A Dell Latitude laptop you can drop, shock and nearly blow up

Laptop security is a top-shelf issue for IT pros, and there's nothing worse than data corruption from drops, spills and tech complications thanks to an employee or the environment they're in.

Enter Dell's Latitude E6400 XFR, the company's next-gen "fully rugged" platform, announced today and engineered to meet the needs of the most demanding customers: the military, first responders, field service technicians and those who require systems that meet MIL STD 810F specs: drop tests, sea fog, temperature extremes, thermal shock and explosive environments.

The key to this machine is what Dell calls its "Ballistic Armor Protection System" -- a shell made from a material dubbed "PR481" that is used in military applications, cryogenics, aircraft and other extreme environments.

Why is PR481 so great? Because it has:

• Twice the impact strength of magnesium alloy;
• 25 percent higher drop specification than any computer in its class – up to four feet with system powered down and closed and up to a three foot drop test with the unit operating and LCD open; and
• Structural stability at extreme temperatures.

Adding to the Ballistic Armor protection is what Dell calls "PrimoSeal Technology," which uses compression gaskets that protect from dust and moisture.

Inside, the extreme laptop shares common components with standard Dell Latitude E6400 laptops. However, the Latitude E6400 XFR also includes:

• QuadCool Thermal Management System allows the XFR to meet the MIL-STD 810F for temperature extremes;
• A discrete NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M 256MB DDR2 graphics card;
• Extended field use batteries equipped with ExpressCharge, for faster battery re-charge times;
• At 2.2 inches thick and starting at 8.5 pounds, the Latitude E6400 XFR is 15 percent thinner and up to 5 percent lighter than the previous generation XFR;
• Field-ready options include an in-vehicle docking solution, 12-cell rugged battery slice, E-family docking and legacy I/O adapter;
• 14.1-inch wide display with DirectVue Technology, allowing users to work in direct sunlight on a screen that features impact resistance; and
• Dell ProSupport service offerings, optional, of course.

Dell says it's proud of this machine because it reduces the tradeoff between using modern tech and a rugged form factor, allowing for both.

Check it out for yourself in our image gallery:

Image Gallery: Dell Latitude E6400 XFR: a laptop you can drop, shock and nearly blow up

Here is what Dell found in a survey conducted in conjunction with the Ponemon Institute, by the way:

• 34 percent of those surveyed say that spilling foods or liquids on a laptop is most common cause of damage;
• 28 percent say that employees accidentally dropping systems was the leading cause of damage;
• 25 percent say that not protecting the laptop while traveling was the top cause; and
• 13 percent said that employee-inflicted damage because of anger or frustration was the leading cause of laptop damage.

Would you buy an extreme Dell?

(Don't forget to check out the competition on ZDNet Reviews: Panasonic's Toughbook W7)