E6400/E6410 ATG owners: Outdoor viewability with and without a touchscreen

Hi everyone, what a neat forum! Glad I found you guys.

Recently I ordered and received a refurbished Dell Latitude E6400 ATG from Dell's Outlet. Although it wasn't in the item description when I placed my order, my computer has a touchscreen. It was only known after I had placed the order, in the internal detail component listing of the order that is available on Dell's website after an order is placed. Dell has offered to accept return at no charge and extend the same 20% discount I used (now expired) on another E6400 ATG order from their outlet.

I bought this computer almost entirely for the outdoor-viewable screen, because from what I've read the Dell ATG series has the best outdoor-viewable screens. And I've got to tell you, so far this computer has held up relatively well in the indirect sunlight (direction of sun shining towards the back of the computer screen). But there can be reflections (clouds, someone wearing a white shirt, leaves of trees, etc) and I believe that some of that has to do with the touchscreen.

Has anyone worked with both the regular outdoor-viewable screen and the outdoor-viewable touchscreen? I would like to know how they compare. How do the reflections compare? How much brighter /easier to read/ contrast/ etc does the regular outdoor-viewable screen seem to your eyes at its highest setting?


So that's pretty much my question. What follows is some more information for those technically inclined.


I used EVEREST home, the last free edition (everesthome220.exe - available from MajorGeeks) to view more detailed information on my touchscreen (Display > Monitor). I think it would be beneficial if anyone who owns an E6400/E6410 ATG model could do the same on their computer and post in the thread their ATG model, Monitor ID, Manufacturer, Date, and whether or not you have a touchscreen model.

Code:

Monitor Name		Generic PnP Monitor [NoDB]
Monitor ID		[B]SEC5441[/B]
Manufacturer		[B]HX077141AT[/B]
Manufacture Date	[B]2010[/B]
Serial Number		None
Max. Visible Display Size	30 cm x 19 cm (14.0")
Picture Aspect Ratio	5:3
Gamma			2.20
DPMS Mode Support	None

I was thinking, maybe just buy Dell's regular outdoor-viewable screen. I called them about that and they charge over $600 for the regular outdoor-viewable screen, and over $700 for the touchscreen. I searched some LCD replacement manufacturers which claim to carry E6400 ATG replacement screens. What I've learned through correspondence with some of them is their screens are generic, not the special AR bonded Dell E6400/E6410 ATG outdoor-viewable screens.

I'm also thinking if I return my computer to Dell so that I can buy one with the regular outdoor-viewable screen, I'm never going to find another one similar in specs, even with the 20% discount. This computer is decked out with literally everything and after discount and tax it was less than $1000. So this is my reluctance to return. Also the touchscreen is kind of nice even though there don't seem to be many useful apps for it.

I read a great article by Geoff Walker the (former?) editor of Rugged PC Review on outdoor-viewable screens and contrast, although it's a bit outdated now. Find it here:
Notebooks with Outdoor-Readable Screens in Mid-2007
He makes a lot of good points in that article. One point that concerns me though is how touchscreens add a layer of reflectivity.

Any information and help is most welcome. Thanks for reading my post!

 

I'm surprised nobody has responded. I took some pictures so everyone can see. If for some reason you do not see any of the five pictures below they are attached to this thread or you can click the Picture links direct to imageshack.

Picture 1:


Picture 2:


Picture 3:


Picture 4:


Picture 5:

 

I have an E6400ATG w/o touch screen and the daylight performance is exceptional. From your pictures, I would advise returning the touchscreen version. We also have several D630ATGs and they are even better than the E6400ATG.

 

Thanks for your reply, it's much appreciated. I'm past the period where I can return it. It is kind of important so I might buy another one w/o touchscreen. The touchscreen is nice but I use it rarely. There aren't too many applications that are touchscreen aware; most apps I use have a GUI with terribly tiny buttons that are impossible to "hit" with a finger even with the touchscreen is calibrated.

I wonder why the D630 ATG appears better than the E6400 ATG? Is the D630 ATG glossier? I saw some pics on ruggedpcreview of the D630 ATG in sunlight that look better than mine.

Would you mind using that utility I mentioned in my post at some point to identify what screen is on the D630 ATG and what is on the E6400 ATG, and/or take pictures in sunlight or something? I can send you a few bucks if that would motivate you

Thanks

 

I am also wondering how ATGs work in daylight and in sunlight. If it is possible to enjoy working outdoors for several hours.

As far as more details about your screen, I suggest you lookup your system specs using your service tag on dell support site, you should be able to see part number for your screen and description, e.g.:

UD490 Liquid Crystal Display, 14.1WXGA, VIDEO ELEC. STDS. ASSOC...., Thin, Samsung

 

I've had my E6400 ATG computer for about a year now and I'm pretty happy. I still wonder about how much brighter it would be without a touchscreen. Does anyone have the new E6420 ATG, and if you have familiarity with these models can anyone tell me how how the outdoor viewability is relative to the older models? Thanks

 

From what I can tell, Dell offered to pay for the return shipping and extend your 20% discount is because Dell made a costly mistake. Chances are you paid the same price as the ones without the touchscreen models as they are usually more expensive than the standard ones. The newest laptop I have is a XPS m1530 with WXGA+ with TrueLife. It is a non touchscreen and it is bothersome to use in sunlight and outdoors.

Dell XPS m1530 - C2D T5250 1.5ghz, 4gb DDR-2 667, 15.4 CCFL LCD WXGA+ with TrueLife, 128mb Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS, WD Scorpio Blue 250gb, 2.0mb webcam, Windows Vista Business SP 2 32bit.
Dell Inspiron E1505 - C2D T2050 1.6ghz, gb DDR-2 533, 15.4 CCFL WXGA, 64mb ATI Mobility Radeon X1300, Toshiba MK1032GSX 100gb, Windows XP Home Edition SP3 32bit.