The Dell Latitude C600 a straightforward corporate laptop with excellent battery life and some special touches.

One aspect that is unique among some machines of this old but robust series (and worth copying by others) is the inclusion of both a touch pad and pointing stick. Those who are comfortable with both features can switch back and forth, depending on the task (both are active concurrently), and those with a preference can choose between them, turning one or the other off.

The C600 has an internal antenna for wireless networking, and Dell offers, for an extra an internal Mini-PCI 802.11b adapter. Unfortunately, that card needs to be plugged into the same slot as the wired ... read moreEthernet Mini-PCI adapter. So to toggle between wired and wireless networking, you’ll have to use a PC Card for one of them. This is an unexpected omission, especially when the similarly priced Acer and Toshiba models include standard internal wireless network and Ethernet capability.

Hot-swapping modules to and from the single bay work like a charm:  just click an icon on the System Tray, eject one module, and pop in the new one. Another highlight is the high-resolution display. Although its 14.1-inch size is the same as most others, the screen’s 1,400-by-1,050 native resolution lets you see more of a document or Web page without scrolling.

As for the audio capabilities, the speaker volume is very low: For presentations, you’ll need an external pair of powered speakers. The keyboard layout, spacing, and feel were all comfortable. One notable keyboard feature is the Dell AccessDirect button, which calls up the on-disk documentation. You can also program this button to launch a frequently used application or—even more useful for IT managers—to preconfigure each machine with a specific support resource, such as Dell’s technical-support Web site.

Dell also caters to tech managers’ needs. Bay modules, batteries, docking slices or stations, and an AC adapter can be shared among any Latitude C-series models, including legacy systems (CPx, CPt, CPi, and others). The modules also can be shared with L-series models via an external expansion bay and an IDE cable. Also, the primary and secondary battery are identical and can be used in either the battery bay or the multipurpose bay.

Speaking of battery life, the C600 beats out all the other notebooks in the same price and product range. With a system weight of 5.4 pounds, the C600 is one of the bulkier models we tested. Those extra few ounces (due to its bigger battery), however, translate to more than 3.5 hours of runtime or nearly 8 hours with an extra battery installed in the modular bay.

Specifications