Yeah, you know the deal with teardowns. So if you've been wondering at all what Dell's semi-rugged capacitive touchscreen convertible tablet looks like disrobed, head on over and check out one pretty naked Latitude XT.

Since some of you have apparently been waiting on Dell to make a tablet PC for well over three years now, we imagine that the first unboxing of the company's Latitude XT convertible will be welcome eye-candy to the true believers. With dual input methods (finger or pen), integrated 802.11n, and optional SSD and WWAN, this model definitely delivers on a number of fronts, though the relatively low resolution and high price may be too much for some to bear. Check out another shot after the break, and then hit up the Read link for the full ritual over at I Started Something.

Much like the long-awaited XPS m1330, Dell's fancy fresh Latitude XT didn't come quick nor cheap. Nevertheless, the previously mythical convertible tablet is finally here and shipping out to consumers -- or, ones that are willing to pay the premium, we suppose. Sure, the XT is packed with all sorts of simplistic sexiness, not to mention the mighty impressive list of specifications, but Dell didn't seem to mind much that bargain hunters would be looking elsewhere when it priced this thing to start at $2,499.

So, now that no one can jump on the Round Rock powerhouse for making a promise it couldn't keep, how's about keeping it honest with a few suggestions for the next iteration? Maybe toss in a little multi-touch action (as in, for realz)? Spice it up with a few color options? What about an optional panel with a resolution higher than WXGA? C'mon, with something this expensive, we're sure there's plenty of room for improvement -- after all, it's not like there's a price ceiling (glass or otherwise) that we've got to mind here. Oh, and for those who've actually had the pleasure of owning one, your input is particular coveted.

Dell's Direct2Dell blog has made some PR wins in the past, but this isn't one of them. The company posted a long-winded explanation of the Latitude XT's supposed charms and advantages over existing tablets, but didn't do itself any favors by underplaying the vast price and power disparity with the likes of HP and Lenovo. Sure, we love the capacitive touch, and the build and size are great, but the machine is way underpowered in its $2,500 base configuration, and prices get astronomical -- nearly twice that of Lenovo's -- when you try to spec the XT up to the X61t's level. Still, we're a sucker for charts, so we guess Dell wins round one. We'll be back, and we won't leave our copy of PowerPoint at home, Micheal!

Dell almost ran out of 2007 to fulfill its promise, but fulfill it did and the Latitude XT is now available on Dell's site. Well, sort of. Even with a completely default configuration, the XT has a "preliminary ship date" of January 15th, 2008. Oh well, at least that'll give you some time to hit up your friends and relatives for the cash to afford the first monthly payment on this thing. Also, from the looks of things Dell is going to be offering XP Tablet as the default OS for the XT, though Vista Business is a free "upgrade." Microsoft must be thrilled.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

If you're at all like us, you spent a little time scratching your head after the Latitude XT's launch wondering just what Michael Dell really meant when he mentioned the convertible having multi-touch. Sure, he talked up the laptop's myriad capabilities when he showed the XT at OpenWorld, but multi-touch was suspiciously absent from the official launch details, so we gave Dell a buzz and got this juicy tidbit: yes, XT buyers now (and in the future) will all have laptops capable of multi-touch input, thanks to that capacitive touchscreen, but the software and/or drivers needed to enable it won't be released "until a later date." We have no idea what that date is -- or if that date is even in 2008 -- but there you have it, among the first would-be multi-touch tablet laptops is officially the among the first will-be multi-touch tablet laptops.

P.S. -To tide you over, we've got a total snooze-fest of a product demo video after the break. Capacitive touch was never so... boring.

We spent a few minutes with the brand new Dell Latitude XT and we have to say, as far as tablets (and especially Dells) go, this thing is top-tier. Some thoughts:

• The whole machine's decked in a ThinkPad-esque soft touch finish, and has the same rugged feeling, with magnesium and a seemingly higher quality build than you're normally likely to find in most other Dells.
• The capacitive touchscreen worked really well, was nearly flush with the bezel, and, not surprisingly, instantly made us never want to go back to resistive touchscreen tablets.
• The hinge is unidirectional and feels really sturdy.
• It only has one speaker, so don't expect stereo audio out of the thing. The wireless on/off switch is much appreciated though, as is the SD slot.
• The extended battery "slice" / platform add-on doubles your running time, although we're not entirely sure how it hurts heat since it covers the fan intake.
• A base price $2500 is too much. We're sorry, we know this machine is pretty rad, but it's true. For a grand less you can snag an X61 with more power, and, we'd wager, more of that ThinkPad ruggedness. Ordinary consumers -- even many businesses -- will not pay that kind of a premium for this machine.
  

It's absolutely no secret that Dell's been working on a tablet PC -- we've been hearing about the damn thing since as far back as mid 2004 (no joke!) and the company did promise it in 2007, which it's almost not. What took them so long to get it out the door we've no idea, but it's hard to deny the appeal of this little ThinkPad-esque bugger. Here are those specs which you've absolutely never seen before:

• 12.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) in CCFL ("outdoor display," up to 400cd/m2) and LED backlight options
  
• Capacitive touchscreen(!!) with palm detection (this, if anything, could enable that supposed multi-touch), and active digitizer.
  
• Intel Core 2 Solo or Duo ULV at 1.06 and 1.2GHz, respectively
• ATI Radeon X1250 UMA Graphics
• Up to 3GB memory, runs Vista Ultimate or Business
• 40GB or 80GB 4200 RPM drive, 120GB 5400 RPM drive, or 32GB or 64GB SSD
• HSDPA or EVDO rev A., 802.11a/b/g/n options, Bluetooth 2.0, and gigabit Ethernet connectivity
• ExpressCard54 and SD slots, 1394, VGA, (3) USB 2.0
• Scroll wheel, biometric reader, TPM 1.2, super low profile power adapter
• Up to 5 hours battery life with standard 43WH pack, up to 9 hours with extended 45WH pack; Energy Star 4.0 compliant
• 3.57 pounds (presumably without battery), 1-inch thick
• Starts at $2500

Okay, we'll hand it to these guys, alongside the M1330 the Latitude XT is the sexiest machine Dell's ever produced -- and the addition of a capacitive touchscreen totally blew our minds. But $2500 for the most stripped down option? Dell just priced itself right out of the game, if you ask us. Hands-on coming right up.

Dell's promised the Latitude XT will launch tomorrow, but apparently forgot to mention that to one particular web engineer who has "Latitude XT" up in lights with its other Latitude brethren. Unfortunately, as soon as you click through all mentions of the XT disappear. What a tease. We'll keep you posted, but we're guessing this is an error and Dell isn't going to start selling the XT today just for kicks.

[Thanks, Ryan L.]

Oh, your holiday shopping budget just took a turn for the worse, dinnit? We've gotten a slew of reports from sources all agreeing that Dell intends to launch its forthcoming Latitude XT tablet PC on the 11th (next Tuesday). You already know the rest, we'll see you next week for the launch of tablet PC the industry almost forgot.

We've been hearing that Dell's latest tablet, the Latitude XT, was supposed to hit this week, but here we are with nary a peep -- except for the shockingly uninteresting 245-page user manual that's just popped up on Dell's site. In addition to detailing such revolutionary features as the AC power adapter, wireless on / off switch, and keyboard status lights, it's also got one more nugget of info: it looks like Dell will be shipping a Core Solo version, which should make for scintillating performance when paired up with the integrated AMD RS600 graphics on this thing. Apart from that, it looks like those specs we saw a couple weeks ago were right on the money, so only the hardest of the hardcore need hit the read link to snag the entire PDF.

[Thanks, Adam]

We already knew quite a bit about the Latitude XT multitouch tablet, but it looks like a complete spec sheet just leaked out and now we've got the hard details we crave. The 12.1-inch tablet will rock a 1.2GHz U7600 ultra-low-voltage Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics with 256MB of memory, 1GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth and a range of WWAN options, and sport both SD and ExpressCard slots. An integrated media bay can accept either an optional secondary 80GB hard drive or a dual-layer burner, and Dell will preload various versions of Vista and XP Tablet Edition on the unit. Of course, there's still no word on when we might see these, but hopefully it'll be soon.

[Thanks, Jay]

Dell fans, we've got some juicy meat for you to sink your teeth into. During Michael Dell's keynote address at Oracle OpenWorld today, the company unleashed (or at least demoed) its forthcoming all-in-one PC, creatively named the XPS One. Of course, we've been hearing rumblings about the One for some time now, but Dell also whipped out its sparkly new Latitude XT tablet, which should please all the Gatesian types out there who think TPCs are the future. But wait -- there's more! The new Latitude isn't just some plain-jane scratchpad. Besides being the thinnest in its 12.1-inch, convertible category, and having a screen which is 25-percent brighter than the competition... it's multi-touch. At the keynote, the Dell folks demonstrated a multiple-finger paint program, which lets you draw five simultaneous lines, and also showcased a Surface-like photo viewer which allows you to scramble, resize, and generally get physical with your fond memories. Check the pictures of the tablet in action after the break and feel its magical vibes.

[Thanks, Tim]

Here you go, the up-close shots of Dell's Latitude XT tablet you've been waiting for. Thing is, just like a Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte, somethings are best viewed from a distance. Dell's Latitude XT sports enough black boxiness to make ThinkPad owners swoon. Poor souls, Dell may have added a scroll wheel to the XT's bezel but you've still got your crimson-red nipples -- let's call it even, mkay? Biggie pics over at the French site LesDeLLiens just beyond the read link.

[Thanks, Elais]