Dell packs an excellent mix of features into a lightweight five-pound frame, including the fastest Verizon Wireless EV-DO connectivity. Add in a host of security options and blazing dual-core performance, and the $1,905 D620 is the best choice for businesses both large and small.
The D620's ergonomics are top-notch. The full-sized keyboard has a good feel (even if it's a bit mushy), and unlike some past Latitudes, key clicks are quiet. The system comes with a pointing stick, touchpad, and a set of mouse buttons for each. We also appreciate the dedicated volume and mute buttons above the keyboard, as well as the handy Wi-Fi Catcher network locater (an LED that indicates if a wireless network is available without turning the system on).
To improve durability, Dell has wrapped this package in a magnesium alloy exoskeleton. The hard drive is shock-mounted, but it offers no active hard-drive protection, such as an accelerometer. The keyboard is spill-resistant.
Our test system was configured with a 1.83-GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 processor and 1GB of RAM. That pair made for a reasonably good score of 219 in our MobileMark 2005 benchmark test. The integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 graphics engine is adequate for typical business chores.
Battery life from the included six-cell battery was a good 4 hours and 25
minutes. The optional nine-cell battery ($99 preconfigured) should provide up to seven hours of runtime.
The 80GB hard drive is ample for a portable, and we liked the inclusion of an 8X DVD+RW/DVD-RW drive. The D620 has no memory card slots, but you do get four USB ports. Lift the matte, dark silver cover and you'll find a 14.1-inch widescreen display. The 16:9 aspect ratio is ideal for frequent travelers, since it gives you extra screen real estate without the extra height. Unlike some of the higher-resolution screens we've seen, we found the 1280 x 800-pixel resolution of our test model easy to see.
Horizontal viewing angles for the screen are excellent, but the brightness drops when viewed from above with the lid open less than 90 degrees. The wide display is also a natural fit for movies, although we noticed more blurring on action scenes than on the competition. The tiny built-in speakers deliver adequate volume for personal and business use but offer precious little bass.
Other features include a choice between EV-DO (included in this price, at $179) and HSDPA ($225), and its embedded antenna and radio mean you don't need a PC Card. The dual offering might make the D620 the platform of choice for multinational companies or those who travel abroad, since HSDPA is more widely used in Europe.
The D620 offered excellent performance in our EV-DO speed tests, averaging 498.4 Kbps. Dell attributes its performance edge to the inclusion of Novatel Wireless' modem card (HP and Lenovo use a Sierra Wireless card for its EV-DO notebooks) and Dell's own antenna design.
The wireless broadband option is in addition to the system's standard 802.11a/g Wi-Fi radio. In our tests, that radio delivered relatively low throughput (11.63 Mbps at 5 feet from our access point and 7.01 Mbps at 50 feet).
Dell has concentrated on security with the D620. You'll find a fingerprint reader and an integrated Smart Card reader to limit access. If you want even more protection, the D620 comes preloaded with the Embassy Trust Suite by Wave Systems. The suite handles multilevel authentication (password protection, a fingerprint reader, and a Smart Card slot), passwordn management for end users, secure e-mail (through TPM), as well as PKI support.
If you need a powerful and always-connected thin-and-light notebook
and like the idea of a widescreen display, the Dell Latitude D620 is
currently your best choice.
|
|
| Processor |
| Processor Type |
Intel Core Duo |
| Data Bus Speed |
667 MHz |
Cache Memory |
| Installed Size |
2 MB |
RAM |
| Installed Size |
1 GB |
| Technology |
DDR2 |
Storage |
| Hard Drive |
80 GB |
| Drive Controllers |
Serial ATA |
Display |
| Type |
Active Matrix LCD (TFT) |
| Aspect Ratio |
0.673611111 |
| Graphics Processor / Vendor |
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 |
| Max. Resolution |
1440 x 900 |
| Video Bus |
PCI Express x16 |
Networking |
| Data Link Protocol |
Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps),
Wireless Ethernet - 11 Mbps IEEE802.11b,
Wireless Ethernet - 54 Mbps IEEE802.11a,
Wireless Ethernet - 54 Mbps IEEE802.11g |
Expansion |
| Expansion |
Type I PC Card,
Type II PC Card |
Miscellaneous |
| Features |
DVD/CD-RW Combo,
Hard Drive |
| Chipset Type |
Intel 945GM |
| Input Devices |
Keyboard,
Touchpad |
| Included Devices |
Modem |
Operating System |
| Operating System |
Microsoft Windows XP Pro |
Dimensions (W x D x H) |
| Unit |
13.27 in x 9.37 in x 1.26 in |
Weight |
| Unit |
5 lbs |
Warranty |
| Warranty |
3 Year Limited Warranty |
|
|
= Comment
= Outstanding
= Good
= Poor
= Bad
