Electronic Batteries Info

The Dell Latitude D620 is a 14-inch widescreen business notebook equipped with the latest Intel Core Duo processor.  The D620 replaces the D610 and provides quite an overhaul in both design change and internal components.  The new industrial charcoal grey and black look of the D620 conveys its strong build, which Dell calls “Road Ready”, and with a slew of available built-in wireless communications this notebook is road ready in more ways than one.

Dell Latitude D620 Laptop

Quick Specs of D620 as Reviewed:

• Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz
• 1GB 533MHz DDR2 RAM (2 x 512MB config)
• 80GB 5400RPM HD
• 14.1-inch WXGA screen
• Integrated graphics (Intel Media Accelerator 950)
• 24X CDRW / DVD Combo
• Windows XP Pro
• Dell Wireless 1490 802.11 a/g and built-in Bluetooth

Detailed Specs and Configuration Choices for the Latitude D620

• Processor: Intel Core Solo & Duo processors 667MHz Front Side Bus & (2M L2 Cache)
• Audio: High Definition Audio codec 2.0W (4 ohms), integrated omni-directional microphone
• Wireless LAN Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g, Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g, Dell Wireless 1490 802.11a/g
• Wireless WAN (cellular broadband) choices:
  o Dell Wireless 5505 Mobile Broadband 3G HSDPA (Vodafone UK, France, Germany)
  o Dell Wireless 5500 Mobile Broadband 3G HSDPA ( Cingular US)
  o Dell Wireless 5700 Mobile Broadband CDMA EVDO ( Verizon WirelessUS)
• Security Hardware: Integrated Smart Card reader, TPM 1.2 Security chip, Optional UPEK fingerprint reader
• Dell Wireless350 BlueTooth internal wireless card (optional)
• Docking and Port Replicators: D/Port, D/Dock, D/View Notebook Stand, D/Monitor Stand
• Chipset: Choice of Intel 945GM or Intel 945chipset PM chipset
• Memory: Supports 256 MB to 4056 MB of 667-533MHz DDR2 SDRAM shared
• Displays: 14.1″WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) 14.1″WXGA+ (1440 X 900 resolution)
• Graphics Chip: Choice of Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (Up to 224MB shared) or 256 MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M with TurboCache
• Hard Disk Drive: 40, 60, 80 & 100GB primary; 80 GB secondary
• Modular Media Bay: 24X CD-ROM, 8X DVD-ROM, 24X CDRW/DVD, 8X DVD+/-RW, Floppy Disk Drive, Secondary 6-cell/56 WHr “Smart”Li-Polymer battery, 2nd80GB hard drive, or TravelLite module
• Modem: Internal 56K V.92 modem
• Networking: Internal 10/100/1000 network interface adaptor
• Ports: Serial, docking connector, 4 USB, VGA, 1 PC card slot type I/II,headphone/speaker out, infrared port, RJ-11, RJ-45, AC power
• Battery
  o Primary 4-cell/35 WHr “Smart”Li-Ion battery featuring ExpressCharge
  o Primary 6-cell/56 WHr “Smart”Li-Ion battery featuring ExpressCharge
  o Primary 9-cell/85 WHr “Smart”Li-Ion battery
  o Secondary 6-cell/56 WHr “Smart”Li-Polymer battery featuring ExpressCharge
• Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2, Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2
• Dimensions HxWxD (32mm/1.26″x 337/13.27″x 238mm/9.37″)
• Weight: Starting at 5.00lbs/2.27kg with 6-cell battery and CD-ROM (depends on configuration and manufacturing variability) –preliminary weight
• Service & Support: 3-year Limited Warranty* with Next Business Day On-Site Service

Dell Latitude D620 Battery

The battery has a built-in charge indicator on the D620

The D620 can be configured with a 4-cell, 6-cell or 9-cell d620 battery.  The battery location is rather odd relative to other notebooks in that it is at the front and not the back of the laptop.  If you get an extended life 9-cell battery it will stick out of the front a bit and create a sort of lip that extends 0.9″.  I have the 6-cell type battery and it does not stick out at all.  With wi-fi on and screen at mid-brightness and doing tasks such as web browsing and emailing I got 2h 36m of battery life.  That’s decent, but not great.  There are certainly thin-and-lights with better and I prefer to see 3 hours or a little more for a thin-and-light travel notebook.  If you were to upgrade to the 9-cell you would certainly exceed 3 hours, but at the cost of extra weight and increased notebook size.

The 9-cell extended life battery sticks out a bit at the front of the D620

One thing I really like about this Dell battery is the Express Charge feature.  The Express Charge means that you can quickly charge to 80% capacity in about 40-minutes or 100% capacity in about an hour of charging (those numbers are stated assuming the notebook is off).  If you have a layover at an airport or limited time to plug-in a notebook before you have to be pulled away from a wall outlet again, this can be a life-saver.  At other times it’s just really convenient.

The D620 also has a nice 5 light LED display to show you how much battery charge is left without having to boot the notebook.  Push the battery icon on the battery and it will light up with each light representing 20% charge.

Conclusion

The Latitude D620 is a very welcome upgrade to the D610 offering many improvements, especially in terms of performance and security, and the look and build quality are also much improved.  The widescreen approach is interesting for a business notebook, I think it makes sense and probably will be well received.  It’s very apparent that Dell is excited about this new line of Latitudes (D620, D420 and D820) and have gone out of their way in regards to testing the notebook and getting feedback from customers on what they want.  So thumbs up on the D620, if you’re a business worker or just someone that wants a notebook for productivity purposes and don’t need a bunch of bells and whistles media features, the D620 is a very well built and good option for you.

Sub-notebooks are revolutionising the way we look at portable connectivity. Gone are the days, it seems, where you paid a pretty penny for a ridiculously small and lightweight piece of hardware. Nowadays £300 will get you a cool mini-notebook in iPod white and still leave you with change to spare.

We’ve previously looked at Asus’ 8.9″ Eee PC 900 and the HP 2133 Mini-note, but now MSI is releasing it’s first attempt to crack the sub-notebook market. The MSI Wind - make fart jokes at your peril.

Despite the fact that MSI told bit-tech it tried its absolute hardest to get the Wind to reach the £300 mark, what we’ve ended up with is closer to the £329 mark for the XP model instead. That’s not exactly a budget killing sum - it’s still cheaper than the HP - but it’s still more than Asus’ ubiquitous Eee PC 901.

Well, this is until we found the Linux version of the Wind on sale for a tidy £291.25. At this price it’s very much a bargain.

Another interesting fact picked up by eagle-eyed forum member Doug, is that you can pick up the near-identical MSI Advent 4211 laptop for even less. So, what exactly does the Wind offer us that the Advent and Eee PC does not? Let’s find out…

Unboxing the MSI Wind

Just like the Eee, the MSI comes in a tiny box with just a few goodies inside - a bulky but secure wallet to keep it in, a Li-ion battery and the matching power brick charger and all the documentation you’ll ever need but never read. Warranties, yuck!

Immediate reactions are mixed. The leather-feel wallet isn’t quite as nice as the neoprene wallet you get with the Asus EeePC 901, however it is padded for extra protection and comes with an internal net to hold all your USB sticks and gizmos in.

The Wind’s wallet is also bigger and bulkier than you might like. With just the Wind inside it the wallet swells to 290×220x50mm (HxWxD). That size sure isn’t going to leave your tote-bag busting at the seams, but if you plan to carry a portable mouse, MP3 player and so on with you as well then you might want to be just a tiny bit wary.

The good news though is that the faux leather finish on the Wind’s wallet, plus the zip and extra padding, mean that it’ll be a lot safer than it would be in a thin neoprene envelope. While it might be a more snug fit inside your bag, at least it will be better protected.

The battery meanwhile is physically far larger than that of the EeePC 901 and as a Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) rather than Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) it should have a better potential battery life too. Unfortunately the three cell is a pathetic - MSI reckons it can only manage to squeeze out two and a half hours without wireless, but we’ll test that later. There is a 6-cell available which should double the battery life available to a more respectable ~5 hours, but at the moment it looks like an optional extra to keep costs down.

Of course, at bit-tech we can just do a vague hardware overview. Flip the page for an in-depth discussion of the hardware used in the MSI Wind…

Laptop MSI Wind U100  Review

To pay tribute to our customers and celebrate the new year, power2battery.com promote a series of promotional activities, more discounts than ever before.

Now comes the LCD screen panel! We have several kinds of high-qualified panels with different sizes, and they are compatible with most laptop models, such as Acer, Gateway, Apple, Toshiba, etc..They are glossy displays that can create more saturate colors, deeper blacks, brighter whites, and are sharper than traditional matte displays. This makes it more appropritiate for viewing photos, watching movies, or even just general computer usages such as web browsing.Also, in extremely bright conditions where no direct light is facing the screen, such as outdoors, glossy displays can becone more readable than matte displays because they do not disperse the light around the screen. So it is more enjoyable for the viewer. So do not hesitate to do your shopping here.

13.3 Inch LCD SCREEN

14.1 Inch LCD SCREEN

15.4 Inch LCD SCREEN

17.0 Inch LCD SCREEN