Dell Latitude CPt

The CPt scored the highest points in overall performance and

second highest in features. It lost points in price, being the costliest in this

category. Had the price been lower, it would have easily taken the top spot. The

notebook houses a Celeron/500 MHz processor with 64 MB of RAM. It has an ATI

Rage Mobility graphics card with 8 MB VRAM, giving it a maximum resolution of

1,600x1,200 with 32-bit color depth.

The

notebook has two drive bays that can be used for a floppy drive, DVD, CD-RW

drive, or even a battery pack. The drives can also be connected to the notebook

externally. It has both a track point and a touch pad as pointing devices. So

you can use the one you are more comfortable with. Dell calls it the DualPoint

pointing device solution. The same set of features are also available in the

high-end model–Dell Latitude CPx.

In terms of weight, the CPt was the heaviest notebook in its

category, weighing around 6 kgs with its travel bag and other accessories. For

connectivity, it comes with a built-in modem and has two PCMCIA slots. It also

has an IR port and a USB port. An S-video out port for connecting to a TV or

projector is also available. The RAM and HDD are easily accessible, which makes

it easy to upgrade. It has an ESS Audiodrive sound card. Though the volume is

loud, sound gets distorted at higher volume. Interestingly, this model comes

preinstalled with Win 95.

The CPt at a score of 19.2 Business Winmarks was slightly

behind most others in its category. But it gave the longest backup time and was

also amongst the fastest in recharging.

Overall, the notebook has good features and overall performance. The price,

however, can be lower. It comes with a three-year warranty for the notebook and

the battery.