Dell Set To Board Ultra-Portable Train

The ultra-portable laptop train continues to gain steam, and details surrounding two upcoming Dell Latitude models suggest that the PC maker sees plenty of opportunity for the market segment, par- ticularly in the consumer space.

Expected to be released around September, the Latitude E4200 and E4300 will take the Latitude to an area not typically seen in the series, as early, leaked images show unique styling that’s geared more toward consumers, rather than the business-heavy styling of previous Latitude models. The images hint that the ultra-porta- bles will be available in an array of colors, including blue and different shades of red.

The 2.2-pound E4200 will include a 12.1-inch, backlit WXGA (Wide Extended Graphics Array) monitor with a resolution of 1,280 x 800. The laptop will use the fifth generation of Intel’s Centrino platform, which is code-named Montevina and set tobe released this summer. The plat- form supports the use of ULV (ultra- low voltage) processors, which will help the ultra portables extend their battery life. This model is expected to use 800MHz DDR3 (double-date-rate 3) memory (with a maximum ca- pacity of 5GB), but the most intriguing feature will be on the storage front, where the E4200 will include either a 32GB or 64GB SSD (solid-state drive). The E4200 will be packed with other useful features, as well, including UWB (Ultra Wideband), DisplayPort, Bluetooth 2.1, integrated 802.11n wireless, SD (Secure Digital) card/ MMC (MultiMedia Card) reader, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, and more.

For users who aren’t quite as concerned with energy and weight but are interested in a bigger display and other more powerful options, Dell’s upcoming E4300 might be a better fit. This 3-pound model features a 13.3-inch LED (light-emitting diode) backlit WXGA display and supports standard-voltage CPUs, as well as standard hard drives (up to 250GB at 5,400rpm or up to 200GB at 7,200rpm), although SSDs also will be supported. The E4300 also differs from the E4200 in that it will have an inte- grated DVD burner or Blu-ray Disc drive, whereas the E4200 has no internal media bay. Also, the E4200 will include only a touchpad, while the E4300 will have both a touch- pad and a pointing stick.

Prices for these sleek systems were not yet available at press time.