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Dell Computer rounded out its newly introduced Latitude D-Family notebooks with the launch of an ultraportable model Monday, the company said in a release. The D-Family notebooks were introduced in conjunction with Intel's Centrino launch in March. The new Latitude D400 is the lightest of that bunch, coming in at 3.7 pounds (1.67 kilograms).

This fourth model completes the D-Family lineup, which offers a number of Centrino-based notebooks from the desktop replacement category to the ultraportable, said Anne Camden, a Dell spokeswoman.

Choice in Chips

Centrino is Intel's name for a package of chips that includes the Pentium M processor, the 855 chipset family, and the Intel Pro Wireless 2100 chip. The Intel wireless technology allows users to connect to 802.11b networks.

Dell offers the Centrino package as the default choice, as to secure Intel's Centrino marketing dollars, but offers its own Dell TrueMobile 1300 chip as a no-cost upgrade. The TrueMobile 1300 chip supports both 802.11b and faster 802.11g wireless networks. A chip that also supports 802.11a networks in addition to the other standards is available for an extra $69, Camden said.

A base configuration of the D400 with a 1.3GHz Pentium M processor, a 20GB hard drive, 128MB of memory, a four-cell battery, an external CD-ROM drive, and the Intel Pro Wireless chip costs $1,499. It will be available worldwide as of Monday.

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