The laptop’s Kensington lock slot is placed uncomfortably close to the Ethernet jack.A good approach would have been to ditch the ExpressCard slot for a third USB (maybe USB 3.0?) port, which could anyway be used for an ExpressCard-to-USB adapter if the need so arises.and a second display out, such as a DisplayPort or DVI, for those of us with modern HD monitors. Most peripherals that would have used an ExpressCard connection have since migrated to USB, making this slot redundant at best, and useless at worst. The ExpressCard is a relic of the days when we used to connect peripherals to computers using RS232 and/or parallel ports.In its default, undocked state, the Latitude E6220 provides more than enough connectivity for the modern field worker – and for the eternally unsatisfied, an optional docking station from Dell provides additional connections, including DVI, DisplayPort, and more. On the right side of the laptop, again progressing from the rear to the front are a single HDMI slot, two USB 2.0 ports, the WiFi ‘radio toggle switch’, followed by a 34mm ExpressCard slot. The left side of the laptop (progressing from the rear to the front) contains a legacy VGA port, a combination eSATA/USB 2.0 port, a combination headphone/microphone jack, followed by a stacked module containing an SD card and smart card slot after the exhaust ventilation slot. Again, a good decision on the part of Dell’s product designers – in the IT/corporate setting, when laptops are anchored to AC power and wired Ethernet, both kinds of cabling almost always feeds in from behind one’s desk.ĭespite the limitations on placement imposed by the size of its battery, the Latitude E6220 is no slouch in the “port options” department. The exceptions to this rule, however, are the power connector and the Ethernet jack, which are placed on either side of the battery on the rear edge of the case. The presence of the large battery protruding from the back of the E6220 forced Dell to devote most of its ports and connections to the left and right sides of the case (an unintentionally good decision, because most users do not like to reach behind their laptop during regular use, and the computer becomes usable ambidextrously). Currently, the screen can be opened up to an angle of about 140° with respect to the base although adequate for most working conditions, it becomes a liability in cramped spaces (such as the inside of a train car, for example), where elevating and angling the laptop towards oneself means that the poor vertical viewing angles of the LCD washes out content onscreen. Allowing the laptop screen to be folded fully back when the 6-cell battery (installed on our review model) is used.Adding some way of keeping the display locked while closed this adds security during transportation, and is used on most of the higher-spec Latitude E-family.Incorporating a brushed-metal palm rest below the keyboard the default plastic palm rest is good, and tends to remain cool in most use scenarios, but tends to warm up one’s hands uncomfortably during long typing sessions.However, there are three other choices Dell should have made: That being said, the overall aesthetic is restrained and functional, with gray and black punctuated with keyboard accents of white and burnt orange.Īs far as weight is concerned, the Latitude E6220 represents a happy medium between its closest competitors, the ThinkPad x220 (<3 pounds) and HP EliteBook 2560p (4.3 pounds) mind you, part of the reason the HP weighs so much more is the presence of an optical drive.Īn excellent design choice on the part of Dell’s engineers was to place the exhaust slot on the left side of the laptop this prevents the notebook from roasting one’s legs when it sits in the lap, and gives it a handy advantage over the ThinkPad x220, which features a rear-facing exhaust ventilation slot. Additionally, the brushed-metal screen lid looks great, but tends to scratch easily and trap fingerprints, and requires a good scrubbing every now and then to keep clean. For a laptop intended to be rugged enough for everyday use on the move, one would have thought that Dell would have better protected perhaps its most important component. Unfortunately, although the LCD screen is protected by a half-inch thick, matte-black padded bumper, the screen can still be flexed by a millimeter or two when grasped on both sides and flexed back and forth, causing distortions in the LCD’s image. There is absolutely no flex in the keyboard, palm rests, touchpad, or screen hinges. For a 12-inch subnotebook, the E6220 is a little on the chunky side (over 3 pounds), but for good reason – the thing is built like a tank, thanks to its “Tri-Metal construction”, which we took to mean its liberal use of anodized aluminum, ABS plastic, and powder-coated magnesium alloy.
0 kommentar(er)
