The new multitouch Dell Latitude ST tablet will allow doctors to view electronic health records and teachers to collaborate with students.
Dell has unveiled details
about its Latitude ST ultraportable enterprise tablet, a unit suitable for
workers in fields such as health care and education.
The Latitude ST slate
features an Intel Atom CPU, Windows 7, a 10.1-inch multitouch display and six
hours of battery life.
Kirk Schell, executive
director and general manager of Dell's business client product group, announced
the Latitude ST in an Oct. 27 post on the
Direct2Dell corporate blog.
Starting at less than 2
pounds, the unit also features front and rear Webcams, which can be used for
telehealth sessions or remote video conferencing. The unit has a 720-pixel
camera in the front and a 5-megapixel camera in the back.
In addition, the Latitude ST
comes with embedded Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 600 graphics. It
also includes USB and High-Definition Multimedia Interface ports, and an SD
memory card slot. The optional docking station connects the Latitude ST to
peripherals such as projectors and printers.
In addition, a rubberized
bumper and antiglare Corning Glass screen should allow the unit
to withstand fieldwork.
It also comes with support
for remote management and compatibility with
Dell
Kace appliances. Kace is a unit of Dell that makes system-management
hardware.
The Latitude ST will be
available Nov. 1.
In health care, medical professionals
can view patient histories in electronic health records (EHRs) at patients'
bedsides, and input symptoms and notes using the multitouch capabilities or the
N-Trig stylus, which allows
you to write on the screen exactly as you would on paper.
The tablet also allows
doctors to monitor patients remotely or hold telehealth sessions with patients
over Skype.
The Latitude ST is certified
by the
Continua Healthcare
Alliance, a nonprofit group of health care and technology companies looking
to establish compatibility among health care IT products and allow patients to
self-manage their health.
In addition, the unit will
also be able to access streaming data in EHR applications from Athena Health
and NextGen Healthcare.
It also works with Dell's
Mobile Clinical Computing platform, which through desktop virtualization allows
IT workers to centrally manage patient data and improve clinical workflows using
server-based computing.
Doctors can also use the
Latitude ST to e-prescribe medications, Dell reports.
In education, teachers will
use the tablets in classrooms to collaborate with students on projects as well
as conduct remote classes. Teachers can also hold remote meetings with parents
off-site using Skype.
Meanwhile, insurance agents
can complete and submit accident documentation on-site on the slate, according
to Dell.
Security features include
remote hard drive wipe, Microsoft Bitlocker and the Kensington Lock anti-theft
device. Bitlocker encrypts hard drives on devices running Windows. By enabling
Bitlocker, all files are encrypted automatically.
Although the
Apple
iPad is many doctors' first choice in health care, competition is growing,
especially from Google, according to
Mobihealthnews.
In addition, rugged tablets
from companies such as Itronix, Motion Computing, Panasonic and Xplore
Technologies offer support for workers in extreme environments, including the
military, construction and first response in emergencies.
On Oct. 18, Motion Computing
announced it would add a
SlateMate
module to its CL900 tablet to incorporate a magnetic stripe reader and bar-code
scanner. Dell's Latitude ST enables workers to add a bar-code scanner through a
USB connection.
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