Dell Latitude D820 Overview
Dell Latitude D820 is a powerful and complete portable laptop. The laptop is a portable desktop-replacement notebook capable of strengthening any workforce. Brandishing a Vista Capable logo, the Dell D820 with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz T7400 CPU is Dell’s first laptop to include the 64-bit processor. At the same time, t has a sleeker look and therefore is more portable.
Dell Latitude D820 Specs:
The system is powered by a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor T2400 CPU and boasts 512 MB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, a CD burner and DVD-ROM combo drive, wireless ethernet, 4 USB 2.0 ports and a 15.4" Widescreen display powered by Intel Media Accelerator 950 graphics. Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2 is the platform that ties all this hardware and software together, giving you a great portable computer backed by the Dell name.
Running a stress test which maxes out the CPU, GPU, and screen brightness, I measured a Dell LATITUDE D820 battery life of 2 hours and 14 minutes. This represents the absolute lower limit. Under normal usage like word processing, web browsing, and a little light movie-watching you can expect times of about 4 hours or possibly even longer. The battery features a thoughtful external indicator that consists of five LEDs to indicate the approximate charge of the pack. This allows you to determine how much battery you have left without booting the notebook.
Contrast is better than average on the 15.4in LCD (1650x1080 resolution) and viewable angles are also good. On vertical angles where many notebooks lose image quality, the Dell Latitude D820 AC adapter maintained good clarity, though some colour inversion was evident. Two speakers on either side of the keyboard produce an even tone at medium volume, which is good for watching movies, but tend to buzz a little on high notes when the volume is turned up to max.
Security-conscious business users will appreciate the integrated fingerprint reader, and we love the Dell Wireless Broadband option, which lets you connect at near-DSL speeds wherever there's a Verizon Wireless EV-DO signal. In our Manhattan offices, surfing the Web didn't feel quite as fast as Wi-Fi, but it was nonetheless more than adequate.
The professional look of the Latitude D820, paired with a workstation class video card, is reason enough for Dell to call it a business notebook. While I agree that it would be a great tool for a business, the D820 could also be an excellent notebook for a student looking for performance, ease of use and occasional gaming. I really like my Dell Latitude D820. It performs like I was expecting, the battery life is excellent with the additional 6-cell media bay Dell LATITUDE D830 battery and it's gaming power is close to what I was hoping for. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this model to any professional looking for a solid system for work related task or to students looking for a good machine that can game a bit on the side.
When handling the notebook, its robust case gets soon apparent. The base unit except of the region in the middle above the keyboard can really take a lot of pressure and is insensitive on deflection forces. Once in a while we could observe creaking noises, however, in total you can neglect these. The case should be made out of a kind of magnesium alloy, and the cover at the top side is out of plastics. The magnesium display cover is also very robust and bears resemblance to a light Clamshell design, which on the one hand improves the flexural rigidity of the display and on the other hand the stability of the closed notebook.
The screen is most likely the Achilles heel of the D820, if it has one. The screen is 15.4" diagonal and is matte, not glossy. The trend in most consumer notebooks is towards the glossy screens which feature vivid colors and higher brightness for the benefit of gaming, movie-watching, and photo-viewing. Most business machines, however, still come with the old-style matte screens which are more suited for office rather than multimedia tasks. Unfortunately, the D820's matte screen is not very bright and the higher brightness settings drain the battery quickly. A cool feature is the automatic light-sensor which adjusts screen brightness based on ambient light conditions. This is useful when running on Dell LATITUDE D531 battery power or when using the notebook in different settings but I ended up turning this feature off because it oftentimes results in an unacceptably dim screen.
The Latitude D820 is designed for users who require quality, ease of use and long term value in a performance notebook. Starting at 6.0lbs* (2.73kgs), the Latitude D820 meets the customer need for a durable notebook where unyielding performance meets mobility.
Another area in which the Latitude D820 excels is wireless networking. For starters, the case incorporates a switch on its left edge that functions like a Wi-Fi finder: Slide the switch to the right, and the built-in 802.11 wireless card automatically searches for available networks, alerting you to the presence of those networks by illuminating the LED status light next to the switch. Since this Dell Latitude D830 AC adapter works whether the system itself is turned on or off, it will come in extra handy for those who don't want to boot up unless they can get online. Other networking options include the integrated, latest-generation Bluetooth + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate).
The Latitude D820 is a sleekly designed notebook. Because of all its features, widescreen being one for example, it is not one of the smallest notebooks, nor the lightest. It weighs about 2.5kg (6lbs). When you look at the screen you can see it is not a high gloss screen, but rather a matt finish one. Which of these you prefer is a matter of taste and how you intend to use the system, but Dell does not seem to offer a choice.
Overall, the D820 is a very sturdy and quite portable business notebook from Dell. And it's a bargain at its price range. Not to mention the high performance component s such as the Core Due processor or the 1GB of DDR2 RAM. The Dell Latitude D531 AC adapter will surely not disappoint any business or academic user at all.
Dell Latitude D820 Specs:
- Core Duo T2400 CPU
- 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM
- 100 GB drive
- 512MB NV120 Graphics card
- 15.4″ WSXGA+ (1680×1050) display
- Weight: 6 pounds
- Size (LWH): 14.2 inches, 10.3 inches, 1.4 inches
- Wireless Type: 802.11G
The system is powered by a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor T2400 CPU and boasts 512 MB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, a CD burner and DVD-ROM combo drive, wireless ethernet, 4 USB 2.0 ports and a 15.4" Widescreen display powered by Intel Media Accelerator 950 graphics. Windows XP Professional Edition with Service Pack 2 is the platform that ties all this hardware and software together, giving you a great portable computer backed by the Dell name.
Running a stress test which maxes out the CPU, GPU, and screen brightness, I measured a Dell LATITUDE D820 battery life of 2 hours and 14 minutes. This represents the absolute lower limit. Under normal usage like word processing, web browsing, and a little light movie-watching you can expect times of about 4 hours or possibly even longer. The battery features a thoughtful external indicator that consists of five LEDs to indicate the approximate charge of the pack. This allows you to determine how much battery you have left without booting the notebook.
Contrast is better than average on the 15.4in LCD (1650x1080 resolution) and viewable angles are also good. On vertical angles where many notebooks lose image quality, the Dell Latitude D820 AC adapter maintained good clarity, though some colour inversion was evident. Two speakers on either side of the keyboard produce an even tone at medium volume, which is good for watching movies, but tend to buzz a little on high notes when the volume is turned up to max.
Security-conscious business users will appreciate the integrated fingerprint reader, and we love the Dell Wireless Broadband option, which lets you connect at near-DSL speeds wherever there's a Verizon Wireless EV-DO signal. In our Manhattan offices, surfing the Web didn't feel quite as fast as Wi-Fi, but it was nonetheless more than adequate.
The professional look of the Latitude D820, paired with a workstation class video card, is reason enough for Dell to call it a business notebook. While I agree that it would be a great tool for a business, the D820 could also be an excellent notebook for a student looking for performance, ease of use and occasional gaming. I really like my Dell Latitude D820. It performs like I was expecting, the battery life is excellent with the additional 6-cell media bay Dell LATITUDE D830 battery and it's gaming power is close to what I was hoping for. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this model to any professional looking for a solid system for work related task or to students looking for a good machine that can game a bit on the side.
When handling the notebook, its robust case gets soon apparent. The base unit except of the region in the middle above the keyboard can really take a lot of pressure and is insensitive on deflection forces. Once in a while we could observe creaking noises, however, in total you can neglect these. The case should be made out of a kind of magnesium alloy, and the cover at the top side is out of plastics. The magnesium display cover is also very robust and bears resemblance to a light Clamshell design, which on the one hand improves the flexural rigidity of the display and on the other hand the stability of the closed notebook.
The screen is most likely the Achilles heel of the D820, if it has one. The screen is 15.4" diagonal and is matte, not glossy. The trend in most consumer notebooks is towards the glossy screens which feature vivid colors and higher brightness for the benefit of gaming, movie-watching, and photo-viewing. Most business machines, however, still come with the old-style matte screens which are more suited for office rather than multimedia tasks. Unfortunately, the D820's matte screen is not very bright and the higher brightness settings drain the battery quickly. A cool feature is the automatic light-sensor which adjusts screen brightness based on ambient light conditions. This is useful when running on Dell LATITUDE D531 battery power or when using the notebook in different settings but I ended up turning this feature off because it oftentimes results in an unacceptably dim screen.
The Latitude D820 is designed for users who require quality, ease of use and long term value in a performance notebook. Starting at 6.0lbs* (2.73kgs), the Latitude D820 meets the customer need for a durable notebook where unyielding performance meets mobility.
Another area in which the Latitude D820 excels is wireless networking. For starters, the case incorporates a switch on its left edge that functions like a Wi-Fi finder: Slide the switch to the right, and the built-in 802.11 wireless card automatically searches for available networks, alerting you to the presence of those networks by illuminating the LED status light next to the switch. Since this Dell Latitude D830 AC adapter works whether the system itself is turned on or off, it will come in extra handy for those who don't want to boot up unless they can get online. Other networking options include the integrated, latest-generation Bluetooth + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate).
The Latitude D820 is a sleekly designed notebook. Because of all its features, widescreen being one for example, it is not one of the smallest notebooks, nor the lightest. It weighs about 2.5kg (6lbs). When you look at the screen you can see it is not a high gloss screen, but rather a matt finish one. Which of these you prefer is a matter of taste and how you intend to use the system, but Dell does not seem to offer a choice.
Overall, the D820 is a very sturdy and quite portable business notebook from Dell. And it's a bargain at its price range. Not to mention the high performance component s such as the Core Due processor or the 1GB of DDR2 RAM. The Dell Latitude D531 AC adapter will surely not disappoint any business or academic user at all.
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