We got some more info on those new ultra portable Dell laptops, the E4200 and the E4300. I got some hands on time with the little guys at today’s press conference in San Francisco.
Both are small, just 12.1” for the E4200 and 13.3” for the E4300. Lightweight for sure, weighing in at 2.2 lbs and 3.3 lbs, respectively. While the size difference may not seem like much, I found that actually holding the two made all the difference in the world. The E4200 may be just over an inch smaller, but for those looking for ultra compactness, it should really make a difference.
Both of these notebooks will ship with Dell’s new Latitude On hardware enabled. By using a secondary processor with its own Linux based OS, the primary CPU is bypassed for instant access to a variety of functions. Think BlackBerry style. Contacts, calendar, email – that kind of stuff – opened up directly on your laptop without firing up the whole system. The dedicated sub-system should also preserve battery life by avoiding the power drain of larger applications.
Speaking of battery life, Dell has created a long lasting battery and more energy efficient algorithms to help stretch out your time away from the plug. While that may be true, to get the full benefit from this extended battery life, you’ll have to shell out for an extra. They’re calling it “high-capacity battery slice options”. So if you want that 19 hrs of battery life, you’ll have to pay for the double battery pack option.
These mini-notebooks may be small, but they aren’t going to be cheap. I swear I heard a starting price of $1300. We’ll just have to wait and see if I’m right on that. No firm release date was given, but expect them in the coming weeks.
I cant remember of any site that cared about this release but DOZENS of them were talking about the Dell E netbook that was suppose to start at $299.
Nice way of keep abreast what people are interested in.
Ok everyhingis awesome with the E4300 except one thing.
Why no independent GPU? I’m hoping that is the base listing and a seperate GPU with be an option.
If they had an independent GPU that would be a slam dunk against Sony’s Z series.
seriously… i heard one of the E-Series was to be $300… i want/need it bad… i’m getting carpel tunnel and can’t write notes fast enough in class, so i need to type. can’t afford those expensive laptops out there and i don’t want to get an off-brand one that’s not reliable. Where’s this $300 model i keep hearing about and when will it become available? why does dell have to keep us frustrated like this?!
Stripping away all the hype, these machines still hold some great inovations in mobile computing.
The Latitude E series and E Series are two separate product lines… I know. Confusing.
Latitude E4200 was released in the UK today. The product page is here. £899 ex VAT & delivery.
I failed to find it on the US site, maybe it will be released later today?
expensive
I have been using my new Dell4300 for about three weeks now. Overall the computer is great but one major glitch making this computer miserable to work with and I am ready to throw it in the trash or have Dell replace it. I have spoken with others who also recently got this model in our company and they are experiencing the same problem. the cursor randomly jumps around and even jumps to a whole different screen. I have yet to complete an email or a document where it didnt jump around at least a dozen times. I have disabled the pointer and the scroll bar on the touch pad to try to minmize or isolate the problem and that doesnt help. In the time it has taken me to type this the cursor has jumped at least a dozen times. If this doesnt get resolved soon this computer will be useless. Anybody have any solutions to this problem or has Dell produced a lemon?
Ralf Stores
I have experienced some of the same problem – Love the light weight of the unit and it’s better as I keep my hands more still. But still have cursor jumps.
I think Dell dropped the ball on the E-Series. We bought an E4300 back in October, had it delivered in November and curse the day we originally ordered it. The thing locks up (freezes) randomly throughout the day. And the Security software and fingerprint reader never worked as it was supposed to since day one. In mid-November, after numerous calls to tech support and unsuccessful attempts to update firmware and drivers, the techs gave up and requested a replacement to be shipped. Was supposed to ship 12/19 but never did. It got pushed back to 1/19 and also never shipped. We finally decided to cancel the order and return what we had for a refund and it took us over a week to get an RMA number.
It’s a crying shame because the laptop is gorgeous and had it worked right would have been a perfect solution for our traveling workforce. Unless Dell figures this one out, all they have to offer are lemons.
Couldn’t agree more Nelson. I feel the exact same way. I actually did get a full replacement (after waiting 2 months) and I’m finally just going to call it a lemon and send it back. It is a gorgeous laptop, but I have to agree with you it is a lemon.
Tons of my people in my company are having the same problems and are tech guys are stretched to the max in figuring out how to service these things.
Please visit this site for updates on e4300 problems and possible solutions
http://www.datapoohbah.com/tech/2008/12/16/dell-e4300-is-bittersweet/
Yes, definitely, the Dell E4300 is a lemon. It has to many un-acceptable flaws perhaps due to the fact that it is “Made in China”…
before saying it out, take a look at other laptops you think good to find out where they were made of
Wish I had read these comments before ordering my E4200. I have it 2 weeks and have had nothing but problems. Been on phone with tech dept for many hours. This laptop is crap.
I have had a E4300 since December 2008 and after a year’s use I can confirm that this machine is the very worst PC I ever had since the early 90ies. This PC is a complete lemon which should have never seen the light of day.