Part laptop, part bullet proof vest, the Dell E6400 XFR can handle just about anything.

If you need a laptop that can take more elemental abuse than you can, the Dell Latitude E6400 XFR may be right up your alley.

The E6400 is designed to weather any environment - and the Department of Defense agrees. This newest addition to Dell's XFR family meets the DOD's 810F military standards for heat, vibration, and dust. Plus, with its compression gaskets and Dell's PrimoSeal technology, the E6400 can take direct shots of pressurized water, even when it's open.

With the ability to withstand four foot drops, extreme temperatures, and "explosive atmospheres", the E6400 has some serious R&D behind it. The secret to its ruggedness lies in the chassis material. According to Dell, the case is made from an "exclusive" material called PR481, which is typically reserved for the military and aerospace corporations. This is the cornerstone of the E6400's Ballistic Armor Protection System, which Dell says is twice as strong as magnesium alloys found in other rugged platforms.

The E6400 comes with a 14.1-inch LCD that is readable in direct sunlight. Under the hood, you'll find an unspecified Intel Core 2 Duo. For graphics, the E6400 comes with the Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M (256 MB DDR2) and an integrated Intel 4500MHD. Along with 4 GB of memory and a shock mounted 80 GB drive or 64 GB SSD, the E6400 does come with a 12-cell battery and Dell's ExpressCharge technology. While this newest XFR is 15 percent thinner and five percent lighter, the E6400 still comes in at 2.2-inches thick and starts at 8.6 pounds...pretty beefy for a 14.1-inch laptop. But if the E6400 is as tough as Dell says it is, the extra weight may be worth it.

The Dell E6400 XFR will be available soon, with a starting price of $4,299.

Source : Tom's Hardware US