By all means the T60 is a beautiful machine, but I was put off by a couple of small details. My biggest qualm is that I cannot stand having a battery stick out. Apparently that seems to be the current trend with a lot of smaller machines sporting bigger batteries and the inch T60 was no exception. The small touchpad and some very minor aesthetic points also put me off. The 15 inch T60 was a bit better but it still lacked an s-video output and was a tad bit too heavy. Subsequently I went to Dell.
The D was the thin-and-light of the group but suffered from the same issue as the 14 inch T60 in that the battery stuck out and it was missing an S-video port. Reviews I read about the D also mentioned poor sound and a loose battery. The D addressed most of my concerns with the D but I fretted over the weight of a 15 inch notebook.
After changing my mind several times, the D finally won me over. Up and running view large image. After deciding on a machine I poked around the Internet for coupons and discounts, though I did not find many for the Latitude line.
All in all it was a smooth and pleasant shopping experience. The machine arrived just over a week after I ordered it. Package contents view large image. The computer shipped with everything shown here. The container was divided into two sections, a cardboard container for the power supply, media bay battery, resource disks and documentation and a styrofoam crate for the actual computer. I was actually somewhat surprised that the notebook came with printed documentation; the last few Dell machines my family bought came with a short pamphlet telling you how to plug in the computer in several different languages.
When I first pulled the D out of its protective envelope boy was I impressed. Things have changed since the days of my m.
I expected the build quality to be good, but it was unexpectedly good. Closed view large image. When I first opened up the machine I found the hinges quite stiff with pretty much no play. The outer shell of the notebook is made of a magnesium alloy though the inner surfaces are still made of plastic.
The chassis has no flex whatsoever; I can pick it up by a corner without a problem. Unfortunately though there is a bit of flex in the screen and palmrest, but it is much less than that of older Dell machines. The latch is a bit loose but the travel is very small. The overall build quality might not be on par with that of the Thinkpad series but it is getting close.
Front view large image. The right side houses the optical drive and two USB ports. The optical drive can be removed and replaced with the media bay battery while the computer is on; it acts like a plug and play device. Right view large image. It is triggered by the small switch to the left. Left view large image. Another USB port would have been nice; even the D has four.
Back view large image. The media bay battery fits nice and tight. Bottom view large image. Save for the small curves that make up the corners of the machine the lines of the laptop are straight and parallel forming a nearly rectangular solid. I think this gives it a more rugged and balanced appearance than wedge shaped notebooks which seem to be appearing more and more these days. The two tone color scheme also contributes to the smart appearance of a business laptop.
I found that the keyboard is generally more pleasant to use; the keys have a slightly greater travel and a greater amount of feedback as well. The touchpad feels the same as the one on my m. I really like the buttons under the touchpad. Instead of having a short, hard click the D has buttons that have a longer, softer click to them which I just find to be rather nice.
The same can be said for the power button and media buttons. I tended to overshoot where I was aiming much of the time. The buttons for the trackpoint are the same as those for the touchpad with that same long, soft click. There are three buttons to control the speaker volume: higher, lower and mute. Keyboard, touchpad, trackball and media buttons view large image. According to the various reviews I read, the D seemed to have a rather lacking screen and I was afraid this problem would carry over to the D One of the first things I noticed when I turned on the computer was the unusually large amount of light leakage coming from the bottom of the screen.
With both screens set to a blank screen saver under identical lighting conditions the screen on the D shows somewhat more light leakage than the screen on the m. In the following picture the D is on the left and the m is on the right. A comparison of light leakage view large image. Again, the D is on the left and the m is on the right. A comparison of screen brightness view large image.
The built-in hard disk drew our attention, because it clearly clatters and creaks in use. Besides a clear increase at the bottom side, where Especially the maximum temperature at the top side of only The speakers are located left and right beside the keyboard and provide good and clear sound.
Even the basses are up to a certain degree alright. The reviewed notebook was equipped with a powerful 85Wh battery which is about comparable to a mAh battery. So, the Dell Latitude D has a good battery runtime.
The measured runtime ranged from about 2 hours under load , and more than 4 during WLan usage to a maximum of 9 hours without load and with optimized energy settings WLan, Bluetooth, LAN off, minimum brightness, energy saving mode. Overall, the D can be called a very mobile notebook. Considering that the D can be equipped with a supplement battery attached to the modular drive, the mobility of the D is excellent.
In general the Dell Latitude D meets the requirements of a reasonable business notebook. Regarding performance it clearly outperforms the D , its predecessor.
But, this is also a result of the good equipment of the reviewed notebook. Equipped with an especially robust and durable magnesium case , the Latitude D meets the business notebook's demand for an indestructible and persistent case.
Also the decent design makes it look business-like. Another important aspect are of course user-friendly input devices , which allow to work for a long time without problems. Regarding this aspect, the D has a keyboard with a clear layout and a user-friendly touch pad.
Only the track point did not really convince us. A weakness is the poor illumination, which is a result of the brightness declining at the top edge. Another pro of the D is that you can choose between a number of display version. Considering it is an office notebook, hardly anything is left to be desired.
Emissions of the notebook are, especially considering it is an office notebook, something which should not be neglected. In our case, the Latitude D met our expectations in some degree.
We need to mention that the fan ran all the time , but, overall the noise level of the D is passable. Finally, the D also scores high regarding battery runtime. Equipped with a powerful 85Wh battery the runtime is in between 2 up to impressing 9h. In practice about 4 hours should be possible.
Dell Latitude D Simon Leitner. Review Dell Latitude D Notebook. Front Side: No Ports. Input Devices. Touch pad. Color Diagram. Maximum: Operation Outdoors. Benchmark Comparison 3DMark.
Benchmark Comparison PCMark. PCMark 05 Standard. HD Tune. Loudness In Idle mode the fan runs all the time , and this is also audible in quiet environments. Noise Level Idle. Temperature Besides a clear increase at the bottom side, where Upper side palmwrist: Speakers The speakers are located left and right beside the keyboard and provide good and clear sound.
Battery Runtime. Key: min: , med: , max: Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here. Please share our article, every link counts!
Reviewed: Dell Latitude D Specifications Dell D Intel Core 2 Duo T 2 x 2. Dell homepage Dell notebook section. The design of the Dell Latitude D is alike the design of its predecessor, the D The notebook is equipped with a high-capacity 85Wh battery, Also the sound of the speakers is good. The fan runs all the time, but its noise level is still passable. The surface temperature is overall alright.
The T CPU the reviewed notebook was equipped with, provides excellent performance. The input devices are user-friendly and the keyboard convinces by a clear layout. The notebook is generously equipped with interfaces Although the metal display hinge is very robust, it unfortunately clatters clearly. So, the notebook is very flexural rigid, Behind the decent look
0コメント