on Tuesday unveiled a rugged laptop called the Latitude E6400 XFR, a unit that comes equipped with ‘ballistic armor’ said to provide twice the impact resistance strength of the magnesium alloy found on many rugged notebooks. Dell debuted the laptop at the 2009 FOSE conference in Washington, D.C., and said it’s intending the XFR for the military, first responders, homeland security and other harsh environments.

Dell’s Latitude E6400 XFR is outfitted with the Ballistic Armor Protection System, which is exclusive to Dell machines and uses some of the same substances found in cryogenics, aircraft components, military equipment and medical devices. According to Dell, the new notebook bests any computer in its class in terms of drop specification (up to four feet with the system powered down and up to 36 inches with the laptop on and the LCD open) and also includes PrimoSeal technology to keep out dust and liquid.

“Public-sector customers demand performance and reliability in challenging environments,” said Frank Muehleman, vice president and general manager of the Dell North America public business group, in a statement. “That is why we developed the Latitude E6400 XFR and why we’ll continue to develop tailored technologies to help our customers achieve their missions.”

Other XFR specs include Intel (NSDQ:INTC) Core 2 Duo processors and vPro technology, a QuadCool thermal-management system and what Dell says is performance up to 167 percent faster than Panasonic’s CF30 in graphics-intensive applications. The XFR is 2.2 inches thick, starts at 8.5 pounds, has an in-vehicle docking solution, a 12-cell rugged battery slice, a 14.1-inch wide display including DirectVue and optional Dell ProSupport service.

“Customers who use rugged laptops have unique needs beyond mainstream business notebooks. With the Latitude E6400 XFR, we have listened and are delivering,” said Brett McAnally, director of Dell’s product group.

The XFR starts at $4,299, Dell said, and is available starting Tuesday in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.

Source: Channel Web

photo: CNET News