Dell SA has released its Latitude D-series (D620 and D820) range of notebook computers in response to a rapid increase in notebook sales, as companies increasingly adopt a mobile computing model, the company says.
"Huge growth" (between 20% and 30% on a quarterly basis) has been noted in the mobile space, says Dell SA product manager Gavin Slevin.
As with its predecessors, the Latitude range is aimed at the corporate market, featuring a road-ready design that ensures the notebooks are made to take daily abuse, he says.
Dell ran a torture test and destroyed 300 prototypes before finalising the Latitude offering. This testing included the so-called "train test" for checking the strength of the notebook in a severely bumpy environment, says Slevin.
"Cost-efficiencies are not only limited to the initial purchase price of the machine but also the cost of managing those machines over a period of three to five years. The Latitudes come with a three-year 'next business day` international warranty as standard."
The Latitudes use a magnesium-alloy chassis, making them lighter and more rigid than their forerunners, he says. They feature Intel Core Duo processors on dual-core enabled 945GM or 945PM Intel chipsets. Front-side bus speed has been increased to 667MHz with dual-channel DDR2 RAM.
The Dell wireless internal Bluetooth adapter supports the Bluetooth PAN protocol and wireless broadband is supported by a 3G WWAN adapter, which is in the process of gaining regulatory approval in the local market.
"We anticipate having Independent Communications Authority of SA approval for these adapter cards by June/July, ensuring our local customers can remain fully productive wherever they may roam," says Slevin.
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