Dell Latitude D620 & Dell Latitude D620 Battery Review
The Dell Latitude D620 is a 14-inch widescreen business notebook equipped with the latest Intel Core Duo processor. The D620 replaces the D610 and provides quite an overhaul in both design change and internal components. The new industrial charcoal grey and black look of the D620 conveys its strong build, which Dell calls Road Ready, and with a slew of available built-in wireless communications this notebook is road ready in more ways than one.
Dell Latitude D620
Configuration Heres the actual configuration I purchased. I just copied the relevant things directly from the invoice.
Latitude D620, Intel Core Duo T2400, 1.83GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache, Dual Core
14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ LCD for Latitude D620
512MB, DDR2-533 SDRAM, 1 DIMM for Dell Latitude Notebooks
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950
80GB Hard Drive 9.5MM, 7200RPM for Dell Latitude DX20
Standard Touchpad for Latitude D620
No Floppy Drive for Latitude D-Family Notebooks
Windows XP Professional, SP2 with media, for Latitude
Dell Wireless 350 Bluetooth Module for Latitude
65W AC Adapter for Latitude D-Family
8X DVD+/-RW with Roxio Creator Dell Edition Digital Media and Cyberlink Power DVD, for Latitude 120L
Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) mini Card Latitude, Factory Install
Resource CD w/ Diagnostics and Drivers for Latitude D620
6-Cell/56 WHr Primary Battery Latitude D620
*Type 3 Contract Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year
*Type 3 Contract Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, 2 Year Extended
*CompleteCare Accidental Damage Svc, Lat, 3Yr
D/Port, Port Replicator for Latitude D-Family, Factory Tied
Design and Build
The D620 is most interesting in that it adopts a widescreen format, a feature that hereto date really has been pushed more in the consumer channel of notebooks. Dell reckons that business-types will prefer this format too though. After all, a widescreen (available in WXGA and WXGA+ resolution) does allow you to more easily have two windows open next to each other at the same time. Side-by-side comparison of documents, web pages or spreadsheets is an example of common business tasks more easily done on a widescreen.
D620 above view with lid closed, mouse aside the D620 for size comparison
The only major hardwares feature I opted out of was the fingerprint reader on the touch pad and the integrated 3G data card. The fingerprint reader looks like a neat feature to toy around with, but for $100 I really dont have a need for it. Same goes for the 3G card. Its a cool feature for them to offer, but I have no desire to drop down the cash for the card or the serice fees for this.
Display
The display resolution is what won me over on this machine. Admittedly, this is not the most impressive screen I have seen. Some of the glossy HP displays look a bit nicer. This seems to have more of a matte finish, to further the analogy. However, the screen looks completly clear and crisp running at its native 1440×900 resolution. The picture really doesnt do it justice, but here it is anyway.
It has a built-in ambient light sensor that can auto-adjust the brightness of the display. So far, it seems to set it dimmer than I like. I usually just manually set the brightness, which does get pretty bright.
As far as the graphics card, it also supports extending the desktop across multiple displays, which is nice when I need it. From what Ive read if youre looking for gaming, this is not the machine to get. You would probably want something with a dedicated graphics card like the nVidia Dell offers on the D610 (but no widescreen.) This D620 has the integrated Intel 950 chipset.
Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) mini Card
Absolutely no trouble setting up the wireless connection. The supplied driver supports WEP, WPA and WPA2. The icon in the task tray lets you enable or disable the radio. I suppose a hardware button would have been nice, but I wouldnt want to give up with WiFi Finder for it.
Keyboard
I read somewhere in another review that the keyboard seemed a little weak. I know what they were talking about now. The keys dont feel super solid. I guess its all just preference. Maybe I will get used to it. I wanted to provide this picture of the keyboard so you could see the actual layout. I know some people are really picky about where certian keys are placed.
WiFi Finder
Another nice feature is the integrated WiFi finder. With the PC turned off you can find out if there are any access points in the vacinity. Basically, you just slide the switch, the little light blinks, and then stays lit for a few seconds if it finds a hot spot. The whole process is pretty quick and is very handy.
When the PC is turned on, sliding the switch brings up the device drivers site survey list.
Smart Card Reader
The D620 comes with an integrated Smart Card Reader. This is part of their Trusted Platform Module (TPM). By default, its turned off in the BIOS and needs to be enabled. The instructions are provied in an link in the TPM Program group. I started to go through the setup for this, but decided I really didnt want to turn all of this security on. It looks like a good feature for those looking for a good security option. The basic premise is that a smart card would replace the login procedure.
This also goes along with the optional fingerprint reader I mentioned above.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth interface worked without a problem. I did just a simple test of connecting up with my Dell Axim X30 and transferred a file to the laptop. That whole process was pretty easy if youre already comfortable using Bluetooth devices. In general, Ive always thought connecting Bluetooth devices has been more difficult than advertised, but thats another issue I wont get into.
DVD+/-RW Drive
No problems with the drive. It works just as anyone would expect. However, I wasnt completely happy with the design/workmanship of the drive bay. There is a gap between the bottom of the drive and the casing (shown in the picture.) It seems Dell could have designed this with a tighter fit, giving better overall quality. Again, not a deal breaker, but I would have expected a better design for the money.
Port Replicator
I was a little disappointed with the port replicator. Everything on it technically works just fine. However, theres no way to line it up when putting it on. In the instructions they even say:
Lower the computer and move it slightly from side to side until you feel it seated on the alignment posts.
It would be nice if it also had a side stop, but this really isnt a deal-breaker. After docking for a few weeks, I can get it right on, but over the long term I dont know how this problem wears on the bottom of the machine.
Taking it out is really easy. Just push the Undock Request button and wait for the eject button to turn green. Having Windows aware of the docking station is really nice. Ive used a Compaq laptop with a port replicator before and Windows doesnt know it exists. This causes all kinds of headaches with adjusting the screen resolution.
Which brings up a good point, in that the notebook automatically switches screen resolutions as needed when docked or undocked. My desktop monitor is set at a higher resloution than the native laptop display supports. The display driver takes care of remembering what resolution to use in each mode.
DisplayAs I mentioned in my Laptop Hunt article, the display resolution is what won me over on this machine. Admittedly, this is not the most impressive screen I have seen. Some of the glossy HP displays look a bit nicer. This seems to have more of a matte finish, to further the analogy. However, the screen looks completly clear and crisp running at its native 1440×900 resolution. The picture really doesnt do it justice, but here it is anyway. It has a built-in ambient light sensor that can auto-adjust the brightness of the display. So far, it seems to set it dimmer than I like. I usually just manually set the brightness, which does get pretty bright. As far as the graphics card, it also supports extending the desktop across multiple displays, which is nice when I need it. From what Ive read if youre looking for gaming, this is not the machine to get. You would probably want something with a dedicated graphics card like the nVidia Dell offers on the D610 (but no widescreen.) This D620 has the integrated Intel 950 chipset.Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) mini CardAbsolutely no trouble setting up the wireless connection. The supplied driver supports WEP, WPA and WPA2. The icon in the task tray lets you enable or disable the radio. I suppose a hardware button would have been nice, but I wouldnt want to give up with WiFi Finder for it.
KeyboardI read somewhere in another review that the keyboard seemed a little weak. I know what they were talking about now. The keys dont feel super solid. I guess its all just preference. Maybe I will get used to it. I wanted to provide this picture of the keyboard so you could see the actual layout. I know some people are really picky about where certian keys are placed. WiFi Finder
Another nice feature is the integrated WiFi finder. With the PC turned off you can find out if there are any access points in the vacinity. Basically, you just slide the switch, the little light blinks, and then stays lit for a few seconds if it finds a hot spot. The whole process is pretty quick and is very handy. When the PC is turned on, sliding the switch brings up the device drivers site survey list. Smart Card ReaderThe D620 comes with an integrated Smart Card Reader. This is part of their Trusted Platform Module (TPM). By default, its turned off in the BIOS and needs to be enabled. The instructions are provied in an link in the TPM Program group. I started to go through the setup for this, but decided I really didnt want to turn all of this security on. It looks like a good feature for those looking for a good security option. The basic premise is that a smart card would replace the login procedure.This also goes along with the optional fingerprint reader I mentioned above. BluetoothThe Bluetooth interface worked without a problem. I did just a simple test of connecting up with my Dell Axim X30 and transferred a file to the laptop. That whole process was pretty easy if youre already comfortable using Bluetooth devices. In general, Ive always thought connecting Bluetooth devices has been more difficult than advertised, but thats another issue I wont get into.
DVD+/-RW DriveNo problems with the drive. It works just as anyone would expect. However, I wasnt completely happy with the design/workmanship of the drive bay. There is a gap between the bottom of the drive and the casing (shown in the picture.) It seems Dell could have designed this with a tighter fit, giving better overall quality. Again, not a deal breaker, but I would have expected a better design for the money. Port Replicator
I was a little disappointed with the port replicator. Everything on it technically works just fine. However, theres no way to line it up when putting it on. In the instructions they even say: Lower the computer and move it slightly from side to side until you feel it seated on the alignment posts. It would be nice if it also had a side stop, but this really isnt a deal-breaker. After docking for a few weeks, I can get it right on, but over the long term I dont know how this problem wears on the bottom of the machine. Taking it out is really easy. Just push the Undock Request button and wait for the eject button to turn green. Having Windows aware of the docking station is really nice. Ive used a Compaq laptop with a port replicator before and Windows doesnt know it exists. This causes all kinds of headaches with adjusting the screen resolution.
Which brings up a good point, in that the notebook automatically switches screen resolutions as needed when docked or undocked. My desktop monitor is set at a higher resloution than the native laptop display supports. The display driver takes care of remembering what resolution to use in each mode.
De-Crapifying
In a twisted way, I was hoping that the system would be loaded full of trialware so that I would have the opportunity to enhance my Dell De-Crapifier script. However, I was both pleased and disappointed to find no such trialware on my machine. My theory is that since the Latitude notebook is their business line, they dont want a bunch of ticked off corporate customers. Also, while waiting to pull the trigger on this purchase I could not find a single coupon code that would apply to this laptop. So, they probably make a little more profit on these machines. However it was on special for $400 off.
There was one option during the customization of the machine to add the McAffee trial version. So, it was nice to see the option to turn it off.
Security
Being a business notebook Dell has pulled out all the stops to make the D620 secure and provide as many options as possible to the end user for ways to keep their data secure. Laptops are highly popular targets for theft; theyre indeed the weakest link in any enterprises IT security solution, because in the end its up to the end user to be smart about keeping an eye on their laptop and keeping it locked properly. Heres a list of some of the security features the D620 comes with:
User Authentication
BIOS passwords & Port Disablement
Integrated Smart Card reader -Smart Cards provide strong user authentication using the 2 factor authentication, something I have (Smart Card) with something I know (password).
Smart Cards can be used in conjunction with a PKI environment via Windows XP & Vista.
UPEK Finger Print reader: An optional Biometric reader can be added to the D620 palm rest, providing an additional third factor authentication (something I am) to passwords & Smart Cards.
Pre boot Authentication: Enables user authentication prior to OS log in with Smart Card or fingerprint reader
System Authentication
System Primary Password: User password needed to boot system
Administrator Password:Administrators or service technicians access to computers for service or repair.
Hard Disk Drive Password: Data cannot be accessed without the original hard disk drive password.
TPM 1.2: Integrated on the D620 motherboard Trusted Platform Module can be used to store and generate on boardencryption keys.
Confidential Data Encryption
Microsoft Windows OS File & Folder Encryption
Wave EMBASSY Trust Suite by Wave Systems
Optional Credant Technologies Mobile Guardian
Battery
The battery has a built-in charge indicator on the D620
The D620 can be configured with a 4-cell, 6-cell or 9-cell battery. The battery location is rather odd relative to other notebooks in that it is at the front and not the back of the laptop. If you get an extended life 9-cell battery it will stick out of the front a bit and create a sort of lip that extends 0.9″. I have the 6-cell type battery and it does not stick out at all. With wi-fi on and screen at mid-brightness and doing tasks such as web browsing and emailing I got 2h 36m of battery life. Thats decent, but not great. There are certainly thin-and-lights with better and I prefer to see 3 hours or a little more for a thin-and-light travel notebook. If you were to upgrade to the 9-cell you would certainly exceed 3 hours, but at the cost of extra weight and increased notebook size.
The 9-cell extended life battery sticks out a bit at the front of the D620
One thing I really like about this Dell battery is the Express Charge feature. The Express Charge means that you can quickly charge to 80% capacity in about 40-minutes or 100% capacity in about an hour of charging (those numbers are stated assuming the notebook is off). If you have a layover at an airport or limited time to plug-in a notebook before you have to be pulled away from a wall outlet again, this can be a life-saver. At other times its just really convenient.
The D620 also has a nice 5 light LED display to show you how much battery charge is left without having to boot the notebook. Push the battery icon on the battery and it will light up with each light representing 20% charge.
Conclusions
The Latitude D620 is a very welcome upgrade to the D610 offering many improvements, especially in terms of performance and security, and the look and build quality are also much improved. The widescreen approach is interesting for a business notebook, I think it makes sense and probably will be well received. Its very apparent that Dell is excited about this new line of Latitudes (D620, D420 and D820) and have gone out of their way in regards to testing the notebook and getting feedback from customers on what they want. So thumbs up on the D620, if youre a business worker or just someone that wants a notebook for productivity purposes and dont need a bunch of bells and whistles media features, the D620 is a very well built and good option for you.
Pros
Very good overall performance, snappy with the Core Duo and availability for large amount of RAM (up to 4GB) and a very clean Windows install without a ton of unwanted software means better performance
Nice new industrial look
Excellent build and construction via the all over mag-alloy case
Widescreen format offers greater viewing area, easier to view side-by-side documents especially with WXGA+ format
Great security via Smart Card, biometrics and security software suite
Super connectivity, especially with option for EVDO or HSPDA cellular broadband built-in
Cons
Would have been nice to have a seperate Express Card 54 slot for future proofing
Multimedia card reader or SD card reader would have been nice to have
No S-Video or DVI-D ports, but not exactly expected for a business notebook
Screen is slightly washed out and slight amount of backlight leakage at the bottom
Battery life with 6-cell battery is under 3 hours with wi-fi on and medium screen brightness, would have been nice to see it over 3 hours
dell battery charging system for d5xx and d6xx laptops
The Dell Latitude D610 battery charging system used in a wide range of DELL laptops has caused quite a bit of frustration among it's customers. Top ranked is the "AC Power adapter not recognized" warning with DELL D620 laptop batteries not being charged. This alone has triggered a quest for information in many Internet forums mainly because DELL has not come forward with a reasonable explanation into the cause(s) of the problem. So here's info about the architecture and a bit of background of the dell d630 battery charging system used in DELL laptops.
The Smart Battery System
Based on the schematics of the DELL D610 Latitude, DELL has chosen to adopt theSmart Battery System architecture. The system is apparently introduced by Intel and Duracell for accurate power management for applications running on rechargeable dell d500 batteries. The initiative has it's own forum with a list of implementors on which DELL, among several chip manufacturers, is listed as the sole end-user / consumer system manufacturer. It's seems a bit odd, because most likely there are more laptop manufacturers who have used the Smart Battery System idea.
The Smart Battery System itself seems like a plausible concept and it appears the supporters have invested quite a bit to get the concept implemented. Also Maxim is part if the implementors which also produced the ID chip in the DELL AC Adapter. Page 9 of theSmart Battery System Specification V1.1 - December 1998 shows the block diagram of the battery charging system found in the schematics of the DELL D610 nattery. Most strikingly, the 1-Wire communication line with the AC - DC Adapter is not mentioned. It seems DELL has decided to walk alone on this. It doesn't sound like a smart thing to do, as the consequences already have shown.
Most components in the Smart Battery System are System Management Bus - SMBUS connected, the communication system invented by Intel® Corporation in 1995.
Quite a sophisticated bunch to charge 6 Li-Ion Dell Latitude D830 battery pack. Now the SMSC LPC47N354 - MacAllen III - Ultra IO controller is quite a chip. Unfortunately there's little public information available but it seems this chip executes POST and BIOS functions using a 8051 based micro controller. The latter is a highly popular multi-purpose embedded CPU capable of doing quite a bit of work in the lower dungeons of the D610 laptop.
The Smart Battery Host, the SMSC LPC47N354 - MacAllen III, can talk "1-wire" with the DELL AC Adapter. The Smart Battery Host initiates battery charging over the SMBUS after finding a valid AC adapter.
The Smart Battery Charger, the Maxim MAX1535B , is in control of the method of charging while the micro controller inside the battery merely executes the SMBUS charging commands.
DELL Standalone laptop battery charger and DELL Media bay batteries
DELL Media bay laptop battery - replaces the DVD or CDROM player
Standalone laptop battery charger for DELL laptop batteries.
Based on the above what are the possibilities of getting a Dell Latitude D600 Laptop battery charged using an DELL Adapter with a dead ID chip inside using only a software solution?
A few options;
Change the DELL BIOS / Controller firmware to disable the ID chip check
Getting access to the SMBUS and initiate Dell Latitude D800 battery charging through 8051 based routines
At this point in time both are not simple exercises and require quite a bit if knowledge and skills to accomplish the task. Nonetheless it's an interesting task - who knows what comes to surface after a little bit of thought?
Now - starting with an interesting observation:
How can a powered down DELL D610 detect the AC Adapter?
It must be through embedded 80x51 software executed by the SMSC LPC47N354 - MacAllen III - Ultra IO controller once the AC adapter is connected.
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