Dell Sees Strong Interest In New Netbook Designed For K-12 Students

* More than 500 U.S. School Districts Sign Up Fast for Latitude 2100
* Schools districts across the U.S. investing in classroom technology like Latitude 2100; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds being leveraged
* Schools provide students with 21st century skills and a window to the world of knowledge beyond the classroom
* Dell to showcase K12 education portfolio at the National Educational Computing Conference this week in Washington, DC

Dell says a growing commitment among U.S. educators, policymakers and parents to invest in technology that enhances the learning environment is driving the early success of its Latitude 2100 netbook designed for students.

More than 500 U.S. school districts have purchased the Latitude 2100, which was launched just last month. Thousands of U.S. schoolchildren will use the Latitude 2100 when they return to school this fall.

According to Dell, the ARRA and an increasing appreciation among education stakeholders for the impact technology has on learning will help modernize U.S. classrooms and transform the country’s education system. The company will broaden its commitment to those goals when it expands its education-technology portfolio in the coming weeks.

The popularity of the Latitude 2100 is consistent with analyst predictions that netbooks will soon comprise a growing percentage of notebooks in U.S. classrooms. Netbook or “mininotebook” shipments are expected to have a 5-year annual growth rate of 60.1% from 2008 to 2013, according to research firm IDC.

As the top provider of technology to U.S. schools, Dell is especially focused on developing technologies that enable students to be more engaged, teachers to be more interactive, administrators to be more effective and parents to be more involved.

Dell Quote: Mark Horan, Vice President and General Manager, Dell K12 Education

“This fall, the Latitude 2100 will make access to customized, affordable technology a reality for thousands of schools across the country. Our focus now is on continuing to work with students and teachers to design and develop K12 technologies that enable our students to better learn, achieve and compete.”

Dell Latitude 2100 Customer Quotes:

Scot Perdue, Director of Technology, Simpson County Schools, Franklin, KY

“We’re impressed with the unique features of the Latitude 2100. Its light-weight design will enhance the learning environment for students, teachers and administrators in our district. We are excited to have an affordable mobile solution that meets our needs while providing a platform to further our goal of providing the best education experience for our students and teachers.”

Dr. Sheryl Abshire, Chief Technology Officer, Calcasieu Parish; Louisiana, Lake Charles, LA

"We think classroom technology is key to students achievement and a wise use of ARRA funds intended to develop “connected classrooms” that can help children with a variety of educational needs. Technology like the Latitude 2100, with its small form factor, powerful performance, yet low cost, makes it particularly effective for classroom implementations. This laptop is a critical element in assuring that our students are provided a meaningful engaged learning environment.”

Jeff Anderson, Director of Information Services & Technology, Deer Valley Unified School District, Phoenix, Arizona

“We have been looking for a cost-effective way to stretch our technology dollars in Deer Valley. We have great students and teachers and we want to give them every opportunity to have ’anywhere/anytime’ access to technology. The Latitude 2100 is exactly what we needed in order to accomplish that.”

Jerry Pile, Chief Information Officer, Meade County Schools, Brandenburg, KY

“We were looking for a system that is robust enough to survive the K12 environment yet affordable and practical enough to rollout in large numbers. I also liked knowing that we had Dell’s engineering team behind us for support.”

About the Latitude 2100

Inspired by close collaboration with hundreds of students, teachers, parents and administrators, Dell designers created its first purpose-built education netbook that focuses on what’s most important – learning. The Latitude 2100 is part of Dell’s solution set designed to enhance the teaching and learning experience by creating a connected classroom ― including innovative technology products, services, software and professional learning that make learning in the digital age a reality. The Latitude 2100 has features specifically designed for schools like bright primary colors, a more rugged design made for children, an optional touchscreen and antimicrobial keyboard to help prevent the spread of germs and a network activity light that allows teachers to monitor internet activity. The latitude 2100 gives students direct access to enhanced learning resources www.dell.com/latitude.