Dell Latitude E6400 Laptop - Design
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Dell has literally had one of the most successful runs in business laptops, gracing the desks of countless professionals over the past two years. The problem was that the machine’s features and design didn’t change much in those two years; it was so dated, in fact, that it lacked features as simple as a built-in media card reader, something that can be found in nearly all business laptops today. It should be pointed out immediately that the biggest renovation to Dell’s laptop comes in physical form. The transformation is so major that even loyal devotees of Dell products would find that the new Latitude E6400 bears little resemblance to its predecessors.
The E6400 is 13.1-inches wide and 9.37-inches deep. Specific measurements aside, the new E series is a stark departure from the familiar Latitude look, trading the tapered gray lid for a sharply squared-off design with an industrial brushed metal surface. The result is a much more modern feel, and it fits in with the usage model of a work laptop being your main machine and frequently traveling from home to office to café. Make no mistake: The E6400 still has a professional look, but can also fit in with high-end designer consumer laptops.
Not to trivialize the machine, but Dell’s new Latitude E6400 is also quite trendy-looking. Thankfully, it was designed well and has the features necessary to make it more than just a pretty face. The E6400 is scratch resistant and comes in both red and blue configurations because, after all, noteveryworking professional dresses in conservative attire.
The E6400 weighs 5.6 pounds with its 9-cell battery; that makes it heavier than the HP 6930p's 5.3 pounds (4-cell battery) and the Lenovo T400's 5.2 pounds (6-cell), but not by much. Keep in mind its 9-cell, 85-Wh battery is by far the biggest, which translates to longest-lasting, so it's easier to forgive the extra heft. The E6400's 14-inch widescreen is as bright as the 14-inch screens on competing machines. Another plus is the fact that it’s matte, so you don't get the glare coming from the glossy ones found on consumer laptops. The 1,440-by-900 resolution is pretty standard for a business laptop, but it also comes with an option to go down to 1,280-by-800 for those who want to save $129.
The interior gets a complete makeover as well. The resurfaced keyboard is smoother than others and delivers a superb typing experience.Dell’s E6400also has dual pointing devices—a touchpad and a pointing stick. Though not as responsive as Lenovo's TrackPoint technology, the pointing stick doesn't feel as stiff as its competitors. The mouse buttons are also noticeably larger and silent, which is always nice.
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