New Dell Latitude E-Series Now Available

Today Dell officially announced a family refresh of Dell’s commercial notebook line, the new Dell Latitude E-series notebooks. Most people interested in the new Latitude notebooks have already seen information leaked onto the web over the last few months, but now we have full specs and the new notebooks are available for immediate purchase over on the Dell website.

Dell’s re-engineered Latitude lineup answers a wide range of user profiles:

Ultra-Portable – Dell Latitude E4200 is a 12.1-inch laptop that starts at 2.2 pounds, making it the lightest commercial notebook in the company’s history.The 13.3-inch Latitude E4300 has a starting weight of 3.3 pounds. Designed for road warriors and executives who demand maximum performance and light weight, the systems will be available in the coming weeks.

Mainstream– The Dell Latitude E6400 and E6500, available today, are 14.1- and 15.4-inch laptops that start at $1,139 and $1,169, respectively. The systems are ideal desktop replacements for high-performance users.

Essential– The Latitude E5400, a 14.1-inch notebook, starts at $839, and the E5500, a 15.4-inch notebook starts at $869. Available today, the systems include everyday features at a cost-effective price.

Semi-Rugged– The Latitude E6400 ATG is a 14.1-inch semi-rugged laptop that starts at $2,399 and will be available next week. It is built and tested to meet Military 810F standards for dust, vibration and humidity.

Desk-Based – From new port replicators to full docking solutions that fit any usage scenario with smaller footprints and streamlined cabling, users can “hot undock.”

The Latitude E4300 in red. (view large image)

Dell will offer colors for the first time on Latitude laptops. In addition to Mica-Brushed Metal, the Latitude E4200, E4300, E6400 and E6500 will be available in “Regatta Blue,” “Regal Red” and “Quartz Pink” (E4200 only) in the coming weeks. The E5400 and E5500 are available in Matte Black.

The big news that working professionals will appreciate is that Dell claims these new notebooks are capable of up to 19 hours of battery life … if you combine both the extended capacity 9-cell and the optional 12-cell battery slice which connects to the bottom of the notebook on E6400. The new Dell ControlPoint software enables power savings and provides “All Day Battery” mode. The Dell USB PowerShare feature charges peripherals even when the Latitude is powered off and the new “Connection Manager” wireless interface controls Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 2.1, UWB, Wi-Fi Catcher, GPS, and WiMAXto help you stay connected and manage your power usage.

The new 12-cell battery slice for the E6400. (view large image)

Dell is also actively promoting the power efficiency of the new Latitudes … which are rated at

87% averaged efficiency for E-Family external adapters. The designs also incorporate an inverted motherboard for improved thermals and energy efficient designs for the CPU, LED Backlight, and other key components.

E4200 (view large image)

E4200

• WEIGHT: 2.2lbs
• DISPLAY: 12.1″ WXGA (LED-backlit)
• PORTS: VGA, RJ45, 1394, (2) USB, eSATA, audio x2
• SLOTS: ExpressCard34 and SD/MMC
• SECURITY: TPM, Smart Card reader,Integrated fingerprint reader option
• Intel UMA graphics
• No integrated optical drive
• Ultra Low Volt (ULV) CPUs
• 32GB or 64GB SSD
• Backlit Keyboard Option
• Multiple Color Options

E4300 (view large image)

E4300

• WEIGHT: 3.4lbs
• DISPLAY: 13.3″ WXGA (LED-backlit)
• PORTS: VGA, RJ45, 1394, (2) USB, eSATA, audio x2
• SLOTS: ExpressCard34 and SD/MMC
• SECURITY: TPM, Contactless and Standard Smart Card reader, Integrated fingerprint reader option
• Intel UMA graphics
• Mainstream HDD options
• Integrated optical drive
• Standard Volt CPUs
• Webcam Option
• Backlit Keyboard Option
• Multiple Color Options

E6400 (view large image)

E6500 (view large image)

E6400/E6500

• WEIGHT: 4.3lbs (E6400), 5.2lbs (E6500)
• DISPLAY: E6400: 14.1″ WXGA & WXGA+ (LED-backlit), E6500: 15.4″ WXGA, WXGA+ (LED-backlit) & WUXGA
• PORTS: VGA, Display Port, RJ45/RJ11, (4) USB, eSATA, 1394a, audio x2
• SLOTS: 5-in-1 card reader; PCMCIA or ExpressCard54 choice (E6400 only)
• SECURITY: TPM, Contactless and Standard Smart Card reader, Fingerprint reader option
• BATTERY OPTIONS: 4-cell, 6-cell, 9-cell batteries and a 84WHr 12-cell battery slice
• Intel UMA or 256MB NVIDIA discrete graphics
• 64GB Solid State Drive
• Webcam option
• Multiple Color Options

E6400 ATG (view large image)

E6400 ATG

• DISPLAY: Outdoor viewable display, High brightness (750 nit brightness), Touch screen (650 nit brightness)
• Intel UMA graphics
• Similar features to E6400
• Built and tested to meet MIL-810F standard for dust, non-op and op vibration, humidity, and altitude
• Certified for IP5x for dust
• Removable shock-mounted hard drive
• Spill-resistant keyboard and port covers
• High-durability textured paint

E5500 (view large image)

E5400/E5500

• WEIGHT: E5400: 5.5lbs, E5500: 6.3lbs
• DISPLAY: E5400: 14.1″ WXGA & WXGA+, E5500: 15.4″ WXGA & WXGA+
• PORTS: VGA, RJ45/RJ11, (4) USB, audio x2, S-Video, 1394, Serial (E5500)
• SLOTS: PCMCIA, SD/MMC
• SECURITY: TPM, Integrated fingerprint reader option
• BATTERY: 6-cell and 9-cell options now, 4-cell ()
• Intel UMA graphics
• Dual pointing keyboard (option)
• E-Family docking and adapters
• Fixed optical drives
• Mobile Broadband (E5400 Option)

E-Port and E-Port Plus Docking Stations

The new E-Port Plus docking station is optimized for dual monitors with support for two VGA ports and two DVI ports (HDMI supported via adapter), six USB and one eSATA, Serial, parallel and two PS/2 ports. The new E-Port docking station features one VGA and one DVI display port with six USB ports and one eSATA port.

E-View Laptop Stand

The new E-View laptop stand designed to improve adjustability, reduce footprint and support up to 17″ notebooks.

Last But Not Least

Dell clearly is trying to solidify their position as the world’s No. 1 workstation supplier as they also unveiled a new line of ISV-certified Dell Precision mobile workstations targeted at performance-oriented customers in the engineering, media, entertainment and biosciences industries. Available today, the details of the new Precision mobile workstations include:

Dell Precision M4400:Starting at $1,569, the 15.4-inch mobile workstation features leading-edge graphics and supports up to 8 GB of RAM.

Dell Precision M2400:Weighing 4.77 pounds, the company’s lightest mobile workstation is a 14.1-inch system that starts at $1,449.

It looks like it might be time to order a new work laptop from our IT department.