Latest updates from Dell
Earlier this summer, Dell held a Technology Camp at Mercedes Benz World at Brooklands, near Weybridge. A number of the products shown on 22 July are still under non-disclosure agreements, but here are a few that aren't.
Dell Precision M6400 Covet with ATI graphics
Dell's professional workstation range has included notebooks for years, and the Precision M6400 Covet pictured here isn’t new either (it first appeared in the second half of 2008). But until now, it's only been available with an Nvidia Quadro FX 2700M (512MB) or 3700M (1GB) graphics chip.
Dell has now introduced models using ATI's brand-new FirePro Mobility M7740 workstation graphics chip, offering 1GB of video memory and a DisplayPort interface. This 45W chip supports DirectX 10.1, OpenGL 3.1 and Shader Model 4.1 and has full ISV certification.
The base specs of the flagship M6400 Covet model remain unchanged, with a wide range of build-to-order options available. These include dual- or quad-core Core 2 CPUs, up to 16GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM, dual hard drives (RAID 0 or 1) plus an optical drive, and a choice of LCD display panels. M6400 Covet models start at £1,779 (ex. VAT).
Dell/EMC 10GbE module for CX4 iSCSI SAN storage array
Dell/EMC's fourth-generation CX4 range of Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage arrays was launched in mid-2008, offering a future-proof modular approach to network I/O with its Ultraflex technology. The benefits of this have now come to fruition with the introduction of the industry's first 10Gbps (10GbE) iSCSI network I/O module. The module slots into the rear of the CX4 unit as shown, and courtesy of the Ultraflex system can be mixed and matched with any of the other available I/O modules — 8Gbps and 4Gbps Fibre Channel or 1Gbps iSCSI all in the same storage array.
Dell Latitude 2100
Netbooks were originally aimed at the education market, but have never made big inroads due to their general fragility in the rough-and-tumble of the classroom. Dell's Latitude 2100 might help change that, as it's been designed from the ground up with the classroom in mind, with features such as the Wi-Fi activity light on the lid to allow teachers to spot who's online and a strap that clips into the dual Kensington lock slots.
With a tough, grippy, rubberised finish (in yellow, red, blue, black or green) and a chunky profile, it's not ruggedised but does feel very solid and tough. Inside the Latitude 2100 is a fairly standard Atom 230-powered netbook running Windows XP, Vista or Ubuntu, with Windows 7 in the pipeline. With a 10.1in. WSVGA screen (optional resistive touch-screen), webcam and (in the US only) an anti-bacterial keyboard, it also offers all the usual manageability features of the Latitude range. The Latitude 2100 is priced from £310 (ex. VAT).
Kelvyn Taylor