Meet Tim, a senior technician here at Laptop Broker. Like all our technicians, Tim knows his way around a laptop and has upgraded and rebuilt thousands of computers over the years. We asked Tim to review a few laptops he is familiar with and have posted them for our customers to review. We hope you find this information helpful and welcome your feedback.

Dell Latitude D600 Review

Dell Latitude D600 offers a corporate look and best suits young office-goers, students, and those working from home. Dell has many series of laptops. Dell offers its new and changed Latitude D600 series after a lot of modifications and redesigns. Dell Latitude D600 is according to the new Pentium M processor and incorporates the latest 855 chipset from Intel. You can choose from Intel Pro wireless mini-PCI card popular as Calexico or Dell's own True Mobile Wi-Fi mini-PCI card.

Dell Latitude laptops make an interesting buy. It offers a mobile desktop PC performance with fast connections. The 30GB storage space in hard drive is sufficient to store all required information while in transit. Dell Latitude D600 offers an integrated smartcard for extensive hardware-based security. Dell Latitude D600 has many options for upgradation. It has a perfect combination of looks, performance, and functionality. It sports the latest components including Intel's new 855 chipset and Pentium M processors.

Dell Latitude D600 model follows from the success of Dell’s C-series. The company offers operations that are more customizable and better mobile features for the busy businessperson. You can also have a built-to-order Dell Latitude D600 according to your specific configurations.

Variations include processor of 1.3 GHz to 1.6 GHz, screen resolution (1024x768 [XGA] or 1400x1050 [SXGA+]), hard drive of size 20 GB to 60 GB, integrated Wi-Fi with Dell or Intel, optical drive of CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, or CD-RW/DVD-ROM 'combo', and integrated Bluetooth. This series offers removable modules from side-entry configuration than the front and you can eject these modules without lifting the laptop over.

The Looks on the Exterior

Dell Latitude D600 is a sleek looking notebook. It is metallic gray or graphite colored on the exterior. It measures 1.2” x 12.4” x 10.1”. It weighs around 5.3 pounds. It has 512Mb RAM Memory and supports 2GB RAM maximum memory. The hard drive size is 40 GB and it has a hard drive speed of 5400 RPM. It has a diagonal display size of 14.1” and display resolution of 1024x768. Dell Latitude D600 offers Windows XP Professional Operating System. It incorporates Pentium M Intel Processor with speed of 1.4 GHz.

Dell Latitude D600 offers a combination of magnesium alloy, aluminum, and steel materials. The LCD casing is of aluminum and the rest of the body is plastic. However, the entire set is durable and strong. It has the essential ruggedness and can support rough handling.

Ratings: 5/5

The Inner Blueprint (Aesthetics)

The inner aesthetics include a comfortably spaced keyboard and a touchpad around the wrist rest. Mouse buttons are four in number. Two of them are below the space bar and two more are below the touchpad. You should use the trackpoint for the mouse buttons below the space bar. Volume and mute buttons are in the upper-left corner.

Alternatively, you can use Dell’s new monitor stand and port replicator to accommodate an external keyboard and mouse. Although it takes time to set it up and make necessary adjustments, you can use the screen as the main monitor. It takes the form of a desktop PC set-up.

Dell Latitude D600 has all other standard slots and ports. The left edge supports IrDA port, microphone and headphone jacks, and Type II PC Card. The front edge supports two USB ports, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, and serial ports across the rear edge. There are two speakers across front-edge corners.

If you use the hard drive of Dell Latitude D600 for a considerably long period, it becomes quite hot. Rather, it becomes difficult to continue working and you need to switch off your laptop. This is most probably due to a flaw in the overall design of Dell Latitude and Dell has not been able to fix it even after repeated complaints by many customers. If you only work intermittently on your Dell Latitude D600, this should not pose a major problem for you.

Although these devices help you do your work, they lack the essential sophistication. Track point buttons are stiff. The third button on the mouse is absent. Clicking both the mouse buttons together brings up a
third button, which you can use for scrolling.

Rating: 3/5

Audio

Dell Latitude D600 has a special audio system through output supply card. Telecom modem is Fax or Modem with a transfer rate of 56 kbps. Data link protocol includes Gigabit Ethernet, fast Ethernet, and IEEE 802.11b. Audio connectivity is through two 480 Mbps USB 2.0 ports, parallel port, serial port, infrared 4-Mbps IrDA port, and dock or port replicator port. Video connectivity is through S-Video out port and VGA port.

Rating: 3.5/5

I/O Ports

Dell Latitude D600 offers an infrared port, two USB ports, a parallel port to infrared, a serial port, and VGA and S-Video out. All ports are at the back and allows for easy plugging in of other desk peripherals. Headphone and microphone jacks are at the front left.

Rating: 3.5/5

Software

Software offered with Dell Latitude D600 is appreciable. Preinstalled software include Intel's PROSet wireless utility for managing wireless profiles, Dell's QuickSet utility for creating and switching between power profiles, and Broadcom's advanced control suite for testing network configurations. You can remove any of these and include those suitable to your requirements. Advanced control suite offers simple tools like cable tester and few card tests. Further, it also includes a DVD player.

Dell offers Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 3, Windows XP Home Service Pack 1, and Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 through Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition for small businesses using its Latitude D600.

Additionally, Dell offers remote-operational software for the smooth management of all your operations. It offers a graphical user interface and remote BIOS updates. You have easy and fast access to all controls and power-management settings of Dell Latitude D600.

Rating: 3.5/5

Battery Life

Dell Latitude D600 has a battery life of around four hours. However, the battery is not large enough to compete with power sources of other similar laptops. It can support your requirements if you are a frequent traveler. Installed capacity of lithium ion battery technology is ½ maximum while battery capacity is 48Wh.

Rating: 3.5/5

Wireless and Networking

Dell Latitude D600 offers two wireless networking options. You can choose from Dell's own True Mobile 1300 802.11b/g and True Mobile 1400 802.11a/b/g mini-PCI cards or Intel Pro wireless 802.11b mini-PCI card. This laptop easily integrates any wireless card with necessary dual-band of 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless and internal antennae. Integrated Bluetooth connectivity enables you to connect to enabled peripherals like cell phones, printers, and handhelds without any cables. This is a definite advantage in Dell Latitude D600.

Rating: 5/5

Support and Service

Dell offers extensive support and service to all its customers and thereby covers all ranges of laptops. Big customers receive a three-year warranty for all parts and labor charges. The warranty period starts from the next business day after purchase. You receive on-site service. You do not have to take your laptop to their service office.

Similarly, medium and small-sized businesses also receive adequate support for their Dell Latitude D600. You can visit their website and customize the support system applicable to your business size. Dell web site offers complete information about service contracts, file downloads, and system configurations.

Rating: 4/5

Overall Conclusions

Dell Latitude D600 comes across as a simple and standard laptop. Performance levels are pretty moderate and functional. They are same as other laptops offering the same categories of features. There is no great hype to any of the functions. All perform as uniformly and similar to other laptops. This is the reason why not many crave for D600.

It all boils down to your individual requirements and capabilities. You can locate many similar-priced and option-based laptops from other manufacturers offering the same as Dell Latitude D600. If cost is an important factor, you can choose some other cheaper options.

Pros:

• Good performance standards
• Appreciable customer service
• Preferential software

• Heat problem in the left wrist handling position
• Absence of fire wire ports
• Little heavier than other similar laptops