The giant PC manufacturer Dell today announced a new rugged laptop called the Latitude E6400 XFR, which features Ballistic Armor that Dell claims doubles the impact protection of traditional magnesium alloy cases. The XFR is well sealed too, being able to withstand dust, salt fog and even direct blasts of pressurized water (video below).

The XFR meets the Department of Defense’s MIL-STD 810F dust, heat and vibration requirements, making it suitable for the battlefield, industrial use, or a good mistreating in day-to-day handling and transporting.

Dell’s little fighter comes armed with an Intel Core Duo processor, 256MB DDR2 NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M graphics card, up to 120GB HDD or 128GB SSD plus a 14-inch transmissive display with DirectVue technology for good visibility even in direct sunlight. The display comes with a resistive-touchscreen option also.

The measurements, as you’d expect, are a little on the chunky side at 13.9″ (353mm) x 10.1″ (256mm) x 2.2″ (56mm) and all that armor adds some weight also, coming in at 8.5lbs (3.9kg). The Latitude E6400 XFR is available now direct from Dell US for $4299 or Dell UK for £2679.

Sources:
Dell via Register Hardware