Dell developed its Latitude 10 tablet keeping in mind the enterprise segment — companies that have a large sales force, etc. — with the idea that it would supplement the native Microsoft Windows there. Purely on that premise, the Dell 10 delivers.
But the workhorse can come across as an oddity should one benchmark it against popular consumer tablets such as the iPad or the Nexus 7.
Powered by Intel Atom processor, rather than the more advanced core i5 range of processors that power the Microsoft Surface available outside India, the Dell 10 is more affordable and also has rugged features for that ‘on-the-go’ appeal. It is built on a magnesium alloy chassis and rounded off with grips made from a polypropylene rubber-like material. It has a detachable battery at its rear that juts out a bit, making it rather ungainly to hold.
On the software front, this is my first tryst with Windows 8 on a tablet PC. So while I fumbled with it, I got the impression that the operating system seemed better suited for smartphones of the likes of Lumia or HTC Windows phones rather than tablets.
There is the big perk though: for the enterprise segment, the Microsoft Windows-compatible software (Office, for instance) can prove to be quite handy. And then the more obvious advantages that Microsoft has been tom-toming about: an USB 2.0 port, a micro-HDMI port, SD card reader for expandable memory and a micro-USB charging port. There is an 8 MP rear-camera and a 2 MP front-facing camera, which when compared to most other tablets in the market comes across as being superior.
Bottomline: Dell Latitude is a workhorse of a different kind. And achieves what it sets out to in that category.
