Dell Officially Rolls Out the 'Ballistic' Latitude E6400 XFR

Round Rock, Texas-based Dell has just announced a new addition to its Latitude family of portable computer systems with the introduction of the new E6400 XFR, a touchscreen laptop designed for some of the most extreme work conditions. According to the PC vendor, its new Latitude E6400 XFR is capable to withstand drops, dust and high-pressure water sprays. Basically, with the launch of the new Latitude laptop, Dell is trying to compete with one of the main, fully rugged computer solutions on the market, namely Panasonic's Toughbook CF-30.

“Customers who use rugged laptops have unique needs beyond mainstream business notebooks. With the Latitude E6400 XFR we have listened and are delivering,” said Brett McAnally, director, Dell Product Group. “We incorporated innovations on behalf of our customers to create a one-of-a-kind system that offers advanced security, more durability, and exceptional ease-of-use for an overall user experience that’s simply unmatched in the industry today.”

As far as technical specifications are concerned, this laptop is designed to provide users with the performance achieved by Intel's Core 2 Duo processors with vPro technology. It comes equipped with a 14.1-inch display and boasts DirectVue technology, enabling users to work with the laptop in direct sunlight. However, some of the main features of the new Latitude laptop aren't specifically related to the system's technical specifications, as it has been designed to meet the MIL-STD 810F standard for extreme temperatures.

According to Dell, a fully configured Latitude E6400 XFR is up to 90 percent faster than Panasonic's CF30, while in the graphics department it is said to deliver a performance of up to 160 percent better than that of the aforementioned Toughbook.

Additional specifications include a starting weight of 8.5 pounds and a 12-cell rugged battery slice, while the overall system is 15 percent thinner and up to 5 percent lighter than Dell's previous-generation XFR model. As far as pricing is concerned, the manufacturer is yet to release any details.