Dell is a name synonymous with notebooks and now, netbooks, but they have yet to break into the school environment by offering something functional without breaking the bank. Stepping into OLPC XO laptop territory, Dell’s latest effort is the new Latitude 2100 which was specially designed to help cater to the needs of K-12 students, coming in a ‘student rugged’ design with five colors to choose from to keep kids happy. Features include wireless connectivity that can be monitored by educators with a network activity light so that they know whether the kids are actually paying attention in class or not. More on this new notebook right after the jump.

In addition, Dell went as far as offering an optional touchscreen display, making this a first for education netbooks. Schools as well as other educational units will be able to include a custom-built Mobile Computing Station that equips classrooms with a cart to store, manage and network up to two dozen netbooks with a solitary Ethernet and power cord. The Dell Latitude 2100 will not be limited to just classrooms as it can also function equally well in public-sector and enterprise customers who are in the market for a netbook for uses from employee training to order fulfillment, or perhaps other organizations that want to pick up a secondary system for their workforce.

Other interesting options that can be added onto the Latitude 2100 for your benefits include a keyboard featuring antimicrobial protection (this is available in the U.S. only), solid state drives for more stable data retention, quick-connect handles and shoulder straps for carrying and a webcam to keep in touch using video conferencing software. Just because the Latitude 2100 targets less conventional markets, that doesn’t mean it is not backed by Dell’s award-winning business service and support.

Press Release