Dell Latitude D410

The price includes an external CD rewriter to complement the 40GB hard disk. The CD burner adds 484g to the notebook's 1.76kg (with the six-cell battery) for a total of 2.24kg. In a 35mm-thick machine, it's a shame it wasn't integrated, but the CD rewriter can be removed from its housing and slotted into the Media Slice. There are two more USB ports at the back with gigabit Ethernet, modem and D-SUB ports. A Type I/II PC Card slot is on the right, along with a smart card reader (a smart card security package costs £44). Inside there's 802.11b/g and Bluetooth, and the docking port matches D Family docks.

Dell's Latitude D410 crams a lot of processing power into a lightweight box that's still big enough to be used without difficulty. The ergonomics aren't flawless, and the optical drive would ideally be built in, but the flexible battery options and the three-year, on-site warranty override everything else. It's simply fantastic value for money. If you want to order this exact configuration, use E-Value code MAG-D410PCP.

Author: Roger Kirkwood