Dell Launches Latitude E6400 XFR Rugged Laptop

If you need a laptop that can survive the spray from a fire hose or be wiped clean after being covered in crude oil, Dell has the perfect notebook for you. Today Dell introduced their latest fully rugged laptop, the Latitude E6400 XFR. Engineered to meet the needs of even the most demanding customers in the harshest environments, the system meets a higher drop specification and offers a greater level of dust and moisture protection than any fully-rugged laptop in its class.

This might just be the laptop that can make a Panasonic Toughbook cry.

Designed for the military, first responders, oil and gas environments, manufacturing floors, field technicians and homeland security, the Latitude E6400 XFR features the Dell-exclusive "Ballistic Armor Protection System" which leverages a high-strength substance used for applications such as cryogenics, aircraft components, military equipment and medical devices. Features of Ballistic Armor include:

• Twice the impact strength of magnesium alloy
• 25 percent higher drop specification than any computer in its class – up to four feet with system powered down and closed and up to 36-inch drop test with the unit operating and LCD open
• High compression strength for outstanding impact protection
• Structural stability at extreme temperatures
• Scratch resistance providing corrosion protection.

The Latitude E6400 XFR also features "PrimoSeal Technology" to enhance protection from dust and liquid with compression gaskets that deliver a higher level of shielding from dust and moisture than any system in its class with an IP-65 rating.

The fully rugged laptop is engineered and independently tested to more than 13 military standards (MIL STD 810F) for operation in challenging environments. More importantly, the E6400 XFR shares common images and components with the Dell Latitude E6400 laptops for easy integration into existing environments and enables lower ownership costs than competing rugged notebooks.

The Latitude E6400 XFR also includes:

• Intel Core 2 Duo processors and vPro technology
• QuadCool Thermal Management System allows the XFR to meet the MIL-STD 810F for temperature extremes and enables excellent performance – a fully configured Latitude E6400 XFR performs up to 90 percent faster than the Panasonic CF30
• Up to 167 percent faster than the Panasonic CF30 in graphics-intensive applications
• Extended field use batteries equipped with ExpressCharge enables battery re-charge up to two times faster than Panasonic CF-30
• At 2.2 inches thick and starting at 8.5 pounds, the Latitude E6400 XFR is 15 percent thinner and up to 5 percent lighter than the previous generation XFR
• Field-ready options include an in-vehicle docking solution, 12-cell rugged battery slice, E-family docking and legacy I/O adapter
• Large 14.1-inch wide display including DirectVue Technology - customers can work in direct sunlight on a screen that features impact resistance
• Optional Dell ProSupport service offerings.

The E6400 XFR is obviously intended for customers who demand reliability in extremely challenging environments. However, this rugged laptop offers potentially significant cost savings for companies that already deploy Dell Latitude notebooks because it shares some of the same core components ... which means easier integration for IT departments.

Dell will showcase the Latitude XFR E6400 at this week’s Federal Office Systems Exposition (FOSE), held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., in booth 1001. For those of you who can't make it to the convention, you can expect to see a full review of this rugged notebook here on NotebookReview.com in the very near future. Stay tuned.

The system is available today in the U.S., Canada, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. It starts at $4,299 and more information is available at www.dell.com/xfr.