Dell ships ruggedized Latitude portable

Dell today began shipping its very first rugged notebook, the Latitude ATG (All-Terrain Grade) D620. The portable competes against Panasonic's ToughBook by strengthening the notebook against the accidents and harsher weather conditions often encountered by soldiers or anyone else who regularly uses their portable in the field, Dell says. In addition to a slightly toughened shell, the ATG sports numerous touches that keep the system running. Port covers, a shock-mounted hard drive, and a spill-proof keyboard prevent drops or sustained moisture from ruining the internal parts.

The system is also designed to be used at any time of the day, and has an extra-bright, 500-nit 14-inch widescreen display which remains usable even in direct sunlight; task lights also let the keyboard remain usable even in pitch darkness. Dell says the new Latitude is just as quick as its everyday version and ships with Core 2 Duo processors and up to 4GB of RAM. The base model is available immediately for $2,499 in the US; other regions will see the notebook within the next two weeks.