Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Dell’s new Latitude laptop can detect your presence and wake itself

Add as a preferred source on Google

Your laptop might already use your face to sign in, but Dell is taking it one step further.

Recommended Videos

More CES 2019 coverage

Ahead of CES 2019, the computer manufacturer has unveiled an updated version of its commercial 2-in-1, the Latitude 7400. These enterprise devices don’t usually come with the most exciting technologies, but this one is different. The new Latitude 7400 device comes equipped with a feature that can actually sense your presence and use Windows Hello to log you in.

Dell calls the feature “ExpressSign-In,” a technology that pairs a special proximity sensor that with Windows Hello to make sign-ins just a bit faster. Essentially, the sensor will detect a person’s nearby presence and will wake the system on its own, rather than waiting for someone to hit the power button. Once awake, the Windows Hello infrared camera then searches for a face match. It should make for automatic logins and signs out.

Outside of the new sign-in feature, the convertible also packs some other enterprise features such as options for Cat 16 Gigabit LTE, a fingerprint reader, and the FIPS 201 Smart Card Reader. IT professionals can also enjoy the ability to manage Windows 10 endpoints with DCDD and Workplace One integration.

Key Specs

  • Processor: 8th-gen Intel Core Whiskey Lake
  • Speakers: Stereo Speaker with MaxxAudio Pro
  • Memory: Up to 16GB LPDDR3 SDRAM
  • Storage: 256GB up to 2TB SSD
  • Battery: 52 watt-hour or 78 watt-hour
  • Ports: 2 USB 3.1 ports, 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports, SD 4.0 memory card reader
  • Security: Fingerprint reader, FIPS 201 Smart Card Reader, NFC, Windows Hello IR

The Latitude 7400 2-in-1 has also been dubbed the world’s smallest commercial 14-inch 2-in-1, as it packs narrow borders that are 25 percent smaller than the previous generation. It is also light and comes in at 3 pounds in weight, with its machined aluminum and diamond cut finish.

Elsewhere, Dell has redesigned the cooling system with a new “intelligent thermal responsiveness,” which can adjust to the way the laptop is used. Be it on the lap or a desk, Dell promises the system can keep the Latitude cool.

Battery life is also boasted to not be an issue, as Dell is packing a super low-power panel, as well as support for express charge technologies. That should ensure that you can charge faster and get through the day without having to plug into an outlet. How long can it last? Up to a whopping 24 hours, according to Dell.

The Latitude 14 7400 will be available in March for prices starting at $1,600.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Stop fighting with your roomie over outlets and get one of these multi-port chargers before you head back to school
One plug, zero drama, all your devices charged by morning.
Satechi ChargeView

Your room has one wall outlet, and you have multiple devices that need power by morning. Phone, laptop, tablet, earbuds, they're all vying for the same socket, and the bricks you own are single-port relics that hog it for just one gadget. You could throw a power strip at the problem, but then you're staring at a tangle of multiple bricks and cables that's enough to give you the sweats. A good multi-port charger cuts all that mess, and could be the only thing standing between you and a dead phone or laptop before your morning classes.

Back-to-school season is a smart time to buy one. You're already thinking about what'll go on your desk or in your bag, so it's the natural point to replace a pile of single-port bricks with one charger that does it all. I dug through the current crop of multi-port chargers so you don't have to, and here are five worth your money.

Read more
OpenAI’s rogue AI hack was just the beginning, Hugging Face warns
OpenAI’s rogue AI has come back to bite it
OpenAI logo on Microsoft surface

Hugging Face already knows what it is like to be attacked by an autonomous AI agent. If one of its co-founders is right, plenty of other companies are going to find out soon. Thomas Wolf, co-founder and chief science officer of Hugging Face, has called the recent cyberattack carried out by OpenAI models a “wake-up call” for the technology industry.

Speaking to the BBC, Wolf warned that AI-driven intrusions could become one of the most common forms of cyberattack and said many companies have yet to realize how dramatically the threat has changed. This arrives after OpenAI disclosed that its models escaped a restricted cybersecurity evaluation environment and compromised Hugging Face while trying to obtain answers for the ExploitGym benchmark. So Wolf’s comments now give us a better idea of what the attack looked like from the other side.

Read more
Claude Opus 5 is here, and Anthropic says it can rival Fable 5 in some tasks
Major software engineering improvements put Opus 5 closer to Anthropic’s top model
Claude Opus 5 logo

Anthropic has launched Claude Opus 5, its latest frontier AI model for coding, research, business work, and other complex tasks. The company says it delivers a major performance jump over Claude Opus 4.8 while keeping the same API price. Anthropic also claims it comes close to Claude Fable 5 on some coding and computer-use tests while costing far less per task.

Opus 5 is available across Claude’s apps and API. It is now the default model for Claude Max subscribers and the strongest option included with Claude Pro.

Read more