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Dell Hits Out At Panasonic |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Wednesday, 05 March 2008 |
Dell has targeted rival PC maker Panasonic striking out at the company
with claims of performance advantages in the ruggedised notebook space.
The company's first attempt at building a fully ruggedised laptop is
the Latitude XFR D630, which Dell claims is not only enterprise
friendly, but promises a 23 per cent better system performance over the
highly successful Panasonic ToughBook
CF-30..
Based on the exact same components as other Latitude notebooks, the XFR
is ruggedised on the outside through the use of SSD technology, shock
isolated mounting for components and a sealed keyboard.
Dell hopes the notebook will find a home with government and commercial
customers and unlike many of its similarly ruggedised competitors is
equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a 14.1-inch display. In
comparison, the Panasonic machine now being targeted by Dell's
marketing department is powered by Intel Duo Mobile processors.
Specifically, Dell's claim is that the Latitude XFR D630 has up
to 23 per cent better performance than
Panasonic's CF-30 using the SYSmark 2007 testing as done by Dell Labs
comparing a XFR D630 with an 2.2GHz Intel Core Duo T7500, 512MB RAM,
Windows XP Pro SP2, a 160GB HDD against competing against a Panasonic
CF-30 with an 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo L2400 and 512MB RAM, Windows XP
Pro SP2, 80GB HDD.
Rather than use the low-powered L-series Intel processor to extend
battery life, Dell is offering a fast-charge feature that can recharge
the XFR's batteries 30 minutes faster than competing technologies.
The Latitude XFR D630 meets a bunch of standards required by the US
Department of Defense for products that operate in extreme
temperatures, moisture and altitude and so on. It also has what Dell
says is a a patent-pending thermal management system which allows the
XFR to use latest generation technology and deliver up to "four times
better graphics performance than the Panasonic CF-30".
"The Latitude XFR D630 represents a tectonic shift towards simplicity
in the ruggedised laptop space," said Brett McAnally, director, Dell
Product Group. "We are taking a multi-dimensional approach that focuses
on simplified deployment, service and durability without sacrificing
performance. Major competitors focus their efforts on ‘rugged' only."
Pricing starts at US$3,899 and while it is available immediately in the
US there is no announced plans on when the company will bring the
device to the Australian market.
www.dell.com/xfr
 
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