New gear
I’ve used a Dell Latitude D630 laptop for the past 13 months. It’s been my loyal companion on two Tech·Eds, a MVP Summit, at least a dozen demos and presentations and has been with me to work with various customers. This device is equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 processor, 4GB RAM, a 14,1” 1440x900 screen, Dell integrated WiFi and Bluetooth, a 9cell battery and a 160GB hard drive (fourth one).
This device now shows some remarkable traces of use, most notably a couple of cracks in the body and screen bezel, a row of dead pixels half way up the screen and a dent in the keyboard somewhere around the enter key. It also sounds a distressed ‘something’s wrong’ hardware beep once in a while…
It’s being replaced with:
a Dell Latitude E6500
A spanking new Dell Latitude E6500 in brush metal black with the following specs:
- Intel Core 2 Duo P9700 (2,80 GHz) processor
- 15,4” WUXGA (1920x1200) LCD screen
- 8192 MB DDR2-800 RAM
- 250GB 7200rpm hard disk with free fall sensor
- D-SUB & Display Port out
(with HDMI out through an optional cable)
- eSATA port
- USB Powershare port
(for charging USB devices when the laptop is off)
- Integrated 2,0 Megapixel Webcam
- 8x DVD+/-RW drive
- Wireless 370 Bluetooth
- 802.11a/b/g/n wireless networking
- Integrated keyboard backlighting
- 6cell battery
- 3 years of Pro Support
Of course these specs are well above average, but some modifications need to be made (most of them to some of the accessories) to meet my needs. The 3-way power cord for instance doesn’t fit in the 230V socket in the back of the car and the privacy screen of the old laptop doesn’t fit on the new one. Also, I suspect my laptop bag to play a vital role in the damage done to the previous laptop, so I’m having that replaced as well.
A SSD drive is also on my wish list, but deemed too expensive at this point in time. I guess there's always room for improvement.