Dell announces a new "schoolyard tough" Chromebook and Android tablet

Dell has just announced two new education-oriented devices: a new version of their popular Chromebook 11, as well as an Android-powered tablet called the Dell Venue 10. Both devices are made to withstand bumps, drops and spills that are part of a student’s everyday life. Both the Chromebook and the tablet feature a rubberized trim to absorb shock if a student were to accidentally drop them.

The new Chromebook 11 features an 11.6-inch anti-glare display with 1366 x 768 resolution, and the option to choose between a normal or touchscreen display. It also comes with a liquid-resistant keyboard and touchpad, a front-facing HD video webcam, and a 2.16GHz Intel Bay Trail-M Celeron processor. It comes with 16GB of on-board storage, 2GB or 4GB of RAM, and a battery that can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. The Chromebook 11 will also feature an “activity light”, which will allow teachers to “monitor student activity and facilitate more meaningful interactions, such as orchestrating student groups or facilitating quick quizzes and polls.” It even has a new 180 degree hinge design that will reduce stress at the hinge of the device.

The Dell Venue 10 will have a 10.1-inch HD display and will run Android 5.0 Lollipop. Teachers also have the option to purchase a reversible keyboard to go along with the tablet. The keyboard can be positioned five different ways, including a clamshell position for test scenarios and to use as a laptop, tent and stand positions to promote collaboration and sharing, and a slate configuration for keyboard storage while in tablet mode. Teachers can also purchase an optional active stylus to go with each tablet. The Dell Venue 10 will be one of the first tablets to be certified with Google Play for Education, which will allow teachers to instantly transfer data to students using NFC. Unfortunately, we don’t have exact specifications for the Venue 10 quite yet, so we’ll be sure to update this post when more specs surface.

The Chromebook 11 is now on sale for $249.99 through Dell’s website. The Venue 10 tablet will go on sale starting at $329.99 sometime in the Spring. If you’re interested in the keyboard, the tablet/keyboard combination will run you $379.99.