We've seen more than a little interest in Dell's radically revamped Latitude line of business laptops. Our new review of the 14-inch Latitude E6400 is already one of the most-viewed laptops on CNET.
While we liked the excellent battery life and copious security features (and the backlit keyboard), you can get most of those from any decent business-minded laptop. What really stood out is the new brushed-metal design, which is a serious departure from the previous gray Latitude look, a staple of cubicle culture for several years.
To give you an idea of how different the new look and feel is, here are a few comparison shots of the Latitude E6400 and a slightly older Latitude D630, one of the most common laptops found in corporate America. ... Read more
The Dell Latitude E6400
(Credit: Dell)If you have a company laptop, chances are it's either a Lenovo ThinkPad or a Dell Latitude--both have universally recognizable designs, and are capable performers in both small and large businesses. This week, Dell is unveiling a fairly major revamp to the Latitude line with the new E series, anchored by the 15-inch Latitude E6500 and 14-inch E6400.
The most striking break from the traditional gray Latitude look is the new black brushed metal design, which promises to be thinner and lighter than the current versions. In a Latitude first, select models will also be available in Regatta Blue, Regal Red and Quartz Pink (but not at launch).
These new systems are powered by Intel's Centrino 2 platform, and also offer options such as backlit keyboards (an idea we heartily endorse), SSD hard drives (up to 64GB), and 7,200rpm hard drives with accelerometers, along with all the expected connectivity options, including mobile broadband, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and WiMAX. In addition to standard 6- and 9-cell batteries, Dell promises "all-day computing," with the optional 12-cell "battery slice"--essentially a giant battery that fits over the entire bottom of the system.
The new laptops will feature Dell's ControlPoint software.
The new Latitudes also feature Dell's ControlPoint software--the latest version of the catch-all apps found on almost any business laptop for easy access to power settings, security features, networking functions, diagnostics, and administrative controls. Business-friendly features include Intel's vPro platform, a TPM chip, fingerprint reader, and a contactless smart-card reader.
Dell is breaking its new Latitude line out into four categories:
The Latitude E6500 and E6400 are available right away, along with the less-expensive E5500 and E5400 (which add some weight and lose the LED backlit displays, Display Port video output, and other high-end options). The 12-inch E4200 and 13-inch E4300 are arriving sometime in September.
The ATG version of the E6400 will ship in late August.
(Credit: Dell)Also shipping starting next week is the E6400 ATG, which stands for all-terrain grade. It's essentially a version of the E6400 built into a new semirugged shell. We checked out the first ATG Dell last year, and this new version seems much more like it was built from the ground up as a rugged laptop, rather than just adding rubber bumpers to a standard Latitude.
We've seen a few Dell laptop leaks in the past several days--but fortunately for Dell, one of these systems is actually leak-poof, or at least spill-resistant.
We already saw the Latitude XT2 tablet, which should be available in the fall of 2008, and now Engadget has gotten its hands on some product spec sheets for more new laptops from Dell's Latitude line, which is aimed at business users (as opposed to the consumer Inspiron and XPS lines).
Dell purportedly plans on replacing the popular D830, D630, D531, and D530 Latitude laptops with new models, including the 15.4-inch E6500 and E5500, and the 14.1-inch E6400 and E5400. The higher-end models will use Intel's upcoming Centrino 2 platform and will include LED backlit displays, a DisplayPort connection, solid state hard-drive options, integrated GPS, and new high-capacity batteries.
Dell's new Latitude E-series
If you're a little rougher on your laptops, we also hear that Dell is prepping an ATG version of the E6400. ATG stands for All-Terrain Grade, and it's basically a standard Dell Latitude dressed up in a semirugged housing. We looked at the Dell's first ATG system (the Latitude ATG D620) last year and generally liked it. Like the earlier version, the new ATG will have a tough outer shell, shock-mounted hard drive, rubber port covers, and a spill-proof keyboard.
They haven't been officially announced yet, but look for these new Latitude systems around June.
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