Since Dell has removed their ultraportable Inspiron notebook, the Latitude X300 Series is now their only ultraportable currently available. Since the Latitude series is designed for business use, many of the features are different than what an average consumer may want.

Powering the X300 is the Pentium M 738 (1.4 GHz) processor. This is a very fast mobile processor that still has a good overall battery life. Matched up with this is 256MB of PC2100 DDR memory. This is really the minimum amount of memory that is required to run the Windows XP Professional operating system.

Storage on the system is pretty good. While the system does not have an internal optical drive, it does have a D-Bay external drive that comes with a 24x CD-RW Combo drive. An optional media base is also available that supports more features. The hard drive is an average size 30GB unit.

The X300 has a 12.1″ LCD display that is average size for the ultraportable market. It also features the very standardized Intel Extreme 2 integrated graphics. This does use up a section of the system memory for graphics and can impact the system with its limited memory size.

One area of concern is the battery life. The dell latitude x300 series battery comes with a standard 28WHr lithium-ion battery pack that has a limited amount of life with the fairly powerful processor. An extended battery is available for longer life, but it also adds extra weight. Since the X300 is also geared towards businesses, it also lacks a standard software package.

The 3-pound Dell Latitude X300 provides almost everything you could want in an ultraportable notebook. The only drawbacks are smallish typing keys and a standard battery.

The X300 offers several ways to configure for the road. For back-and-forth commuting, the standard battery keeps weight down but delivers only 2 hours 20 minutes of life. We would opt for the $129 extended battery, which adds half a pound to the weight but delivers a more satisfying 5:50 of runtime. That puts the X300 in the same league as the class-leading IBM ThinkPad X31 Series with its extended battery. Dell’s $199 MediaBase can house a second battery as well as the included optical drive.

In case the fonts are too small on the crisp 12.1-inch screen, Dell’s QuickSet utility handles font scaling beyond what Windows XP offers. The key pitch is 18 mm, which is 95 percent the size of standard desktop key spacing. That’s good for an ultraportable this small, although IBM and HP were able to cram 19-mm keyboards into just slightly larger machines.

The 1.2-GHz Pentium M machine’s Winstone performance was good. Given the margin of error on our tests, we can say the speed was on a par with that of the 1.6-GHz HP Compaq Business Notebook nc4000. The X300’s extra RAM (640MB versus 256MB) no doubt helped here.

Our test unit came with the built-in Broadcom 802.11b/g wireless solution. (An Intel 802.11b card is available for users who want a Centrino solution, though you’d be spending the same money and giving up 802.11g connectivity.) Wireless performance was good, and the X300 was still receiving a signal at 160 feet from our access point.

For corporate users, Dell offers its OpenManage Client Adminstrator management suite and ImageWatch tools for deploying a common operating system and applications across Dell systems.

Description

• Intel Pentium M 738 (1.4 GHz) Processor
• 256MB PC2100 DDR Memory (1152MB Maximum)
• 30GB 4,200rpm Hard Drive
• 24x CD-RW Combo Optical Drive in D-Bay External Drive Unit
• 12.1″ XGA LCD Display and Intel Extreme 2 Graphics with 64MB of Shared Memory
• AC’97 Audio
• v.92 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet and Dell 802.11b/g Wireless
• Two USB 2.0 Ports, One Firewire Port, One Type II PC Card Slot and SD media Card Slot
• 10.8″ x 9.2″ x .9″ @ 2.9 lbs.
• Windows XP Professional Operating System

Building on the success of its Latitude X200 ultraportable, Dell has responded to both user feedback and technology advances with a revamped version: the Latitude X300. With a new processor, chipset, and wireless technology, Dell’s shiny Mini-Me and its bottom-mounted docking station look like they’re good to go.

Upside: Thanks to a Pentium M processor and an Intel 855 chipset, the Latitude X300 should run faster and last longer than its predecessor. It also offers many Dell- or Intel-branded wireless-networking options, including 802.11b, 802.11b/g, and 802.11a/b/g standards. (Choosing the Intel Pro wireless adapter makes this an Intel Centrino notebook.) Finally, the dell  Latitude X300 series battery uses standard Latitude D-series external USB 2.0 storage modules instead of the less-convenient Latitude X200’s proprietary external modules.

Downside: The Latitude X300 is slightly larger than its predecessor, though it still weighs 1.36kg (sans the AC adapter). The smallish 12.1-inch display, with a native resolution of 1,024×768 pixels, is a bit rough on aging eyes, but that’s a price you pay with any notebook this small.

Outlook: The Latitude X300 series battery is a significant improvement over the Latitude X200. Dell Australia estimates that the Latitude X300 will begin shipping from August 11. Check back soon for a full review.