Dell Latitude E6400 XFR: A Business Laptop Goes Ballistic

Today, Dell announced the Latitude E6400 XFR, an 8.5-pound bruiser of a laptop that’s ruggedized to meet military standards, and then some. The notebook, which starts at $4,299, is aimed at the military, first responders, such as police officers and EMS, and utilities workers, like cable companies. The biggest news about the 14.1-inch E6400 XFR is its Ballistic Armor Protection System, which is made from a new patented material that Dell calls PR-481. It’s a “secret sauce” of polymers that Dell claims has twice the impact strength of magnesium alloy. It also promises to withstand drops of four feet with the lid closed and three feet with it open, which Dell says is a 25 percent increase over the drop specifications of other notebooks in its class. Largely thanks to this material, it’s half a pound lighter and 15 percent thinner than Dell’s last rugged laptop, the D630 XFR. It can also withstand torrential rain at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, and temperatures between -20 and 140 degrees Farenheit. It protects against dust and liquid using PrimoSeal technology, which uses compression gaskets. The 14.1-inch display’s Direct View technology goes head-to-head with GD Itronix’s DynaVue, which is also optimized to make the screen easily viewable in direct sunlight. Dell’s technology, specifically, both increases the backlighting and reduces reflectivity using a special coating. In addition to Intel Core 2 Duo processors, specs include up to 8GB DDR2 RAM, a 64GB SSD option, and optional mobile broadband (a GPS antenna won’t be offered at launch). It comes standard with a six-cell battery, which Dell says last over five hours. With a battery slice attached the claim battery life extends to more than 13 hours. The Latitude E6400 XRF is available starting today in the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy at www.dell.com/xfr.