Dell introduces two slim Core Duo-powered notebooks

Dell has two new laptops which use the Intel Core Duo processors. The Latitude D620 and the Latitude D820 are thin and light, yet still pack a decent punch. Both use Intel’s dual-core Core Duo T2300 processor which runs at 1.66 gigahertz. They also sport a magnesium-alloy chassis along with spill-resistant keyboards.

The Latitude D620 is the smaller of the two laptops and weighs 4.4 pounds. It has a 14.1" display and comes standard with a 40 gigabyte hard-drive. The D820 is slightly heavier at 5.6 pounds, but included a larger 15.4" screen. It can also be upgraded to a 120 gigabyte hard-drive and an Nvidia Quadro NVS 120M graphics card with 512 megaBytes of video RAM.

Both laptops can be ordered with broadband wireless cards for Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless or Vodafone (Europe). An optional integrated fingerprint reader can be ordered.

One interesting feature is Dell’s new "Wi-Fi Catcher" which is an integrated wireless network finder that doesn’t require the laptop to be turned on. By pressing a button on the side of the chassis, a light will blink to show that a wireless network has been detected. The speed of the blinks shows how powerful the signal is.

The Latitude D620 is available for a base price of $1149, while the D820 starts at $1289.