Which Latitude suits me best?

As a freelance web developer and application developer I am trying to devide between the Latitude D620 and D820. My decision is not being based on spec but size. I will be working mostly at home with some travel to clients to show developments etc. I will possibly be doing some moderate travel, staying in hotels and possibly 6 - 10 airplane lights per year. Also during my day job, I may be taking my laptop to work now and again.

Which latitude would suit me better? Would I manage with the D820 based on my portability requirements or is the D620 a better/safer option for me?

 

Sounds like you could swing either way really. I'm sort of the same as you in that I do web development and move around a bit. I like to work from different places sometimes, such as a coffee shop, and a 14" notebook works well there and on planes/trains. For instance, I was travelling to Boston yesterday and used my 14.1" screen ThinkPad with ease on a train and then at a Starbucks there. A 15.4" would have been more of a struggle due to limited room and heavier carrying weight. However, if you're mostly at a desk and use a car to get around the D820 would suit better and when you do web development seeing more stuff on the screen can certainly make you more productive. For that reason, I'd say D820 for you, unless you think lighter weight and portability could be an advantage for you in some way.

 

Most airlines now have a 6 or 7kg limit for cabin baggage, bearing in mind that a decent laptop rucksack can weigh over a kilo, add in mains adapter, cables, headphones etc. then maybe a book, files and even a change of clothes for when your check in bag goes to Nairobi and you've gone to Vancouver; and that extra 3/4kg in the 820 makes all the difference. I think also that a 14.1 screen is as big as you want to go for use on planes & trains. The larger screen on the 820 makes it just a bit to cumbersome for actually using when out as opposed to just transporting it from home to office to hotel room. I got a 620 a few weeks ago and it's fantastic - feels so solid!

 

I'd vote D820, if you do any devlopment, the super his res screen on the D820 is perfect, and theres no issued at all with text readability even with the WUXGA, its fantastic. Also, the D820 with the 9-cell battery (which dosent stick out at all) you can get about 5.5 hours with wi-fi and BT one, if you turn it off then I'm sure you can get another 15-30 mins, which is more than the D620, and if you get the extended battery on the D620 it sticks out the front... Eitherway you go You'll be happy becayse as paul said they are both great choices and solid, fast machines.

 

There are two major reasons to consider the D820:
1) You NEED higher screen resolution (WSXGA+ or WUXGA)
2) Your applications need more Video RAM (NVIDIA NVS 120M)

Back to portability: I had a 15.4" Widescreen notebook and I am of average build and height. On a tray table with the 15.4" the notebook did not fit the tray tables very well on planes. There is a nominal size difference b/w the two but the added depth made using it cumbersome.

Now, I use the 14.1" and in my opinion, anything bigger is impractical. It is much lighter than the D820 when you factor in the size of the 6 cell battery. This is purported to be only 5 lbs but it feels like 5.5 lbs. Nonetheless, the D820 more in the region of 7-7.25 lbs ( I am estimating) and weight accessories, you are talking about closer to 10-15 lbs (factoring bag weight, power brick, accessory batteries etc).

Something else to consider, if you already have a pre-existing notebook or powerful desktop, is an ultraportable such as the D420 or Panasonic Toughbook W4 or Y4. The D420; however, has no optical drive. The Panasonics are only Pentium Ms - not dual cores. This weight class is something that I am considering....

 

I am leaning towards the D620 now as the D820 does seem very big. I currently have a 14" Dell Inspiron 4100 and am happy with it etc. Is the D620 sufficent for developement as well as normal tasks?