Dell unveils D820, D620 'super 3G'-ready notebooks

HSPDA card not available yet, though

Dell has begun taking orders for its anticipated Latitude D620 and D820 business-oriented notebooks - and has said the higher-end machine will sport an Nvidia graphics chip as yet unannounced by the GPU maker. It also said the machine will be offered with an HSDPA 3G data card - but not yet.

The part in question is the Quadro NVS 120M, follow-up to the 110M Nvidia launched in February. The 120M is offered as an option on the D820, as is the 110M, also offered as an option on the D820. Both notebooks use Intel's GMA 950 integrated graphics core in the base configurations.

The 120M and the 110M use Nvidia's TurboCache system to add main memory to the video buffer attached to the GPU. The D620 ships with 64MB of video RAM, the D820 with 128MB - Turbocache can lift that to 256MB (with the 110M) and 512MB (via the 120M).

Both notebooks are based on Intel's Centrino platform and are offered with a range of Core Solo and Core Duo processor choices. Each ships with an Intel ProWireless 3945ABG 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi adaptor. The D820 ships with up to 4GB of 533MHz or 667MHz DDR 2 SDRAM (up to 2GB in the D620's case), and 40-100GB of Serial ATA hard drive storage.

The D620 ships with a 14.1 display, while the D820 has a 15.4in screen. In each case, buyers can choose between a panel with either a 1,440 x 900 or a 1,280 x 800 native widescreen resolution, and D820 buyers can also pick a 1,920 x 1,200 panel.

The D820 has a Trusted Platform Module security engine that can be connected to an optional fingerprint reader and to the built-in smart-card reader.

Dell also touted its Wireless 5505 Mobile Broadband card, which will connect the D820 to 3G networks equipped with HSDPA technology for faster downloads. However, the 5505 has yet to be added to the D820's build-to-order page. In January, Dell said it would offer the card sometime in the first half of the year. The card actually comes from Vodafone, and is manufactured by Option. It provides download speeds of up to 1.8Mbps (the upload speed is 384Kbps), up to five times faster than today's standard 3G networks, Option said.

The D620 starts at £699, the D820 from £749. Prices exclude VAT and delivery, Dell said. ®

Related reviews

Asus W2Vc 17in widescreen notebook
Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook S2110 AMD-based notebook