If Dell’s Vostro series is designed for the small to medium sized business on a budget, the Latitude series is designed for the serious corporate, who needs connectivity and reliability above all else.

Reckon of the Latitude as Dell’s answer to Lenovo’s ThinkPad series. At first glance the Latitude E6400 looks very large, solid and also very boxy. It seems like Dell hewed this out of a solid hunk of plastic and metal. No, the black matt end is fine with us, but it’s just that the box-like design brings to mind the oft used analogy “built like a tank”.

The lid sports a black, brushed aluminum end that is quite eye catching but in a more laid back sort of manner and you’ll hardly notice yourself giving it another look over.

The E6400 is built around a magnesium alloy cage which is fantastic for longevity and even the coating around the palm rest region looks like it’s there to last. In fact the mostly metal design does add to the weight a bit, but the E6400 feels surprisingly dense; as if it would take a lot of abuse. The screen size is 14.1-inches, although this notebook has a rather wide bezel all around the screen, which makes it look much larger, though not as large as a 15.4-inch model.

It sports the double mouse button design that Lenovo also favours and the track button that is a must for all seriously corporate notebooks. The track button isn’t red but (Lenovo nee IBM patented that), but is black; and blends in with the keyboard.

The keys themselves are well laid out and offer a small and very positive feedback. Although this wasn’t the best laid out keypad from amongst the five notebooks we tested, the key spacing and beveling is ergonomic to work with. The trackpad is the right combination of grip and comfort although we found tracking to be a bit of a problem. In fact this was one of the major let downs with the E6400; the track pad will stick at times or will just refuse to do what your finger commands – most annoying. The trackpoint works better and it’s clear to see that it isn’t an adornmentfor Dell; many ThinkPad users swear by the trackpoint and Dell implements it quite well. A fingerprint reader thrown in; a must for many corporate users as an additional security step as it restricts access like few passwords can.

The screen itself is a matte panel; so reflections are not a problem and the resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels is absolutely perfect. We’re tired of 1280 x 800 pixels and ultra high resolution notebooks are a no-no too. This resolution is just right for the screen size. The LCD panel is LED lit; and should bring power saving benefits as well. In terms of configurability the E 6400 is really customisable in right Dell fashion. The one we got came with a new T9400 processor.

This CPU is quite quick and runs at a speed of 2.5 GHz while maintaining a whopping 6 MB of L2 cache – fantastic for someone needing more CPU performance.

It seems the E6400 ships with only 7200 RPM hard drives and this is a very excellent thing because the storage subsystem is usually the slowest component of any PC or Laptops. SSD is also an option with the new Latitude; though the costs are astronomical.

In right workstation style the Latitude E6400 ships with an NVIDIA Quadro graphics solution; the NVS 160M which is hardly powerful, being based around eight stream processors but is way quicker than Intel’s GMA and about a tenth of the performance away from a GeForce 9300M GS. D-Sub and S-Video connects are provided as video outs.

The Dell Latitude E 6400 is priced from Rs. 60,000 and above; although the model we recieved was priced at Rs. 95,000; not terrible considering the processor and graphics solution.

For more detail on BlackBerry Curve 8520 log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/

If Dell’s Vostro series is designed for the small to medium sized business on a budget, the Latitude series is designed for the serious corporate, who needs connectiv­ity and reliability above all else. Reckon of the Latitude as Dell’s answer to Lenovo’s ThinkPad series. At first glance the Latitude E6400 looks very large, solid and also very boxy. It seems like Dell hewed this out of a solid hunk of plastic and metal. No, the black matt end is fine with us, but it’s just that the box-like design brings to mind the oft used analogy “built like a tank”. The lid sports a black, brushed aluminum end that is quite eye catching but in a more laid back sort of manner and you’ll hardly notice yourself giv­ing it anoth­er look over. The E6400 is built around a magnesium alloy cage which is fantastic for longevity and even the coating around the palm rest region looks like it’s there to last. In fact the mostly metal design does add to the weight a bit, but the E6400 feels surprisingly dense; as if it would takea lot of abuse. The screen size is 14. 1-inches, although this notebook has a rather wide bezel all around the screen, which makes it look much larger, though not as large as a 15. 4-inch model. It sports the double mouse button design that Lenovo also favors and the track button that is a must for all seriously corpo­rate notebooks. The track button isn’t red but (Lenovo nee IBM patented that), but is black; and blends in with the keyboard. The keys themselves are well laid out and offer a small and very positive feedback. Although this wasn’t the best laid out keypad from amongst the five notebooks we tested, the key spacing and beveling is ergonomic to work with. The trackpad is the right combination of grip and comfort although we found tracking to be a bit of a problem. In fact this was one of the major let downs with the E6400; the track pad will stick at times or will just refuse to do what your finger commands – most annoying. The trackpoint works better and it’s clear to see that it isn’t an adorn­ment for Dell; many ThinkPad users swear by the trackpoint and Dell implements it quite well. A fingerprint reader thrown in; a must for many corporate users as an additional security step as it restricts access like few pass­words can. The screen itself is a matte panel; so reflections are not a problem and the resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels is absolutely perfect. We’re tired of 1280 x 800 pixels and ultra high resolution notebooks are a no-no too. This resolution is just right for the screen size. The LCD panel is LED lit; and should bring power saving benefits as well. In terms of configurability the E 6400 is really customizable in right Dell fashion. The one we got came with a new T9400 processor. This CPU is quite quick and runs at a speed of 2. 5 GHz while maintaining a whopping 6 MB of L2 cache – fantastic for someone needing more CPU performance. It seems the E6400 ships with only 7200 RPM hard drives and this is a very excellent thing because the storage subsystem is usually the slowest component of any PC or notebook. SSD is also an option with the new Latitude; though the costs are astronomical. In right workstation style the Dell Latitude E6400 ships with an NVIDIA Quadro graphics solution; the NVS 160M which is hardly powerful, being based around eight stream processors but is way quicker than Intel’s GMA and about a tenth of the performance away from a GeForce 9300M GS. D-Sub and S-Video connects are provided as video outs. The Latitude E 6400 is priced from Rs. 60,000 and above; although the model we received was priced at Rs. 95,000; not terrible considering the processor and graphics solution. For more details on Dell Inspiron 1525 log on to http://www. consumermate. com/

Oh! What a laptop! All armed and equipped with such strong safety measures you nearly mistake it for a soldier in the field! Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Dell Latitude E6400 XFR- one of the most robust, strong yet sophisticated notebooks you must have ever come across. It is a laptop meant for the outdoors. It has got looks to define its ballistic protection against the worst of the conditions and a body to withstand anything thrown at it. Much Required ConvenienceLaptops and computers in general were till recently considered to be highly sophisticated devices which needed to be protected from any sort of harsh out door environment features. Dust, pollution, water- all were considered to be the largest of notebook enemies. Dell has revolutionized the way we look at laptops by introducing the Latitude E6400 XFR that is intended for outdoor professions like the armed professions, oil and gas companies and others of the like. These professions will be highly benefited by being able to use a laptop freely in the outdoors wherever they need itArmed ProfessionalThe Dell Latitude E6400 XFR is a laptop equipped with protection against extreme heat, rain, dust and even accidental drops. The QuadCool Thermal Management System equipped in this rugged machine enables it to withstand extreme temperatures and makes it an ideal choice for professional areas with increased field temperatures. The impressive Ballistic Armor Protection System of Dell gives the notebook nearly the same protection and army officer would get and is armored with many a safety features. The materials used to make the chassis of the notebook are twice as strong as magnesium and can take that much of an impact force easily. The notebook is also powered by unique Primo Seal technology that protects it from dust and water thereby making it immune to extreme adverse conditions. The Dell E6400 XFR is also featured with an outdoor viewable, large LCD screen that can amazingly double up as a touch screen when desired. The notebook is so well protect from harmful elements that even the backlit keyboard also acts as a resistance for dust and water by being protected against them. Perfect ErgonomicsThe notebook is not only an armored Laptop due to its features but it is even designed for the best outdoor usage ergonomics. The first thing that you will notice after looking at it is that it does not look like any of the posh, slim notebooks ruling the world today. Instead, it defines what it is very clearly through its looks. The Dell E6400 XFR is a very robust looking laptop computer with fine design sensibilities like a secure carrying handle attached to the body and very robust latch and hinges for sturdy outdoor usage. If you are a professional who often needs a notebook while working outdoors, this could really be the answer to all your prayers. The Dell E6400 XFR is so sturdy and robust, you could quite literally drop it, wet it or run with it in a storm, it will still be very much alive and kicking for you to work on it. The laptop comes to you by passing through a series of very tough tests and is really prepared for anything! So, pleased outdoor computing!

Dell Latitude E6400 Overview / Review
Specs
Intel Core 2 Duo P8700@ 2. 53Ghz 3mb L2 Cache 1066MHzz FSB
4GB DDR2 800MHz Ram
14. 1 WXGA LED Backlit Show LG Panel
250GB HD 7200RPM
Nvidia Quadro NVS-160M