Dell unveils Latitude XT2 XFR rugged laptop

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Latitude XT2 XFR 3

Dell has taken the wraps of what it claims is the industry's smallest rugged tablet machine, the Latitude XT2 XFR.

The portable is aimed at field workers, such as the police and military, and combines the best features of its rugged Latitude E6400 XFR and its Latitude XT tablet.

Speaking to IT PRO Sean Berg, sales director of defence and public security for Dell, said that it was highly suitable for police or first responder units, who could now operate the laptop with one hand thanks to the multi-touch capabilities of the 12.1in capacitance screen and Windows 7.

"It offers single hand manipulation of the laptop in the field and it's very exciting from that perspective," Berg said. "Customers are wanting this type of interaction with their computers anything that can simplify the interaction to do their role is important."

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Berg also said that the smaller dimensions of the XT2 XFR over the E6400 made it more suitable for European cars.

The laptop is 1.5in in thick and weighs 2.4Kg with a four-cell battery, and naturally, features an SSD drive. Six- and nine-cell batteries are also available.

As you would expect, it meets several requirements to gain rugged status, such as MIL-810G and IP54 for resistance to moisture and dust, and sports a QuadCool thermal management system letting it operate in harsh environments.

Spec wise, the XT2 XFR offers Intel Core 2 Duo processors, with up to 5GB of DDR3 1,066 memory.

Berg said that a differentiator over other rugged notebooks in its class is the service level agreements with next day on-site support.

"How you look at supporting it is important and it's been a challenge for customers in this space" said Berg. "So being able to offer on-site support is really something... that our customers are getting excited about."

The Latitude XFR XT2 is now shipping and prices start from 2,271.

Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.