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Dell is one of a number of notebook manufacturers to offer built-in HSDPA modules with their latest models to provide high-speed 1.8Mbits/sec internet access on the go.
The version Dell supplied for review is the Latitude D420 Advanced, which runs off a Core Duo U2500 1.2GHz CPU.
A cheaper Essential edition is also available (£1,173.83) and is identical apart from housing a slower Core Solo ULV U1300 processor. A suitable 1GB of Ram supports this processor.
Just as with the Acer Aspire 5652 , the Latitude D420 includes a built-in HSDPA module.
The design of the Latitude D420 is far more suited to the high-speed mobile internet offered by this module than Acer's rather bulky effort.
The small screen helps to keep the dimensions down to a compact 295x210x25mm, and it weighs in at just 1.5kg
The HSDPA module sits inside the battery compartment, where the included Vodafone Sim card must be installed.
This isn't a problem if you intend to leave one Sim card sitting in the module, but if you're planning to swap them, it will soon become a pain removing the battery each time.
To find out more about HSDPA and Vodafone's data charges, take a look at our review of Acer's Aspire 5652. Unsurprisingly, we acheived very similar speeds when testing the HSDAP connection on this Dell laptop, rarely dropping below the quoted 1.8Mbit/sec.
In terms of design, the notebook is a slick-looking model with rounded edges and a solid feel.
The touchpad has two sets of mouse buttons and, if touchpads aren't your thing, a nipple sits in the middle of the keyboard as an alternative.
You'll also find a fingerprint reader just below the touchpad, which will appeal to business users carrying sensitive information.
The keyboard feels sturdy although, as with all ultraportable notebooks, the close spacing of the keys causes problems when typing at maximum speed.
At the rear you'll find three USB2 sockets and a single mini-Firewire port along with a Lan port, 56K modem, VGA out and infra-red.
The left side of the chassis is home to a PC Card slot, SD card reader and headphone/microphone sockets, while the right side features switch to turn wireless on and off.
Although the relatively small dimensions of the notebook leave no room for a built-in optical drive, Dell includes its D420 Media Base, which houses a dual-layer DVD burner.
The 12.1in TFT screen has a decent native resolution of 1,200x800 and is reasonably bright.
It also comes with an optional light sensor that adjusts the brightness according to ambient light levels, thereby maximising battery life.
During testing the notebook performed adequately, although the U2500 processor is a long way off the faster T2500 model.
This became particularly noticeable when running intensive applications or multitasking.
When the notebook is put under pressure, the rather noisy fan will leap into action.
The base also gets pretty hot to touch, although there's nothing to suggest it is likely to burst into flames.
We are completing our benchmarks on the Latitude D40 and will post our results in the coming days. For those interested in battery life, we managed about two and a half to three hours with pretty intensive usage.
Dell includes a useful level meter on the battery so you can see how much juice is left without having to boot up first.
Overall, the Dell Latitude D420 is a well-designed notebook that's portable and bursting with features.
Although by no means extortionate, it isn't the cheapest on offer at £1,350.
A fair chunk of the price (£153) goes towards the Vodafone HSDPA module and we're a little surprised Vodafone isn't offering it as a free upgrade; it would soon make this money back from its data charges.
If you're after a portable business notebook and don't need a super-fast CPU, the Latitude D420 from Dell is definitely worth considering.
Related
reviews:
Acer
Aspire 5652
A fast notebook with high-speed mobile internet, but not ideally suited to those
on the move
All Notebooks & Tablets PCs
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