Dell's Latitude On Flash Boots Laptop in Seconds
Dell's new instant-on offering uses the laptop's x86 processor rather than depend on an ARM-based version.
Dell said yesterday that it is offering a memory module that can boot up a computer--or rather, a laptop in this case--in mere seconds. Called Latitude ON | FLASH, the quick-boot system is an additional option to the current quick-boot system that uses an ARM processor. But as it stands now, the new quick-boot module is only offered as an option for Dell's Latitude E4200, E4300, and Z laptops.
PC World reports that the module uses the laptop's x86 processor rather than a separate ARM chip, and snaps into an internal mini-card slot. The drawback to this option is that it uses more power than the ARM-based version, making battery life less than stellar compared to the present option. However, the quick-boot memory module is supposedly a considerably cheaper alternative.
Dell's Lionel Menchaca added in this blog that Latitude ON | FLASH delivers a broad level of functionality at a significantly lower price point than the original Latitude On OMAP-based offering. "But with a new Gen 2 interface and the addition of Skype, support for Flash and full web browsing functionality, thin client capabilities, and other types of media, Latitude ON | FLASH seems like it might be a good compromise for business users who still want instant on access to a lot of the productivity tools they use everyday without having to boot into the operating system," Menchaca said.
The benefit of a quick-boot option is that end-users can access applications and the Internet in just a few seconds after booting the machine. The first instant-on capability came with the Latitude Z laptop, using a Texas Instrument OMAP chip based on an ARM design that supports an instant-on environment.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
Instant boot? Boot the full OS once, put the computer to sleep. Waking it up is my instant boot :-)Reply
-
HansVonOhain If this is instant boot, I am hoping it is not like Asus' ExpressGate. I am also hoping that this will not a be a limited OS for that fast boot. Also as others have mentioned, how much of a battery difference there is.Reply -
apache_lives askmeInstant boot? Boot the full OS once, put the computer to sleep. Waking it up is my instant boot :-)Reply
S3 chews a bit of power still (to ram, chipset etc to hold the contents of the ram), this sounds like a zero power off state that starts up just as quick... -
Its probably another lame Linux OS that has very limited use. I have a Lenovo S10e with a similar useless product. I ended up uninstalling it because it would actually cause Windows to boot slower because it wants to boot first. I just don't see the point?Reply
-
littlec Yeah my Asus G50VT came with a similar OS called "Express Gate" it's pretty lame but if you're in a jam and just need to get on the web to read something or use IM/Skype it's pretty fast.Reply