The Dell Latitude 14 E7470 is proof that business notebooks don't have to be boring. This 14-inch productivity laptop ($1,079 starting, $1,339 as reviewed) is one of the sleekest of its kind, with a slim and lightweight, 3.4-pound chassis that makes the device an excellent companion on the road. It's also perfectly capable of handling your workload, with a zippy Intel Core i5 processor, a snappy keyboard and a 9-hour battery built for a full day of crunching away. Despite some hard-to-reach ports, the Latitude 14 E740 is the rare business notebook that offers equal parts style and speed. Specs DesignWho said business can't be sexy?
The all-black Dell Latitude E7470 is strikingly sleek, sporting a slim, soft-touch, magnesium-alloy chassis that makes this PC a joy to hold. The notebook's supersoft lid is just as pleasant to the touch, though it is fairly susceptible to fingerprints.At 13.19 x 9.13 x 0.74 inches and 3.4 pounds (with a four-cell battery), the E7470 is both small enough and light enough to fit into your bag without much of an issue. It's not quite as svelte as (11.5 x 8.23 x 0.47 inches, 2.14 pounds), but is roughly on par with (13 x 8.9 x 0.74 inches, 3 pounds). Ports and WebcamUnlike most notebooks, the Latitude 14 E7470 has the majority of its ports in the back. That means you'll have to do some extra reaching around to access the PC's power input, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, mini DisplayPort and Ethernet jack.
The only ports you'll find on the edges are a headphone/mic jack, an SD card slot, a SIM port and a single USB 3.0 input. It's worth noting that the notebook doesn't have a USB Type-C port for newer, fast-charging accessories; this may be a concern for those looking for a more future-proof machine.The Latitude's rear-facing ports allow it to fit seamlessly into Dell's E-Family of docks, and these make it easy to turn the laptop into a full workstation with monitors and desktop accessories. The ports also help keep the laptop's edges slim and seamless.
While that's fine if you plan on keeping your Latitude in the office, it can be a bit of a pain having to reach in the back for ports when plugging things in while on the go.MORE:The laptop's 720p webcam is clear enough for conference calls, but you won't be stunned by your selfies. I noticed very obvious pixelation in my photos, with my stubbly beard becoming one big, dark blur. Security and DurabilityThe Latitude 14 is built from the ground up with security in mind, offering Trusted Platform Module encryption to keep your files safe. Optional security add-ons include a fingerprint reader, a smart card reader and Dell's Data Protection encryption software.
If you configure it with a Core i5-6300U CPU or higher, the laptop also has Intel manageability.The Latitude 14 is built from the ground up with security in mind.Dell's business notebook is also well-protected on the outside, with a MIL-STD 810G-tested chassis that's designed to endure shock, drops from up to 4 feet and extreme heat. DisplayAlthough you can opt for an even sharper, quad-HD panel, the Latitude 14's standard 1080p display is crisp and clear enough for work, and colorful and vibrant enough for when you want to kick back with a movie. The notebook's screen preserved every key detail of the Captain America: Civil War trailer, from Steve Rogers' wrinkling forehead to the Avengers' colorful superhero suits. If you want an even higher-res screen, you can configure the Latitude with a 2560 x 1440 touch screen for an extra $315.The panel on this Dell notched an impressive 338 nits of brightness on our light meter, outshining the ThinkPad T460s (240 nits), the 1080p version of the EliteBook (288), and our 249 thin-and-light average.The Latitude's richness and color accuracy were backed up by our lab tests, in which the notebook reproduced 118 percent of the sRGB color gamut and demonstrated a color-accuracy reading of 0.45 (closer to 0 is better). The ThinkPad was less colorful but similarly accurate (66 percent, 0.5), while the EliteBook offered a comparable gamut but with less accuracy (107 percent, 9.5).MORE: AudioDell's business notebook offers decent volume for when you're playing messages or video chatting, but don't expect stellar music quality. Tracks like Fall Out Boy's 'Irresistible' and Kendrick Lamar's 'King Kunta' sounded impressively crisp on the vocal front, but each song's normally thumping bass was virtually nonexistent.You can customize the Latitude's sound output via the Dell Audio app. The software features presets for music, movies, gaming and voice, and you can customize individual parameters such as treble and bass or dive into an EQ if you want to fine-tune every last detail.
Keyboard, Touchpad and Pointing StickThe Latitude is well-equipped for crunch time, with a comfortable and satisfyingly snappy keyboard that makes it easy to chop away at reports. Offering a generous 1.94mm of travel with a just-right actuation (required pressure) of 57 grams, the notebook's spacious island keys allowed me to hammer away at the Key Hero Typing Test at a swift 118 words per minute with near-perfect accuracy, and no hand cramps in sight.The notebook's 3.8 x 2.1-inch touchpad was just as reliable. Its smooth surface made switching among tabs a breeze, and gestures such as pinching to zoom and swiping three fingers right to change apps felt immediate and natural.Dell's laptop also features a small, blue-bordered pointing stick for those who prefer to navigate without having to leave the keyboard.
Despite not being a major nub user, I had no problem navigating around with the Latitude's soft pointing stick, and had an easy time reaching the left- and right-click buttons under the spacebar using my thumb and pinky, respectively. Performance and GraphicsPacking an Intel Core i5-6200U processor with 8GB of RAM, the Latitude is more than ready to handle your workload, though it's not as fast as its closest competitors. On the plus side, I never experienced a significant slowdown, even as I crunched away in Google Docs, jumped among 12 Chrome tabs, watched four separate Twitch streams and ran a full system scan all at once.Dell's notebook scored 6,059 on the Geekbench 3 general performance test, slightly trailing the Core i5-6300U-powered ThinkPad T460s (6,796), the Core m7-6Y75-powered EliteBook Folio (6,706) and our 6,403 category average for thin-and-light notebooks. The Latitude matched 20,000 names to addresses in 4 minutes and 30 seconds on our spreadsheet test, just barely behind the EliteBook (4:21) and ThinkPad (4:10) but faster than the 6-minute category average.Our Latitude's 128GB M.2 SATA SSD copied 4.97GB worth of mixed media at a fairly quick 132.32 megabytes per second.
That's not quite as fast as the ThinkPad (152.3 MBps) or EliteBook (162.2 MBps), both of which pack 256GB SATA SSDs.The Latitude 14 E7470 packs just about everything you could want in a business notebook: a bright and crisp display, solid overall performance, battery life to get through the day.Packing Intel HD 520 graphics, the Latitude is better suited to basic video playback than it is to gaming or graphic design. The notebook scored 59,801 on the 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited graphics benchmark, which is a bit behind the EliteBook (65,639) and ThinkPad (68,448) but higher than the category average.
Battery Life and HeatIf you work long days on the go, the Latitude's impressive battery life should satisfy. Dell's notebook lasted 9 hours and 16 minutes on our battery test (continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi), trumping the ThinkPad T460s (7:21), the EliteBook Folio G1 (7:02) and the 8:02 category average. We tested the Latitude with a four-cell, 55W battery, which costs an extra $34.30; the notebook packs a three-cell, 37W battery by default.
Fortunately, opting for the better battery doesn't add any noticeable bulk.MORE:The Latitude managed to stay just cool enough for comfort in our testing. After streaming 15 minutes of HD video, the notebook's touchpad, keyboard and underside reached 79, 85 and 94 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, all of which are under our 95-degree comfort threshold. Software and WarrantyThe Latitude 14 is fairly light on extra software, with just a handful of Dell apps complementing the stock Windows 10 programs.
Dell's Command Update helps keep your drivers, firmware and BIOS up to date, while Command Power Manager lets you optimize battery life and manage the PC's heat threshold.Dell's notebook includes a three-year hardware-service warranty, which includes on-site service after remote diagnosis. See how Dell fared in our Best and Worst Brand report and Tech Support Showdown. ConfigurationsThe Latitude E7470 starts at $1,079, which gets you a 6th-Gen Intel Core i3-6100U processor, 4GB of RAM a 128GB SSD and a 1366 x 768 display.
The $1,169 config features a more powerful Core i5-6200U CPU, while opting for the highest-end $1,619 model gets you a Core i7-6600U processor, 8GB of RAM and WiGig capabilities for use with Dell's wireless docks. If you want faster storage, you can add up to a 512GB NVMe SSD for an extra $385.All configurations ship with Windows 7 professional, but also include a Windows 10 Pro license.We reviewed a customized $1,339 configuration, which packs a Core i5-6200U processor, a 1080p display, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and Windows 10 out of the box. Bottom LineThe Latitude 14 E7470 packs just about everything you could want in a business notebook: a bright and crisp display, solid overall performance, a comfy keyboard, and more than enough battery life to get through the day. The fact that it's both durable and incredibly sleek is just the icing on top.My only real quibble with Dell's notebook is with its hard-to-reach ports, which might not be a big issue if you plan on keeping the laptop on your desk. Is even thinner and lighter (and has a 4K display option), but the Latitude 14 offers a better mix of style, ports and endurance. More on Laptops.
How to connect a microphone to a PC Computer or laptop and start making audio recordings is one of your most frequently asked questions. USB MicrophonesThe. Click here to.A really neat one-stop solution for recording on your computer, and one which will offer a considerable improvement in quality over a generic computer microphone and sound card combination, is to consider a USB mic. A USB microphone is a high quality microphones which simply plugs straight into your USB port – perfect for musicians on the move with laptops, but equally at home in the desktop music studio.
Also a really good option with the iPad and other tablets. USB mics are compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems – they just plug and play so you can get started really quickly. They represent excellent value because there is no requirement to purchase any additional hardware, and are very easy to install and use.Particularly good for the vocalists who want to record over backing tracks are the microphones which have a headphone output because you can ‘direct monitor’ through headphones – in other words listen to the track while you are singing along. These are equally simple to set up and use in this way and will produce really good recording results. If you just want to make good quality recordings one track at a time, or if you are thinking about voiceovers for videos etc then you do not need to be so concerned about the headphone output and you may prefer the features and equipment of the larger USB studio mics.While you are choosing your mic, think about whether you need to purchase a stand, shockmount or recording booth at the same time. Unless you are using a handheld dynamic microphone you will at least require a stand, though you will find that most USB microphones come with a small desktop stand to get you started.USB Microphones have become so popular that every major microphone manufacturer makes at least one, and the choice can be confusing. To help you out we have put together the.
You can listen to what the most popular sound like, side by side, watch videos of how they look up close, and compare their key features. It is a really useful guide to USB Mics, with a detailed review of all the most popular. USB Audio Interface What if you want more than just a USB mic? Maybe you want to start up a small home studio with more capability than just one microphone input.
Dell
Well the next thing to look at is a dedicated USB Audio interface that is specifically designed to allow a mic (or several microphones) to be connected, and usually other instruments as well – we have articles on exactly if you want to know more, and then how to needs. These USB audio interfaces already have the necessary pre-amps and software to give you a really high quality recording result on your PC or Mac without the need to install a PCI sound card, so they are also great for mobile recording on a laptop or notebook and easily transferable if you upgrade your system in the future, but you will need to purchase a microphone and cables separately if you don’t already own a mic.Many interfaces feature a mic pre-amp and line/guitar in with gain so they are perfect for vocalists, guitarists and instrumentalists.
Check whether the device you are looking at has phantom power or not and remember you will also need an XLR cable to connect the microphone to the interface,and headphones or powered speakers for monitoring. The sound will come out of the interface, not your computer so if you currently listen through your computer speakers you will need to bear this in mind.If you require an interface with phantom power (most condenser mics require this unless they are self-powered) then make sure the interface you pick does have a phantom switch or you will end up having to buy a separate power supply. While you are checking this, think about many microphone/line inputs you require, and also look at what software comes with the audio interface for a neat out of the box one-stop recording solution.Some interfaces also have MIDI in/out so you can also connect up a keyboard or digital piano making them really versatile and multi-functional. Common Questions: What are the different types of microphones?If you have yet to choose a microphone, then you should refer to our ultimate, in which we look at what all those technical terms on the spec sheet actually mean. Plus we look at which mics are best for different recording situations. If you already know what kind of microphone you need, then read more about the and the. What is phantom power?In most condenser mics, a power source is needed to maintain an electrical charge between the elements inside.
Many pre-amps and audio/MIDI interfaces have an AC power supply built into them for use by a condenser mic. This is called a phantom power supply, meaning that the electrical power is carried up the cable that attaches the mic to the pre-amp or interface. Most condensor mics (apart from all our USB ones) require a phantom power supply, but dynamic mics do not. What is a pre-amp?A pre-amp is a device that amplifies the signal from your microphone to make it strong enough to be usable by the computer. You can buy a versatile external interface that combines a soundcard and pre-amp, connecting via the USB port, or the other option is to buy a dedicated pre-amp or mixer with the appropriate signal.
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I am wondering what to do. I am plugging this Shure Beta SM27 into a USB/Firewire Audio Kontrol 1 interface from Native Instruments right? And, I am connecting the guitar through the guitar effects and then into the amplifier. This is a ‘stand alone system’ which is connected parallely around the interface for the purpose of getting the most RAW-sound out of the recording. Now, this is what I am wondering onto. How am I getting the sound emanating from the amplifier, which the microphone is receiving, through the interface, into the computer’s recording software?
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Please note that the software that included with the NI audio kontrol 1 interface is mainly for DJ’s or for those who wish to connect the guitar directly into the interface without amplification. (I am not one of those).Jane Sherratt. Hi, you should be able to select the microphone in as the default to record direct into any recording software, assuming you ahve your Audio Kontrol correctly connected and installed. If you are on Windows then try looking at the recording devices in the control panel, there should be a meter and you will be able to see when you play a note that a signal is being received.
Your interface has both and instrument and a mic input, just make sure you have selected the mic input in your software. Hope that helps.Lokesh. Hi Lokesh, To be honest with you I am unable to recommend any wireless lavalier microphone as I do not have any personal experience. I use a computer based system in a home studio environment and have no need of wireless. I have recently purchased an Audio Technica Pro 70 Lavalier (link below)and it really is absolutely superb. I use it for video work.
I was put off buying wireless because you do have to spend a lot more money to get a good quality wireless lavalier mic, as far as I could see in the reviews. I am sorry I can’t help you more, if you really need wireless to do the job. But if you could use a wired mic then that one works really well.To get it to work on my computer I run it through a USB audio interface with XLR input to mic pre-amp. It does work OK on iPad directly with the appropriate connector, it makes a great quality recording, but a little quiet. I find if I hook my interface up to the iPad (it has an iPad connector) and record through that then I get a fantastic result.So if you do find a good recommendation for a wireless mic system, you will then need to think about running it through pre-amp and if you don’t already have one you may as well purchase a good interface with built-in pre-amp to make the best quality recording. Hope that helps. All the best, Jane.Sawyer.
An XLR to USB cable has embedded A/D converter and a typical one gives 16bit 48/44.1 kHz digital quality sound input. So better to use the laptop mic input direct and use the laptop soundchip A/D.Everything depends on the quality of the laptop soundchip A/D. If it is sufficient then no need for USB or pre amps going to the computer line in socket, just use the mic input direct.For example on my laptop the A/D is 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rate supporting 16/20/24-bit PCM format. So this looks better than the above mentioned cable.Jane Sherratt. I assume you are referring to a mic like this one:The information about the product seems to say “When connected with desktop computer, the Microphone could be used alone;When connected with laptop computer, please connect the laptop to electrical outlet, or use a 48V phantom power to get enough power if the sound is not clear and high enough. ”I would give it a try, and see what result you get. If you don’t get a good recording then look for a USB audio interface that has built in pre-amp for mic and provides phantom power.
For example the Focusrite Scarlett SoloYou would need to get a different cable (XLRM to XLRF) and then you should get a very good quality result.Manny.