Just don't expect miracles. It won't sync with Outlook in Windows. And if you're trying to hot-swap between Windows and Latitude ON, you'll encounter some idle time between powering down one OS and starting the other. (Spokespeople say that the ARM processor won't cut deeply into battery life; we'll keep you posted on what we find). Neat as all this may be, we've seen variants of a Linux quick-boot option in laptops from HP and Asus as well.

Dell also pops in a couple of proprietary apps you might actually use. The optional 2-megapixel camera works with the fairly impressive Dell Capture software to scan business cards; as long as you hold up a "normal" card, the app will read all the info and plug it into your contact manager. The software also scans documents directly into PDF format. You also have options for biometric lockouts, either via the FaceAware app that uses the Webcam or the fingerprint scanner that sits next to the keyboard.

Speaking of the keyboard, it feels, like the rubbery finish around the machine, soft to the touch, and the cut-out keys seem suitably springy and responsive. While it looks all lovely and well-framed floating in the middle of the computer, I can't help wondering if this is the one area where form trumped function for the worse. I would've loved to see a little more room to make the keys a hair larger. And the top-row keys--from the "Esc" and function buttons to "Delete" at the end--seem disproportionately (and unnecessarily) small. You know what isn't small? The multitouch mousing area and good-sized buttons.

Also a little out-of-the-ordinary and one of this laptop's bigger selling points is the wireless laptop charging base station. This $250 add-on powers up the Z600 through a panel similar to how the induction coil works in the Palm Pre's Touchstone charger. The laptop charges just as fast as if you plugged it directly into the power brick. And despite some bloggers crying about how big the charging station is, I can honestly say, after testing it, that it's no larger than other elevated docking stations I've seen. It just does its job in high-tech style. What I really want, though, is a smaller, smarter charging pad that can feed the correct voltages to different devices. .

The other (but slightly less sexy) wireless option is a docking station. No dongles required, it works out the box with your Z600. It houses four USB 2.0 ports, along with DVI-out video, headphone, and mic outputs. Another excessive accessory that came with the Z600: The slickly matching 4X external BD-ROM drive that drives up the price further. But if you're buying this machine, you aren't what I'd consider "thrifty."