Battery Watch

A powerful laptop does not have to be a boring laptop. Take Dell’s Inspiron 1720 (dell latitude d820 battery ), a robust system that also happens to be available in seven colors besides black. The 1720 is a heavyish 17-inch notebook, but its multimedia design is outstanding.

The Dell Inspiron 1720 (dell xps m1530 battery )is a 17″ desktop replacement targeted towards younger consumers, most of whom are in school. This notebook competes against such notebooks as the HP dv9500t and Toshiba P200/P205. The 1720 offers a wide range of hardware configurations, as well as 8 different color options to be customized exactly as you want it. Processors range from the T5250 all the way up to the T7700, RAM from 1GB to 4GB, HD from 120GB to 500GB (250GB x 2), display resolutions starting at WXGA+ up to WUXGA, and color ranging from jet black to sunshine yellow.

Our review model came with the following options, bringing the price up to $2,438 as configured from a base of $899.

• Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.20GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
• Mobile Intel P965 Express Chipset
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 4GB)
• 320GB Total Space (160GB x 2, option no longer offered at the time of this writing)
• 8x DVD (+/-R double layer) drive
• 17.0″ diagonal widescreen TrueLife TFT LCD display at 1920×1200 (WUXGA, Glossy)
• 256MB nVidia GeForce Go 8600M GT
• 2.0 megapixel webcam
• Bluetooth version 2.0 plus Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)
• ExpressCard slot (ExpressCard/34 and Express Card/54)
• 5-in-1 media card reader
• VGA out
• Mic/Headphone connectors
• IEEE-1394 (FireWire)
• Five USB 2.0 ports
• Dimensions (WxDxH Front/H Rear): 15.5″ x 11.5″ x 1.7″
• Weight: 7.62 Advertised, 8lbs 13.2oz actual w/ 9-cell battery
• 90W (19V x 4.62A) 100-240V AC adapter (1lb 1.4oz)
• 9-cell (85Wh) Lithium Ion battery (1lb 1oz)
• 1-Year Standard Limited Warranty

Build and Design

Gone are the white bumpers of old, replaced with a solid shimmering silver paint, giving the body of the Dell 1720 (dell latitude d600 battery )a much cleaner and refined look. The body still allows some user configuration with its custom top cover paint options, including jet black, alpine white, espresso brown, ruby red, midnight blue, spring green, flamingo pink, and sunshine yellow. The high level of personalization can even go as far as a color matched Logitech mouse as an added $29 option during checkout.

The cleaner look and feel is matched with an even stronger and more durable chassis. During testing no plastic creaks or squeaks could be heard, with flex only apparent in the plastic painted screen cover. The entire bottom shell is a metal alloy which gives the laptop (apple powerbook g4 battery )a strong footprint on your desk, and is gives enough strength to resist bending if you hold the laptop by the edge of the palm rest walking around the room. The only downside to the chassis was the metal HD bay cover had some movement, and would make clacking sound if tapped with your finger, or placed on an uneven desk. Overlooking that fact, the underbody is strong enough to hurt your knuckles if you try to punch it without giving up as much as a millimeter of flex in the process.

Screen

The glossy WUXGA (1920×1200) screen on the Dell 1720 (hp pavilion dv6000 battery )is absolutely beautiful. ?No dead pixels were found during testing, and backlight bleed while noticed on some dark screens was minimal. Colors were vibrant as with many glossy screens, and wide viewing angles made the screen look sharp even at odd contorted angles. Backlight adjustment was very broad, allowing me to adjust low enough for darker room settings, and bright enough to still be readable in sunlight or a bright office. I had the adjustment sitting around the 80 percent mark or two notches down from max level for most of my testing.

Speakers

The speakers on the 1720 (ibm thinkpad t60 battery )were better than average for most laptops, comparable to speakers found on most midrange televisions. While lower bass was lacking, volume levels were quite loud, and distortion at peak levels was not present. Combined with the 17″ display, it would not be hard at all to entertain a small group of friends in a dorm room with the laptop by itself.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard and palm rest structure matches the strength of the bottom panel of this laptop. Pressing down very firmly, the keyboard flexes less than my T60 Thinkpad. The palm rest is just as firm, supporting my wrists or elbows pressing down with barely a hint of flex.

Heat and Noise

Coping with heat under stress is one task that this laptop shrugs off with ease. Using two instances of Prime95 (dell kd476), each stressing an individual core, the processor went up to 75C after 40 minutes. Outside temps were barely fazed though, even with internal parts scorching hot. With a room temperature of 24C, the palm rest was 27C on the right side, and 29C on the left side. Keyboard temperature was between 30-33C going right to left. Air coming out of the heatsink grill came out at around 46C. Underside temps were into “warm blanket” range of 40-42C, so wearing pants while gaming intensively should be recommended. After letting the laptop cool down for 20 minutes, the keyboard and palm rest evened out at 29-30C with the bottom peaking at 36C under the heatsink area.

Software

This laptop came with Windows Vista Home Premium preinstalled, as well as other smaller applications included through Dell. The most notable addition being the Norton Internet Security package which I uninstalled from the system during review to speed it up. ?Another item unique to Dell is the “Dell QuickSafe” online storage system which comes included free for one year. This gives a user 3GB of online storage space for backing up documents, pictures, or other information to an outside source incase of system failure (or losing your laptop). The user then selects the folders they want backed up, what interval to have it pulled off the system, and let the software do the magic behind the scenes.

Battery

Under normal web browsing use the 9-cell dell inspiron 1720 battery performed quite well, pushing out 3 hours and 12 minutes of life before going into hibernation mode at two percent. Screen brightness was two notches below max, or about 80 percent, and other items were set to Vista’s balanced power plan. This gives more than enough time for taking notes (surfing the web) during a couple of classes throughout the day away from an outlet.

Conclusion
This Dell 17″ laptop is a great performer and extremely well built laptop structurally. It seems to be built well enough to be thrown around in day to day use, and hold up throughout an entire college career. It will roll with the punches, and probably hurt your fist in the process. The only problems I found which don’t relate directly to the function of the laptop are the peeling paint, which should hopefully be worked out as production goes on in the upcoming months. Dell has mentioned paint quality problems with this new design, and how they were working to improve the painting process. Counting out that problem this is a great laptop, and I hope Dell continues on this trend of well built, affordable machines.

Dell made a serious effort in 2007 to listen to customer feedback criticizing Dell’s older, thick and heavy laptops. The result was the amazingly thin and light XPS M1330, one of the sexiest looking notebooks of 2007. The new Dell XPS M1530 (dell xps m1530 battery )is an impressive 15.4″ screen notebook designed similar to (just larger than) the very successful 13-inch XPS M1330.

Our pre-production XPS M1530 is equipped with the following specs:

• 15.4-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) CCFL glossy screen
• “Crimson” red paint (also available in “Tuxedo” black or “Alpine” white)
• 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T7500 processor, Santa Rosa chipset (up to 2.4GHz available)
• 2GB DDR2-667 SDRAM (up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM available)
• 160GB 5400 RPM SATA HDD (32GB SSD drive available)
• Slot-loading dual-layer DVD±RW drive
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT with 256MB GDDR3
• WWAN option for Verizon
• Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n (Intel 4965), Bluetooth option
• Integrated 2.0 megapixel webcam
• HDMI, VGA, S-Video, Firewire/1394, three USB 2.0 ports, integrated media reader (MS, SD, xD), fingerprint reader
• Media Center remote located in ExpressCard slot
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Dimensions (with 6-cell battery): 14.06″ x 10.34″ x 0.93″ – 1.38″
• Weight starts at 5.9 pounds with 6-cell battery (6.29 pounds with 9-cell)

Build and Design

The Dell XPS M1330 has received high praise for its design and feature set in a 13.3″ portable form factor, but the most popular selling laptops are in the 15.4″ screen size. Dell, being in the business of selling more laptops and making customers happy, figured it would be wise to offer something that’s larger and appeals to more people. And that’s exactly what the M1530 is — a larger version of the M1330.

As we said in our First Look article, it’s as if Dell put the M1330 on steroids and the M1530 (dell latitude d820 battery )is the end result — the laptop size increased proportionally and it’s also more powerful in its new form. The design and look is mostly the same, the keyboard feels the same, the touch sensitive controls are replicated and for the most part the ports are the same (though you do get an extra USB 2.0 port on the M1530). That said, when we compare the M1530 and the M1330 side by side we can’t help but think the design of the M1530 is “overweight” in comparison.

There are some notable differences other than size between the M1530 and M1330 (dell KD476 )however. The M1530 can be configured with a more powerful Nvidia 8600M GT graphics card for boosted gaming performance over the XPS M1330 that only offers up to the Nvidia 8400M GS. The M1530 also offers up to a 2.80GHz Intel T7800 processor, whereas the XPS M1330 tops out at an Intel T7500 2.2GHz processor. Obviously if you’re all about the performance metrics and don’t carry a laptop around much, the XPS M1530 is a better fit for you.

Some people might wonder if they should go for the Dell Inspiron 1520 15.4″ notebook or the Dell XPS M1530 15.4″. After all, they’re both consumer notebooks from the same company that can be configured similarly, so what’s the point? For one, the XPS M1530 is way more eye catching in terms of design than the Inspiron 1520. The barrel hinge, dropdown screen and sloping look of the M1530 is just cool. Second, the XPS M1530 (DELL Latitude d630 battery )weighs just 5.9 lbs with a standard 6-cell battery and just 6 lbs and 4.6 ounces (6.29 lbs) with its 9-cell battery. The Inspiron 1520 weighs more than 7 lbs with the 6-cell battery. Other benefits of the XPS M1530 notebook include a sleeker slot loading optical drive, touch sensitive light-up buttons, dedicated XPS tech support, media remote control and thinner profile.

Screen

Another difference that should be mentioned is that currently the M1530 is offered with only a standard 15.4″ widescreen XGA (1280 x 800) display, while the XPS M1330 has the option for a thinner and more power efficient LED backlit display. Dell says the XPS M1530 should be available next year with different resolution screens … including LED backlight options.

Even though some will be a little put out by the lack of LED backlighting being offered on the M1530 initially, the standard CCFL display is still gorgeously bright and flawless. Plus you get a higher 2.0MP web cam with the standard thicker CCFL screen, whereas with a thinner LED screen only a VGA resolution cam can be fitted.

The screen on our pre-production unit looks flawless from straight on and the horizontal viewing angles are great. Upper vertical viewing angles are good, but colors did begin to invert at lower viewing angles when the screen is tilted back.

Heat and Noise

The XPS M1530 does a reasonable job keeping heat under control. The system fan and heatsinks in the M1530 (hp pavilion dv6000 battery )do a great job managing heat when the system is under load … as we discovered when we ran multiple benchmarks back to back. The CPU temperature peaked at only 58 degrees Celsius during multiple 3DMark06 tests. The fan moved a significant amount of hot air but the noise was reasonably low and wasn’t noticeable over background noise most of the time. However, when the fan was at the highest setting we did record the volume of the noise at 53-56dB from about two inches away from the fan exhaust.

Unfortunately, noise was something of an issue with the M1530. The slot-loading optical drive was quite loud during Windows startup, inserting a disk, or ejecting a disk. The sound is something like a small power drill muffled under a pillow. That said, the optical drive produces acceptable noise levels when a disk is spinning in the drive.

The real noise issue involved the hard drive. Because of the way the hard drive is mounted to the case (and due to the thin metals used) the spinning/scratching noise of the Hitachi-brand hard drive was magnified under the left palm rest. The hard drive noise was so loud that I was able to hear the hard drive making scratching noises from two feet away even while playing music at a resonable volume over the built-in speakers. That’s just too loud.

Battery Life

The 9-cell extended-life battery provides excellent battery life for the M1530 (ibm thinkpad t60 battery ). With Vista’s power management running in “high performance” mode, screen brightness set to maximum and wireless on, the 9-cell battery delivered more than 3 hours and 30 minutes of battery life. We’re certain that the 9-cell battery could deliver more than 4 hours of life with the notebook set to “balanced” or “power saver” mode and the screen brightness turned down.

One thing to mention is that with the 9-cell battery in you get an overall greater slope to the keyboard, we actually like this for ergonomics, it feels more comfortable for typing.

Conclusion

Overall, the Dell XPS M1530 is a solid addition to the Dell notebook lineup. We praised the smaller XPS M1330 for having “a design that is second to none in its price range” but we didn’t feel quite as strong about the design of the larger M1530. While this is certainly the hottest 15.4″ notebook available from Dell, it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’re looking at a “fat” M1330 with a larger screen.

While issues like a noisy slot-loading drive, noisy hard drive, and limited screen options will make some demanding buyers look elsewhere, the M1530 is an excellent alternative to HP’s popular dv6500t notebook in the same price range.

Vostro notebooks are built exclusively for small business and are ready to be customized with the features and software you want without any unwanted trialware. With flexible technology and service options, wireless connectivity, and AMD processors packed into a compact system, the Dell Vostro 1000 (dell latitude d630 battery )gives you the essential mobility that will get your business going places.

The Vostro 1000 surprised us right after opening the box. We supposed it looks similar to the Vostro 1500 with the same screen size, which means like a modified Inspiron 1520. However, it turned out that the Vostro 1000 (dell latitude d620 battery )looks like an Inspiron 1501 in black. It is one of the ‘low-end’ notebooks in Dell’s product range.

The dark color is unostentatious. The top case is more or less smooth, whereas the back panel seems rather matte.

The Vostro 1000 (dell latitude d820 battery )looks not very attractive, on the contrary, it appears to be heavy. This notebook actually weighs a lot, so, this impression proves to be true. Actually, it even weighs too much for a proper mobile computer, so, it’s rather desk-bound.

Vostro means YOUR in Italian, and for $499 it’s not expensive to make the Vostro 1000 “Your” laptop. The Dell Vostro 1000 (dell xps m1530 battery )is being billed as a bargain priced business notebook. The 6.26 lb black magnesium alloy chassis appears very solid. A thoughtful feature is the mylar sealed keyboard. This will be a crumb and spill safety net for road warriors eating baguettes and drinking at wireless coffee shops while they work.

The base unit of Vostro 1000 is made of plastic, but, in contrast to other Vostros without any use of magnesium alloy. Typical Dell, it is nevertheless perfectly solid. We didn’t notice any weaknesses.

The display cover is made of plastic as well. It doesn’t yield. However, it wobbles, if closed. Most new Dell models have this weakness in common. The transport hook is black and not silver, so, it fits nicely to the case.

The hinges are sizable and efficient, but, if one moves this notebook while open, the display wobbles a bit.

Typical Dell most of the interfaces are located at the back side. Furthermore, there aren’t many provided.

The keyboard is the same as of the Inspiron 1501 (hp pavilion dv6000 battery ).

The size of the keys is satisfying. The right Shift looks really huge.

The keys have an easy stroke, so, one doesn’t need to type forcefully. On the other hand, the cushion is quite hard, but, not yet tiresome for the user. We felt that the keyboard is rather quiet.

The touch pad is alright. The pad provides labeled scroll areas. Its buttons are soft, with long, yet not excessively long travel. They are quiet and reliable.

The reviewed Vostro 1000 (dell vostro 1000 battery )was equipped with the new mobile processor by AMD. It belongs to the latest of the ‘Tyler’ range, but is called Athlon 64 X2 TK-53 (1.7GHz). It differs from the identically clocked Turion 64 X2 TL-56 by providing only 512kB L2 Cache, which is half the L2 Cache of the Turion X2 TL-56.

The integrated Radeon Xpress 1150 video card is the provided video solution.

The reviewed Vostro 1000 come with a rather slow 80GB Fujitsu hard drive. Its average access time was 23.5ms with is very long.

Because the reviewed notebook was only equipped with a 4-cell (29Whr) battery, the battery runtime proved to be very short. It ranges from 40 minutes under full load to a little more than a hour-and-a-half with emphasis on energy saving (with minimum brightness of the screen one can comfortably work in a room).

So, if one looks toward mobility, it’s better to order battery with higher capacity (53Whr or 85Whr).

Dell thought it is not worth the effort to develop it in a special way, and has launched an AMD-based Vostro 1000 using on old  Inspiron 1501 design. Naturally, this was a cost-minimizing measure.

Accordingly, potential buyers might be discouraged by the old-fashioned look of the Vostro 1000 (dell kd476 ) . On the plus side, the chassis is all black and doesn’t get stained quickly by those nasty fingerprints. Too bad this laptop is so heavy, especially compared to its competitors.

However, the Vostro 1000 is intended for simple, casual everyday tasks (web browsing, text editing) and not much more.

The biggest pros are quiet operation and a matte screen. The con is an awfully short battery runtime (with the provided 29Whr battery).

TheLatitude D630 is Dell’s latest update to the D620, a light-weight business class machine. The Dell D630 comes with the very anticipated Santa Rosa platform but is visually the same as its predecessor. The machine starts at $899 (as of this writing) and most upgrades are reasonably priced.

D630 configuration:

• Processor: Intel T7300 Core 2 Duo (2.0GHz, 800MHz FSB, 4MB Cache)
• Graphics: Intel GMA X3100
• Operating System: Windows Vista Business 32-bit
• Display: WXGA+ 1440 x 900 (matte)
• Hard Drive: 80GB 540RPM
• Memory: 512MB (512MB x 1), up to 4GB max
• Ports:
  • 4 – USB 2.0 (two in the back and two on the right)
  • FireWire (left)
  • Security lock (left)
  • Headphone out & microphone in (left)
  • VGA out (back)
  • 56k modem (back)
  • Gigabit Ethernet (back)
  • Power (back)
  • Serial (back)
• Slots:
  • 1 PC Card Slot
  • Smart Card Slot
  • Docking station
• Optical Drive: DVD +/- RW
• Battery: 9-cell 85WHr
• Security: UPEK fingerprint reader
• Pointing device: Touchpad or Track Stick
• Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11a/g) mini Card
• Dell Wireless 360 Bluetooth Vista Module
• USA keyboard
• Dimensions: 13.3" x 9.37" x 1.09 – 1.27" (337mm x 238mm x 27.6 – 32.3mm)
• Weight: 5.1lbs with DVD drive and 6-cell, 5.8lbs with 9-cell, 6.6lbs with AC adaptor and 9-cell
• 3 Year warranty, In-Home Service, International

Total Price As Configured: $1,372

Some of you are probably wondering as to why I chose so little RAM and a rather small hard drive. Like I said, most upgrades are reasonably priced. I purchased 2GB from Newegg for $80, Dell’s upgrade would have been $200.

Battery

I need my machine to last as long as possible. I chose the nine-cell dell latitude d630 battery despite the fact it sticks out from the battery site. I truly believe I made the right choice because this thing lasts a very long time. With Firefox, Office, Wi-Fi, and screen at max (8/8) the battery lasted (I ran it until the laptop shut off) an astounding 5 hours and 15 minutes. Same test bed but no Wi-Fi landed me with 5 hours and 45 minutes.

I did not have enough time to test it with the screen at a medium level but Vista tells me I can safely say it can push a little over six hours with Wi-Fi. If you get the Media Bay battery to go along with the nine-cell, I would venture about 7.5 or more hours. Of course, this is assuming you are using it for lightweight programs and you have 1GB or more of RAM.

At the bottom of the battery there is a button that allows you to check the battery level.it is same as the dell d620 battery and dell latitude d820 battery It goes by five levels, giving you an estimate of how much charge is available. I consider it helpful because you don’t need to turn the laptop on to check the battery level.

Build and Design:

This thing feels like a tank and is extremely sturdy. The hinges on the machine are stiff but not difficult to open and the screen will not wobble. There is no flexing of the screen and you truly have to try to press the back to see ripples. When closed, a small, shiny hinge holds the screen locked. The top and bottom of the machine are made of magnesium. I still wouldn’t recommend dropping the machine in order to test if the material is durable.

The speakers are (I think) inside the laptop because I saw no openings for them. The battery sticks out in the front rather than the back. You are also able to add another battery to the DVD bay or replace the drive with something updated down the road. It is very simple to replace the drive in case something happens.

I do have one complaint: I frequently use my USB slots and I dislike having the other two ports in the back. I prefer them on the side. The USB slots are also a bit stiff. Sometimes you have to try to jam the connector into the slot.

Screen

Many people complained about the terrible brightness level of the D620. Unfortunately, I don’t have a D620 (dell inspiron 1520 battery )to compare it to. I do, however, have a Viewsonic VX2025wm desktop monitor that has been color calibrated with a Spyder2 Suite. This seems like an apples to orange type of comparison but if I am to compare it, I must use something that has been in my possession for at least one full year. The added benefit is that this comparison shows how far the colors differ from a screen that has near-perfect color reproduction.

I am happy to report the 14.1-inch, 1440×900 screen is surprisingly brighter than I expected. I was able to easily see it indoors with the sun behind me. This was tested with highest screen brightness level (8/8).

Speakers

The speakers output at about two watts and are under the left palm (I could feel them vibrating). There are the quick mute and volume buttons on the top of the keyboard, all very handy to have. The speakers are loud … much louder than I expected. Depending on what is being played they might be able to fill a small room. Unfortunately, a loud speaker does not always equal quality output. At high and sometimes even medium levels distortions start occurring. Granted, this is a business machine that was primarily designed to just output warnings and the like. It’s like Dell bought out all the extra Gameboy speakers and super sized them.

If you like to listen to music, bring your own external speakers and possibly your own sound card.

Processor and Performance

CPU: My machine came equipped with the new Santa Rosa platform. Upgrades to the processor include a faster front-side bus and a new level of power state. According to an Intel rep (I used to work in retail), I was told these new chips are about 10-15 percent faster and equally consume less battery life than the previous Centrino generation. This will not, however, make minor application usage (office programs) run any faster. The design behind this is most likely for the battery use and people that need a faster processor (multimedia users).

HD: The hard drive is an 80GB SATA drive running at 5400RPM. My plan was to buy a 160GB drive and a notebook enclosure from Newegg, replace the 80GB drive, and convert the machine’s original drive to a portable HD. Due to financial reasons, I did not go through with it. The faster transfer speed (higher density) and larger storage are nice ideas but we can’t have everything.

GPX: I’ll be blunt, this machine was not built for gaming. Intel upgraded this generation’s integrated graphics but it is still no match for a dedicated card. Essentially, the X3100 can run old games but don’t expect F.E.A.R. or an equally graphically intensive game to be playable.

RAM: If you wish to run multiple applications, get the 2GB. Vista recommends (read: needs) 1GB to run the OS and any other application(s) smoothly. Before I upgraded the machine with 2GB, it came with 512MB. It was crawling and nearly always accessing the hard drive (and consuming more battery in the process). After the upgrade to 2GB, it ran as smooth as a hot knife through butter. I needed 2GB because Photoshop is a huge memory hog. If you plan to use this machine for office use, 1GB will most likely be enough to accommodate your needs.

Wireless

My machine came pre-equipped with the Intel 3945 Wireless card offering a/b/g wireless reception. I did not opt for the 802.11n because it is still in draft mode and the G reception will be around for a while. Chances are, when I get my next laptop (years from now), a new standard will be accepted for wireless and the N reception will be rendered obsolete.

I was able to test the connection with my Linksys WRT54g router, a somewhat common router. I was able to go anywhere in the house and pick up a signal. No matter where I went, I could not get the laptop to drop the connection, I had to go outside and walk all the way towards the opposite side of my neighbor’s yard to kill it. To put it in perspective, that is about 150 feet.

My D630 (dell inspiron e1505 battery ) came configured with Bluetooth. I tested it with my PDA and was able to synchronize it with no issues.

Operating System and Software

I ordered my machine with Windows Vista Business. The machine came with practically zero useless software. In fact, aside from the amazing bundled security software, it only comes with Roxio Creator 9 and Cyberlink PowerDVD 7. The only thing that I uninstalled was Google Desktop and Google Explorer Bar.

Security and others

The machine came bundled with a security package by Wave Systems. The software comes with a wizard that assists you in selecting what level of security you wish to implement. You are granted the option to ask for a password and /or fingerprint at boot-up. You can even encrypt the hard drive with the same password/fingerprint.

Trying to make use of the fingerprint reader, I opted to prompt for my fingerprint at boot up. The interesting thing about this option would be that if you don’t have either the password or a fingerprint, you cannot even access the BIOS. Essentially, if the laptop is stolen and if the BIOS is properly configured, the thief will have a hell of a time trying to access your data. Business users take note, if you tend to lose laptops, you must purchase this device. I’ve heard one story too many about how company X lost a laptop with employee and/or other sensitive information.

I tried setting the machine to go to sleep only to find out that it asked for both. Basically, if the laptop ever logs-off or goes to bed, you will be asked for both or either types of security, depending on your choice.

Even though the machine is externally very well protected, there are very few firewall programs for Vista. The one bundled with Vista is pretty useless. Just be careful checking important information on an unprotected connection; common sense, people.

Warranty and Customer Support

I chatted with Dell (dell xps m1530 battery )customer support several times to get a feel for the support they would provide. I am extremely happy to report all the customer support reps that I talked with were very knowledgeable. They all answered my questions without hesitation and correctly, all are very polite if you too are polite. The longest I was on hold was for five minutes.

I’ve heard of horror stories from the consumer line of Dell but the business line is unbelievably good. I know I made the right choice by paying for the $100 for in-home service. If some of you are more “butterfingered,” get the Complete Care package.

Upgrading

Upgrading the machine was an interesting journey. The machine originally came with a stick of 512MB and it was upgraded to a matched pair of 1GB sticks (2GB total).

The RAM slots are in two places, under the keyboard and under the laptop. I decided to start with the most difficult, under the keyboard. Let me warn you right here, it was difficult for me to do it and I’ve built more computers than I have fingers and toes. I had to remove the hinge, which felt like it could crack at any given second, followed by the keyboard. After many sweaty but careful minutes, I was able to replace the RAM. The other slot, on the other hand, was extremely easy: one screw and I was done.

When we last reviewed the Dell Inspiron E1505 (dell e1505 battery), the notebook’s rich multimedia features, wireless performance, and strong battery life garnered it an Editors’ Choice award. Now, Dell follows up the E1505 with the 1501 ($844, as tested here), a low-priced alternative and the first Dell machine to house an AMD processor. It’s also Vista capable and Premium ready–something you’re not going to find with run-of-the-mill value notebooks. The 1501 (inspiron 1520 battery )gives you solid performance at a decent price, but what you gain in savings you lose in functionality.

 

The inexpensive Dell Inspiron 1501 doesn’t have all the extra media-centric features or quick-launch keys you’ll find on similarly priced notebooks from Acer and Hewlett-Packard. This $974 laptop does have other things going for it, however—namely, respectable performance and a superb display.

 

Decked out in silver, white, and dark gray, the Inspiron 1501 won’t be mistaken for a business notebook, but its looks are suitably understated for the meeting room. The laptop measures 1.4x14x10.5 inches and weighs 6.2 pounds, straddling the line between travel companion and stay-at-home desktop replacement. It has a sturdy build, too, and feels like it could take a few knocks.

 

The 15.4-inch WXGA (1,280×800-resolution) display, which uses Dell’s contrast-improving TrueLife technology, is definitely a highlight. Text was sharp, and DVDs and Vista’s Aero interface looked great. An integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 (dell d820 battery )adapter that shares up to 256MB of system memory powers the graphics. Casual gamers won’t be disappointed with this chip.

 

The 1501 came configured with a six-cell battery, which enabled us to go unplugged for a solid 3 hours and 16 minutes of life with Wi-Fi on, and an additional two minutes with the wireless connection off. Wireless throughput measured a robust 12.6 Mbps at 15 feet from our access point, and 13.2 Mbps from 50. This is a slight improvement over the E1505′s measurements of 12 Mbps and 9.9 Mbps from the same distances.

 

Despite the missing multimedia controls, the 1501 offers plenty of other ports and jacks: four USB, VGA, headphone and microphone jacks, and a 3-in-1 memory card reader. This is a step down from the E1505, which featured all of those connections plus S-Video, FireWire, a 5-in-1 card reader, and optional Bluetooth. You’ll also find an ExpressCard slot, but nothing for a PC

 

Most of the owners of Inspiron laptops criticize the design of their computers. Not surprisingly, most of the modified laptops are Inspirons e1505/1501 (dell b120 battery , dell b130 battery). In my opinion, designers were having an “off day” when they created those white bumpers. Maybe the most annoying thing about the design is that certain parts of the notebook do not match others. For example, the keyboard, touchpad, and screen have a “keep-it-simple” design (nothing shinny, nothing stylish) while the back of the lid makes a quite different impression.?Despite these style blemishes, the Dell Inspiron 1501 (dell latitude d620 battery )has some charm in its design.

 

The overall build quality is quite good. The chassis feels sturdy, it does not creak when lifted on any of the corners. Applying even a quite strong force on the back of the lid does not make ripples on the screen appear. The screen hinges are tough and keep LCD in place. You will need to use both hands to open the lid. That said, there are places which deform when excessive pressure is applied, but this isn’t an issue. The one negative might be that the screen latch does not feel sturdy — it has a “floating” feeling as you can both move it up/down and left/right — but it holds the screen perfectly well.

 

A very nice feature is that you only need to remove two screws to access the memory modules, WiFi card or HDD. A little more effort is required to access the CPU (I was not that curious).

 

Other budget notebooks we’ve seen have dedicated media-player controls, independent buttons for switching off wireless radios, and a healthy assortment of input/output options, but the Inspiron 1501 falls very short in this area. If having extras like these (and a few more configuration options) is important to you, we recommend stepping up to Dell’s Inspiron E1505 (dell xps m1530 battery). For a couple of hundred dollars more, you get slightly improved specs and lots of extras. Most users, however, will be satisfied with the basic array of connectivity here: four USB 2.0 ports, mic and headphone jacks, a VGA monitor out, an SD/MultiMediaCard slot, and Ethernet and modem ports. Also aboard are an ExpressCard slot and a double-layer DVD±RW drive.

 

The keyboard function keys are marked with icons for easy access to actions such as adjusting volume and screen brightness, switching to an external monitor, and turning on and off the built-in 802.11b/g wireless networking. The keyboard itself is a bit mushy for our tastes, as are the touch-pad buttons, though all are a comfortable size. Speakers at the front of the notebook push (hp dv6000 battery) out clear, loud sound.

 

Dell did a good job outfitting our review model with capable core hardware. Its dual-core 1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-50 processor, aided by 2GB of DDR2 memory, turned in impressive results in our tests and certainly has enough pep to run Vista Home Premium. Battery life was comparable with that of other notebooks in its class, which means it’ll get less than two hours on a full charge (1 hour and 41 minutes, to be exact).

 

For storage, our test unit had a 60GB hard drive. Factor in formatting, as well as the space taken up by the OS, its applications, miscellaneous software Dell includes, and the partitioned section for the built-in system restore, and you’re left with only 40GB. The other notebooks in this roundup have the same problem, but because they have 120GB drives, plenty of room is still left over for files. If you’re not using the notebook as a primary computer, you can get by with 40GB, but an extra $35 will buy you an upgrade to an 80GB drive.

 

Dell includes a standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty, as well as 24/7 tech support.

Although the Dell Inspiron 1501 demonstrated stronger wireless performance than the Dell Inspiron E1505 (dell d400 battery)and has a lower price point, we can’t recommend the notebook over its far more functional predecessor. If you’re looking for a decent machine that won’t break the bank, it’s worth a look. Just remember, you get exactly what you pay for.

 

Anyone buying a PC from a well known manufacturer like Dell, HP or IBM hopes to get a good customer support. No surprise, Dell provides fast and pleasant-to-use support. I had to contact them about several minor questions and replies came back very fast.

 

After several weeks I noticed that my laptop did not have a DVD-RW, it only had a DVD Combo. Since DVD-RW is a necessity nowadays and the optical drive cannot be changed in this PC, I went directly to the retailer. They contacted a local Dell office and I got my refund in two days. Sadly, I had to buy a new laptop or risk losing a tax refund from the government. Because they did not have any Dells left in stock, I had to go with another PC. ?

DELL recently went to a notebook, the model for the Dell Latitude D820 (dell latitude d820 replacement battery ) (T2500 / single significant) Evaluation Forum on the purchase of library locations, the configuration of its high use of the T2500 Core Duo processor, while in other configurations, all as a standard in high-end notebooks, but the use of 15-inch display, generally in the portability, suitable for business people working to replace the desktop computer DELL D820 This configuration is relatively high, using a frequency of up to 2.0G Core Duo T2500 processor, 120G hard drive big, DVD recordable drive, as well as GF 7400 graphics cards, which are a high-end notebook, as should have East and West, 2.6Kg weight for the 15.4-inch notebook screen is concerned, is relatively light, and control in a notebook using the touch screen and two designed to facilitate the use of the different habits of users. DELL D820 using Intel Core Duo (Yonah) T2500 (2.0G) processor, 1G memory, 120G hard drive, DVD-RW recordable optical drive, 15.4-inch WXGA widescreen display, independent GF 7400 graphics, built-in microphone, speaker ,10-100-1000M LAN, 56K MODEM, 802.11a / g wireless LAN and IrDA infrared module. Interface connection, four USB2.0, smart card reader, 1 Type II, 1 months Express Card, serial, VGA interfaces, machine weighs about 2.60Kg, 9 lithium battery core, Windows XP Home operating system. Comments: This relatively high-end configuration DELL D820 laptop, but still can not quite suitable for the weight of mobile office, the price of 16,800 yuan, is to replace the business desktop choice.