Dell execs shed light on Latitude Instant On feature

According to a Dell executive, featured in a video (below), the company's new E4200 and E4300 Latitude laptops that will ship in the next 30 days will support Dell's instant on feature, called Latitude On. While the software to make the feature work will not be available until closer to the end of the year, the two laptop models will ship with hardware that will support it. Latitude On promises to give users near-instant access to often used tasks such as email and calendar functions, as well as other communication programs.

The function relies on an embedded secondary processor and its own dedicated operating system, which the executives revealed to be based on Linux OS. They admitted it was developed in conjunction with third parties, but kept mum about who and how many were exactly involved. Tasks that require more processing power, such as games, will not be available while in Latitude On mode.

Finally, the feature will extend the battery life of the computers, since users will not have to wait for the system to boot up and shut down to perform a quick task such as check or send email.

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