(Updated with pricing) Dell as promised has launched the Latitude XT2 as the second-generation of its convertible tablet PC. The new version comes with multi-touch support out of the box and uses pinches, swipes and other gestures to zoom and scroll through apps that support the features, such as web browsers and photo viewers. It also continues to carry a second digitizer and will work with a bundled stylus for more precise control or for drawing.

Aside from aesthetics that fit into the newer Latitude line, the revamped tablet design also builds the wirelress antennas into the LCD bezel for better reception and now uses Centrino 2-era, ultra-low voltage Core 2 Duo processors. Expansion is also broad for the class with support for up to 5GB of DDR3 memory, a full-size ExpressCard/54 slot and an XT2-specific dock for extra ports.

Dell prices a base system at $2,399 with a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard drive and an external media bay for an optical or second hard drive. Options exist for up to a 1.4GHz processor as well as a 120GB rotating or 128GB solid-state drive.

The system is Dell's first to come with multi-touch already enabled, with the feature having only come to the original XT mid-cycle; it also becomes the second PC maker after HP and its TouchSmart tx2 to build a notebook with a multi-touch screen. Apple was one of the first to use multi-touch for any control on a notebook through the MacBook Air but has since relied solely on the trackpad.