Dell intros Precision M2300 14-inch pro notebook

Without a formal announcement, Dell has released the Precision M2300, a workstation-oriented version of its Latitude D630. The 14-inch system is the smallest Precision to date and is claimed to bring pro-class performance to a more portable level. Every model has a Quadro FX 360M for mobile 3D rendering and boosting the Windows interface when used with Vista; the display is also much sharper at 1440x900 versus the 1280x800 of most of Dell's other models. It can also be configured with as much as a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo to match or beat the performance of many larger notebooks.

Built to cater both to companies that may need to cut out potential security risks, a stock M2300 ships at $1,599 with a relatively fast 2GHz Core 2 Duo and 1GB of memory but comes with just a read-only CD drive and strips out Wi-Fi. Custom orders can add up to a DVD burner and wireless through 802.11n and EVDO, Dell says. Hard drives start at 80GB but scales up to either a 160GB conventional disk or a faster and more reliable 32GB solid-state drive. Systems can be ordered today but ship in late November.