5. Controls And Keyboard

The Latitude D610 comes with a stick and a touchpad for moving the cursor. The touchpad cannot be deactivated, however, which is bound to annoy a few people here and there, especially prolific writers.

On the double: keys to adjust the volume or turn it off altogether are on and above the keyboard (rocker and key).

There's not much need to grope around for the CD drive button either, as there's now an eject key on the keyboard.

The surface for the palms of the hands is adequately dimensioned. The keyboard gives slightly when typing, and it has what appears to be relatively small throw. The travel in the mouse keys for the stick is too large, and they have a spongy key force. The wireless and Bluetooth components can only be switched on and off together with a single key.

Operating Noise

Although the processor fan is generally active, its 33 dB(A) noise level won't be noticed in an office with normal ambient noise. Even when the processor is under heavy load or when playing a DVD, the noise level does not rise above 35 dB(A), making it virtually inaudible. The only thing that can be heard is a very quiet, even hum. Dell achieves this low noise performance by having the processor run at a temperature slightly higher than normal but still within its thermal specifications. The waste air temperature is around 130° (55°C), which is relatively warm at a room temperature of 72° (22°C).

The air inlet for the CPU cooler is on the base of the notebook.

Air intake for the processor cooler is accomplished via a slit on the base of the case. If you operate the device on your legs or in bed, cooling will not be very effective. This results in the device heating up and becoming louder as it attempts to compensate.

Audio

The D610 features an audio chip from SigmaTel, which supports the power management mode of the Intel 915M chipset. There are no digital audio outputs, however. The volume of the two loudspeakers on the front fits the bill, but the latest driver does not let you adjust treble and bass separately. That's a shame, because it would greatly improve the sound.