Dell's Rugged Laptop Doesn't Quite Pass 4-Foot Drop Test

narramissic writes "Dell's new Latitude E6400 XFR laptop is designed to withstand drops, dust and high pressure water spray. The company claims the laptop, which is intended for military use, can withstand rain and wind gusts of up 70 mph, and can work in temperatures from -20 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. It can also work for an hour at an altitude of 15,000 feet and is designed to withstand drops of around 4 feet (48 inches) when not operating and 36 inches when operational. The LCD screen floats a little bit within the LCD cover so it can take impacts and shock, said Jeremy Bolen, a Dell spokesman. But watch as the laptop that Dell used to show these features wasn't able to withstand the rough treatment that was part of the company's demonstration."

Comments

Dude, you're gettin' a Dell

[guruevi]

Dell is noteworthy for their crappy materials. Even most standard notebooks (especially older PowerBook and Thinkpads) can withstands 3-6 feet drops without a problem. I had a Dell once that couldn't withstand a 1 feet drop from a couch.

Re:Dude, you're gettin' a Dell

[elrous0]

It's sad, but I can remember back in the 90's when I was recommending Dell to everyone. Back then, their quality and incredible customer service were legendary--whereas it was companies like Compaq and Packard Bell who were the ones to avoid. Talk about being ruined by success, though. Today I wouldn't recommend a Dell to my worst enemy. My company recently (against my advice) bought a shitload of Dell OptiPlex 700 series desktops. The damn things are wonky as hell. About 75% of them won't even recognize an inserted thumb drive without a complete reboot.