| The Dell Latitude E6400 as the update to thesony | | | | is designated by a lightning bolt symbol next to the |
| vgp-bps8 battery , packs in all the essentials needed | | | | traditional USB symbol), even when the computer is |
| to keep road warriors productive on the go: a | | | | turned off. |
| speedy Intel Core 2 Duo processor, long battery life | | | | CPU and Hard Drive Performance |
| asand a host of security and durability features. | | | | Under the hood of our Dell Latitude E6400 was a |
| Factor in the revamped design as stodgy aesthetic | | | | 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor and 2GB |
| for one that’s much more streamlined and | | | | of RAM, which made for a smooth computing |
| visually appealing, and you have an excellent | | | | experience. notched 3,025 on our PCMark Vantage |
| notebook for demanding business users. | | | | test (which measures the application performance of |
| New Design | | | | PCs running Vista). That’s almost 500 points |
| Measuring 13.2 x 9.4 x 1.0 inches and weighing 5.6 | | | | higher than the thin-and-light average but about 400 |
| pounds, this 14.1-inch thin-and-light machine features a | | | | points less than the , which has the same processor |
| subtle brushed metal black lid that is available in two | | | | but discrete Nvidia graphics as opposed to the |
| decidedly nonbusiness colors: Regal Red and Regatt | | | | E6400’s integrated Intel graphics. |
| Blue (in September), along with Mica-Brushed Metal, | | | | We were able to work within Google Docs, chat with |
| or as we like to call it, black. The magnesium-alloy | | | | colleagues in Meebo, listen to MP3s, and run a virus |
| body gives the machine as for a sturdy feel, as do | | | | scan without seeing a performance hit. We’ve |
| the large, silver hinges. | | | | come to expect slow boot times from Vista-based |
| The 14.1-inch (1280 x 800-pixel resolution) display | | | | systems, but vgp-bps9/b wasn’t bad: It took 53 |
| looked good head-on, but whose viewing angles are | | | | seconds to gain control of the OS after hitting the |
| also more generous from side to side. Above the | | | | power button. Many other notebooks take a minute |
| screen is a 0.3-megapixel camera with Advanced | | | | or longer. |
| Light sensitivity that made us look surprisingly clear | | | | If you’d like to add additional memory, can be |
| while engaged in a video chat, although the colors | | | | outfitted with an outstanding 8GB of RAM. Dell |
| were a bit muted. | | | | includes a 5,400-rpm 160GB hard drive that’s |
| The keyboard makes for an excellent typing | | | | protected by Strike Zone technology for storing |
| asVGP-BPS2C Battery experience; the firm, yet | | | | documents, photos, music, and video. Transferring a |
| springy keys virtually jumped up to meet our fingers | | | | 5GB file of mixed media took a swift 3 minutes and |
| after we pressed them. Located between the G and | | | | 18 seconds, or a rate of 25.7 Mbps. Copying the |
| H keys is a responsive pointing stick that’s a fine | | | | same files to another folder on the drive took 4 |
| alternative to the relatively small touchpad. Dedicated | | | | minutes and 35 seconds, or 18.5 Mbps. |
| buttons for raising, lowering, and muting the volume | | | | Graphics Performance |
| rest above the keyboard. Crisp sound poured out of | | | | Our configuration was equipped with Intel’s GMA |
| the stereo speakers that flank the keyboard, which | | | | 4500M HD graphics.notched a score of 918 in our |
| only slightly compresses the keyboard layout. | | | | 3DMark06 test, more than 300 points less than the |
| Ports and PowerShare | | | | thin-and-light notebook average (1,236), but |
| The system’s perimeter contains numerous | | | | that’s to be expected of a system with |
| ports and outlets for hooking up gear: four USB 2.0, | | | | integrated graphics. On our F.E.A.R. test, produced |
| eSATA, VGA, Display Port, Ethernet, modem | | | | predictably low frame rates: 20 frames per second in |
| ,FireWire, one Type II PCMCIA or ExpressCard/54, | | | | auto-detect mode (800 x 600-pixel resolution). |
| 5-in-1 memory card reader, and headphone and | | | | Despite the low F.E.A.R. numbers, handled World of |
| microphone jacks. The uppermost USB port on the | | | | Warcarft pretty well; it automatically ran at a smooth |
| left side of the unit is the most intriguing: Taking a | | | | 32 fps with the resolution set to 1024 x 768 pixels. If |
| cue from Toshiba’s Sleep and Charge | | | | you’d like more graphics punch, you can add |
| technology, Dell’s USB PowerShare lets users | | | | discrete Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M graphics for $70. |
| charge their gadgets through this special port (which | | | | |