The Dell Latitude E6400 XFR is a good rugged computer to look into if you don’t want to bother working with the manufacturer for any kind of customization. As an off-the-shelf product, it has many of the same certifications that the other rugged laptops do. If you are interested in rugged notebooks with more options, check out the Getac B300, Amrel ROCKY RT and the Panasonic Toughbook 31.

While this rugged laptop has a lot of the same certifications that the other products in our lineup have (MIL-STD 810 and IP65), we noticed right off that it does not have the MIL-STD 461 certification. This is the test for emissions which is especially needed in military applications. It makes sure that the rugged laptop doesn’t accidentally interfere with other devices that have sensitive receivers. While the military standard is much more demanding than a consumer standard, it is something to keep in mind when using your rugged laptop around other transmitters.

One feature of this durable laptop includes a large 14-inch screen. Additionally, the unit only weighs 8.5 pounds. This is a great advantage when you need to move from location to location on foot and have to carry all of your equipment with you. The operating system that comes with the water resistant laptop is Windows Vista Home Basic, but you can upgrade to different versions of Windows 7.

Some of the hardware features include:

• Intel Core 2 Duo
• 2.53Ghz processor
• 1GB-4GB RAM
• 128GB hard drive

We weren’t impressed to see that the hard drive memory is only 128GB and there isn’t an option for upgrading it. At least the rugged laptop’s RAM can be upgraded from 1GB to 8GB. Some of the other features we noticed were the IEEE port, four USB ports, VGA output, and the PCMCIA slot. All of these ports are protected behind sealed doors that make this a waterproof laptop.

The customization options for this product are limited because it is an off-the-shelf product. While there are several accessories that make this rugged laptop suitable for various applications, Dell does little in the way of providing customized solutions, especially in small quantities. Some of the available accessories include a vehicle dock and extended-use batteries.

The help and support offered by Dell for this rugged laptop does contain some good information. There are FAQs, a telephone number and an email address. A handy aspect of the website is once you look up the model, all of the product-specific information is located on the same page. This means you don’t have to search for the product under literature then downloads then parts on three different pages. From the website you can also check the status of your warranty. The typical warranty period for this product is a three years. However, the limited warrant doesn’t cover as much as we would like it to.