New notebook shares plenty of common parts with the Latitude D620 but is designed to take a licking and keep on ticking.

By Ben Ames, IDG News Service
January 16, 2007

Dell has launched its first semirugged notebook PC and plans to compete with Hewlett-Packard and Panasonic for customers who need a computer that can cope with abusive vibration, humidity, altitude, and dust.

Dell began selling its Latitude ATG D620 notebook on Tuesday as an "all terrain grade" product that could live up to rough use by construction workers, military and police officers, or ambulance and fire-truck drivers.

The computer has a shock-mounted 80GB hard drive surrounded by rubber so it can protect users' data if dropped off a table. Other rugged features include a spill-resistant keyboard, port covers, and an extra bright 14.1-inch LCD (liquid crystal display).

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