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Follow UsThis notebook has been the center of attraction since the
time
we got it. It was the only ultra-thin notebook we got and so it was not included
in the shootout. If you do a lot of traveling but don’t want to lug around a
full-fledged notebook, then this 25.7 mm thin-marvel is a good choice. It weighs
just 2.7 kgs with its bag and power supply. Its carry bag itself is just big
enough to accommodate the notebook. If you add its floppy drive and CD drive
with requisite cable, the weight increases by another 0.5 kg.
|
Dell Latitude LS |
| Notebook. Rs 193,000 Specs: P/III 400 MHz; 128 MB RAM; 12.1” TFT screen; 12 GB HDD; 24x CD drive (external). Pros: Lightweight; compact; quick recharge. Cons: Expensive. Source: Dell Computer India 4th Floor (west wing), 26-27 Raheja Towers M G Road, Bangalore 560001. Tel: 80-5586110/13/14/17/18 |
As is the case with ultra-slim notebooks, the LS is devoid of
built-in bays for floppy and CD drives. All such devices can be connected
externally through a common cable, and they’re hot swappable. It has a PIII/400
MHz processor and comes with 128 MB RAM. It has NeoMagic MagicMedia graphics
card with 2.5 MB VRAM. It gives a maximum resolution of 1,280x1,024 at 256
colors, which is fine for most work. The display is a 12.1" TFT screen. For
connectivity, it has a built-in LAN/Modem card. It also has a USB port for
quickly connecting to any USB device. It does, however, miss out on an IR port.
The LS scored 20.5 Winmarks in Business Winstone 99 and
performed well in productivity applications. It uses a slim battery that gives a
backup time of two hours. The battery also gets recharged quickly in just 1:19
minutes. Even with a small size, the keyboard layout isn’t difficult to get
used to. Though not meant for music buffs, the built-in sound card gives you
good quality sound. The lone speaker under the notebook, however, doesn’t pump
out enough volume.
The notebook ships with Dell Restore CD for Windows 2000
Professional and a system software CD for the device drivers. It comes with
three-year warranty for the notebook and one-year for the battery. You can also
opt for a docking station for the notebook, which is basically a port-replicator.
It’s priced at Rs193,000, which is pretty expensive, but
then miniaturization comes at a price. A good solution for mobile users.
Ashish Sharma at PCQ Labs