processor and $390 for the 2.6GHz edition.

Nearly seven months after the Latitude XT was first shown to the world, Dell is finally making its first Tablet PC available to consumers. Dell says that its new 3.53-pound Latitude XT is a ground-breaking device and is among the thinnest and lightest in its class. The 12.1" WXGA (1280 x 800) traditional CCFL or LED-backlit display of Latitude XT has both pen and capacitive touch technology. Capacitive touch allows users to manipulate items on the screen without the need to apply pressure directly to the display. The Latitude XT is built around Intel's Core 2 Solo (1.06GHz) or Core 2 Duo ULV (1.2GHz) processor and comes equipped with a Radeon X1250 UMA graphics, up to 3GB memory, up to 120GB 5400 rpm drive, or 64GB SSD option. The system features a base price of $2,499, with orders for the system to begin shipments before year's end.