Dell Latitude 2100 review

A basic set of ports and connections is included, and extras such as 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are available as options. Schools can also purchase a charging station, which is essentially a rolling cart with 24 slots to plug in and recharge these laptops. They're also connected via Ethernet, so administrators can update systems remotely while they're docked.

Passable performance
Despite similar components, the Atom N270-based 2100 fell slightly behind other Atom-powered netbooks in our benchmark tests. The difference wasn't massive, but running a touch-sensitive screen may cost a few additional CPU cycles, and netbooks generally have little overhead to spare. That said, the 2100 works well for basic netbook tasks, including Web surfing and working on office documents. We assume it would also work well for basic in-class activities.

The 2100 ran for 5 hours and 6 minutes in our video-playback battery-drain test, using the included six-cell battery. That's great, even for a low-power netbook, and should make it easy for the 2100 to get through a full day in the classroom. The battery is especially bulky, though, and sticks out from the bottom of the system. A smaller, three-cell battery option is also available.

Conclusion
The Dell Latitude 2100 is thicker and heavier than most netbooks, but certainly feels as if it could stand up to some serious abuse. The keyboard looks and feels dated compared with those of current netbooks, but at least the tapered keys are well-suited to the tiny fingers of elementary students, and it includes an anti-microbial coating. Its performance is par for the netbook course.

Additional editing by Charles Kloet