The newly designed Inspiron 15R is the latest 15.6-inch desktop-replacement notebook from Dell. Equipped with the Intel Core i3 or i5 processors and Intel GMA HD graphics, this budget-friendly system is aimed at the masses. In this review we take an in-depth look at this new system and see how it performs.
The Latitude E6410 is the latest in a long line of business notebooks from Dell. Sporting a wide range of Intel Core processor options, Intel integrated and NVIDIA NVS 3100M dedicated graphics, and two display options. In this review we see how this Dell business notebook compares to others already on the market.
The Dell Vostro 3400 combines the latest Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors, good battery life and range of security options for business, in an affordable 14-inch laptop. Is this the next best thing for small business owners? How does the Vostro 3400 compare to other business laptops? We answer these questions and more in our in-depth review of this notebook.
Dell Vostro 3400 Specifications:
* Processor: Intel Core i5 430M (2.26GHz, 1066MHz, 3MB)
* OS: Windows 7 Professional (32-bit)
* Memory: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
* Storage: 320GB 7200rpm HDD
* Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 310M (512MB)
* Display: 14.0” HD (1366x768) LED Display and webcam
* Optical Drive: 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD/-RW/R) with Dual-Layer
* Wireless: Wireless Network Card 802.11 b/g/n
* Bluetooth: Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Internal (2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate)
* Battery: 6-cell Lithium Ion battery (56 WHr)
* Dimensions: 13.35 x 9.54 x 0.86-1.16 inches (WxDxH)
* Weight: 4.76 lbs
* Starting price: $599.00 ($549.00 with instant savings)
* Price as configured: $928.00 ($759.00 with instant savings)
See Full Review>>
When you need to strike the balance between a desktop-replacement notebook and a laptop for frequent travel you will probably end up shopping for a 14-inch notebook. The Dell Inspiron 14 is one of the most popular laptops in this class and comes packed with the latest Intel processors and a nice range of options at an affordable price. Is this the best 14-inch consumer laptop? Keep reading to find out.
Dell Inspiron 14 (1464) Specifications:
* Processor: Intel Core i3 330M (2.13GHz, 1066MHz, 3MB)
* OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
* Memory: 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
* Storage: 500GB 5400rpm HDD
* Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD
* Display: 14.0” HD (1366x768) LED Display and webcam
* Optical Drive: 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD/-RW/R) with Dual-Layer
* Wireless: Intel Wireless 5100n
* Battery: 6-cell Lithium Ion battery (48 WHr)
* Dimensions: 13.39 x 9.55 x 1.27 inches (WxDxH)
* Weight: 4.8 lbs
* Retail Price as configured: $799.99 (currently available for less than $740 in retail stores)
See Full Review>>
The Studio 17 is a 17-inch multimedia and gaming desktop-replacement notebook from Dell. This system can be configured with Intel Core i7 processors as well as high-end ATI Mobility Radeon graphics cards to compete against powerhouse systems like the Acer Aspire 8940G or Asus G51J. Dell has one trick up its sleeve with the Studio 17: it's the first large consumer notebook to offer an optional multitouch display.Dell Studio 17 (1747) Specifications:
The Dell Studio 17 has a sleek wedge-shaped side profile that helps mask its large footprint. The sloped design reduces the thickness of the notebook, and if you don't count the bulging 9-cell battery, it is basically as tall as my ThinkPad T60 when closed. The red screen cover looks very nice and is also available in other colors if you custom configure the notebook. The painted cover has a great rubbery texture that gives the notebook a soft feel and helps to increase grip for your fingers. The inside of the Studio 17 is glossy plastic and a flush-mount color-matched touchpad. The palmrest trim is painted with a silver metallic finish with the trim directly surrounding the keyboard being glossy painted black plastic. Both finishes appear to resist light scratches, which is a godsend for glossy notebooks that need to be wiped down constantly to look clean and smudge-free.
The one Dell-specific design element that really bugs me is the battery design. I greatly prefer the method of extended-life batteries that extend out the back of the notebook. The lower-mounted method used with the Studio 17's battery prevents the notebook from sitting perfectly flush on your desk surface. The only problem with using a battery that extend out the back with this notebook is the hinge design which would interfere with extended batteries.
The chassis feels very strong and when the notebook is closed it feels stiff enough to stand on (though we don't recommend standing on it). Dell did an excellent job perfecting the solid frame and really nailed it with the precise fit of the body panels. Every panel is securely held in place with even gaps around mating surfaces. The panels themselves feel durable and resist flexing under moderate pressure. The only surface on the notebook that seems to have any flex is the keyboard tray that flexes slightly under strong pressure.
The bottom of the notebook has a clean appearance with a single access hatch to user-replaceable components. Users looking to upgrade the Studio 17 will find two hard drive bays, three mini-PCIe slots, two memory slots, and the BIOS battery. Our configuration left one hard drive bay open, as well as slots for a WWAN card and TV tuner card. The graphics card and processor were not accessible through the main access panel, so to change either of those would require further dismantling of the notebook. No "warranty void if removed" stickers were found anywhere inside or outside the computer. The 17.3-inch display on the Studio 17 looks above average with good color saturation and excellent contrast. Dell picked an in-between resolution of 1600x900 in this model, which is better than WXGA but still less than the 1080P displays that are standard on almost all competing models. With that said Dell does offer RGB-LED display upgrade options for this model where none of the competing models offer similar displays. The standard display has good vertical viewing angles where colors don't start to invert significantly until the screen is tilted 15-20 degrees forward or back. Horizontal viewing angles are better with colors staying true to roughly 80 degrees in each direction. Backlight levels are pretty good in terms of even brightness and peak brightness. With the screen displaying an all-black background there is minimal bleed around the edges at normal brightness levels. As you increase past 80% the black levels start to appear washed out, but that is normal for bright panels. The backlight is strong enough to comfortable view the display in bright office conditions or outdoors if you find a spot of shade. The Dell Studio 17 includes JBL stereo speakers with a bottom-firing subwoofer. The primary drivers are top-firing through the corners of the palmrest which is much preferred over lap-firing speakers which can sound muffled. In our tests the Studio 17 speakers rated well above average when playing both movies and music. Midrange and high notes came through clearly and the subwoofer added some bass which is usually lacking from many notebooks. Peak volume levels were above average and more than capable for filling a small or medium sized room with sound. The keyboard on the Studio 17 is very nice and very comfortable to type on with such a massive palmrest. With the notebook sitting on the edge of a desk or on your lap your wrists are fully supported to your forearms. The soft rounded edge of the front of the notebook doesn't seem to cause any pressure points, which can be a problem with some notebooks. The keyboard layout takes full advantage of the massive surface area of the Studio 17. The keyboard is full-size with no condensed keys and it includes a four-key wide numberpad. The layout is Dell-standard with the function keys being secondary and the access keys being primary. To give you an example you can adjust the brightness directly by pressing F4 and F5, but to refresh a webpage you would need to click FN+F5. You can notice some flex of the keyboard under strong pressure but under normal typing it isn't that apparent. Individual key action is smooth with a very soft click emitted when each key is fully pressed. The configuration we reviewed doesn't offer a backlit but it can be included as a $25 option. After using the Studio 17 a few nights in front of my TV I really found myself wishing that the backlight came standard. The touchpad is a very large Synaptics model with some multitouch support. Advanced gestures include two-finger scrolling, rotating, pinch zoom, and a three-fingered flick. Sensitivity is excellent with the touchpad picking up even the slightest touch without a problem. This did cause some problems if you barely brush your palm against the touchpad while moving the cursor towards a target. The touchpad would detect the second input and make the cursor freeze until you let off. No amount of adjusting the settings corrected this but with enough practice you learn to move your hand farther away from the touchpad boundaries. Touchpad speed is great with no discernable lag noticed even during quick movements. The surface texture is a light matte finish and very easy to slide your finger across dry or moist. The touchpad buttons are also very nice with a deep throw and a soft click when pressed. Port selection is very good even with no ports or slots added to the front or rear edge of the notebook. Dell included two USB ports, one eSATA/USB combo port, VGA, HDMI, and Displayport-out, LAN, two headphone jacks, audio-in, LAN, and finally a FireWire-400 port. Expansion slots include an ExpressCard/34 slot and SDHC-card reader. One additional port that wasn't used in our configuration is the antenna jack that connects to an internal TV-tuner. We did have one problem with the USB port layout; the right side has spacing far enough apart from each other to prevent you from using some dual-pronged cords. The Dell Studio 17 includes an accelerometer to protect the hard drive in the event of a physical system crash. If it detects the notebook is dropped it will rapidly park the hard drive to help minimize damage. This is common in many business notebooks, but unlike every other implementation we have seen, this one was the first to cause problems. If you tilt the notebook too far in any direction it will directly alter the direction movement on the screen. We first noticed this during our testing phase when the notebook was resting on an elevated stand. If the Studio 17 is tilted forward dialog box selection will randomly switch back and forth. If you tilt the notebook to one side it will start moving the selection box up and down. To only way to correct this is to uninstall the ST Micro ScreenDection driver. This problem is also reported on the Dell Community forum. The Studio 17 included a 9-cell battery that helped squeeze out some impressive time from this Core i7-equipped notebook. In our battery test with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 on the balanced profile the notebook stayed on for 4 hours and 19 minutes. During the test the Studio 17 consumed between 17 to 19 watts of power.
Build and Design The one Dell-specific design element that really bugs me is the battery design. I greatly prefer the method of extended-life batteries that extend out the back of the notebook. The lower-mounted method used with the Studio 17's battery prevents the notebook from sitting perfectly flush on your desk surface. The only problem with using a battery that extend out the back with this notebook is the hinge design which would interfere with extended batteries. The chassis feels very strong and when the notebook is closed it feels stiff enough to stand on (though we don't recommend standing on it). Dell did an excellent job perfecting the solid frame and really nailed it with the precise fit of the body panels. Every panel is securely held in place with even gaps around mating surfaces. The panels themselves feel durable and resist flexing under moderate pressure. The only surface on the notebook that seems to have any flex is the keyboard tray that flexes slightly under strong pressure. Screen and Speakers The Dell Studio 17 includes JBL stereo speakers with a bottom-firing subwoofer. The primary drivers are top-firing through the corners of the palmrest which is much preferred over lap-firing speakers which can sound muffled. In our tests the Studio 17 speakers rated well above average when playing both movies and music. Midrange and high notes came through clearly and the subwoofer added some bass which is usually lacking from many notebooks. Peak volume levels were above average and more than capable for filling a small or medium sized room with sound. Keyboard and Touchpad Ports and Features The Dell Studio 17 includes an accelerometer to protect the hard drive in the event of a physical system crash. If it detects the notebook is dropped it will rapidly park the hard drive to help minimize damage. This is common in many business notebooks, but unlike every other implementation we have seen, this one was the first to cause problems. If you tilt the notebook too far in any direction it will directly alter the direction movement on the screen. We first noticed this during our testing phase when the notebook was resting on an elevated stand. If the Studio 17 is tilted forward dialog box selection will randomly switch back and forth. If you tilt the notebook to one side it will start moving the selection box up and down. To only way to correct this is to uninstall the ST Micro ScreenDection driver. Performance and Benchmarks Heat and Noise Battery Life The configuration of the Studio 17 included a 9-cell battery that helped squeeze out some impressive time from this Core i7-equipped notebook. In our battery test with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 on the balanced profile the notebook stayed on for 4 hours and 19 minutes. During the test the Studio 17 consumed between 17 to 19 watts of power.
The Studio 17 is a 17-inch multimedia and gaming desktop-replacement notebook from Dell. This system can be configured with Intel Core i7 processors as well as high-end ATI Mobility Radeon graphics cards to compete against powerhouse systems like the Acer Aspire 8940G or Asus G51J. Dell has one trick up its sleeve with the Studio 17: it's the first large consumer notebook to offer an optional multitouch display.
Dell Studio 17 (1747) Specifications:
BY: Jerry Jackson, NotebookReview.com Editor Dell Inspiron 14z (Cherry Red) Specifications: Build and Design The Inspiron 14z feels pretty durable despite the fact that the notebook chassis is constructed from relatively thin plastics. The only areas that suffered from flex were just above the keyboard next to the battery and the back of the display lid. If you press on the lid with your fingers you will create screen distortions, and you'll hear some minor plastic creaking if you press down next to the battery. There is some minimal flex on the top of the right palmrest next to the optical drive, but you have to press pretty hard to make that happen. When closed the Inspiron 14z looks thin compared to budget laptops from several years ago, but the weight of the 6-cell battery makes this system a bit too heavy to quality for the "thin and light" category today. The "Cherry Red" screen lid gives the Inspiron a nice candy-covered look, but Dell charges a $40 premium for the privilege of selecting red instead of black. Usually I don't complain about that type of surcharge from the Dell Design Studio which offers your choice of more than 100 different designs by various artisits, but charging $40 to stick a chuck of red plastic on a notebook is a little excessive. The bottom of the notebook features the battery and access plates for the hard drive and RAM. There isn't much to talk about here other than to briefly mention the location of the two speakers on the bottom of the front edge (more on that later). Screen and Speakers I was pretty impressed with the stereo speakers on the Dell Studio 14z, but I can't say much in favor of the speakers on the Inspiron 14z. The stereo speakers produce average sound quality and are located beneath the front edge of the notebook palmrests firing downward at your lap. I usually call this type of audio "crotch speakers" because the speakers aren't pointed up toward the user. If you're using the Inspiron 14z on a desk then the audio from the speakers "bounces" off the hard desk surface and it sounds okay, but if you're using this PC as a "laptop" then the sound is going to be muffled. Bottom line, the speakers aren't horrible ... but the location isn't helping matters. You'll probably want to use a good set of headphones with this notebook, and the headphone jack produces clear, distortion-free sound. Keyboard and Touchpad The multi-touch, gesture-based touchpad is pretty average for a 14-inch notebook and the dual touchpad buttons have deep feedback with quiet clicks. The touchpad itself is an Synaptics model that uses Dell proprietary touchpad drivers, though I found the standard Synaptics drivers work as well. The touchpad was reasonably responsive with good sensitivity and very little lag. Touchpad accuracy was a bit off at times, but that may be correctable by tweaking the drivers. Ports and Features Performance As previously mentioned, the Inspiron 14z gets its "z" designation from the use of the Intel CULV processors ... in this case, the 1.3GHz SU7300. This gives the Inspiron 14z the advantage of better battery life at the expense of overall performance. In fact, the Inspiron 14z falls somewhere between a budget netbook with an Intel Atom processor and a typical full-featured notebook using a standard Intel Core 2 Duo processor. In other words, the Inspiron 14z has enough power to serve your basic needs as a family PC, but don't expect to play the newest 3D games or run the latest photo and video editing applications at extremely fast speeds. The only thing that might seem a little odd about this level of performance is the price. In fact, the $799 starting price for the Inspiron 14z exceeds the $699 starting price of the Studio 14z. Considering that the Studio 14z provides superior performance it's hard to justify the price tag of this Inspiron. You can buy a netbook that has better battery life for less money! True, the Inspiron 14z offers better performance than your average netbook, but it's downright odd that Dell is trying to sell this for more than the cost of a superior laptop. wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance): PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance): 3DMark06 measures video and gaming performance (higher scores mean better performance): All of the 3DMark06 scores for all of the systems listed above were run at 1280 x 800 resolution (for 16:10 ratio screens) or 1280 x 768 resolution (for 16:9 ratio screens). HDTune storage drive performance results: Battery Heat and Noise Noise levels are fairly quiet when running on battery as the fan produces a constant weak "hum" as hot air is pushed out. The fan gets louder when the laptop is stressed running benchmarks and plugged into the AC adapter, but the fan should only be noticeable by others in a very, VERY quiet room. Conclusion The fact that the Inspiron 14z includes an optical drive while many CULV-equipped laptops do not provides some justification for buying this notebook. However, if performance is more important to you than battery life then the Inspiron 14z probably shouldn't be at the top of your shopping list. Still, if you want a notebook with more power than a netbook and better battery life than the average notebook then the Inspiron 14z is worth a look. Pros: Cons:
Dell spent most of 2009 making their laptops as thin and light as possible. Dell even went as far as adding a "z" to the names of the thinnest and lightest notebooks that offer the best battery life in each category. To that end, the Inspiron 14z offers consumers a laptop that promises "66% better battery life" for a modest price increase. Is the Inspiron 14z as impressive as it sounds? Keep reading to find out.
The design of the Inspiron 14z looks virtually identical to the Inspiron 14. The chief differences here are that the Inspiron 14z uses an Intel CULV processor, 6-cell battery and WLED display ... all of which are intended to extend battery life. At first glance, the Inspiron 14z looks like an average budget notebook with a 14-inch display. The plastic construction, average screen resolution, and lack of a backlit keyboard certainly don't give this laptop the same premium look and feel as the Dell Studio 14z.
The 14-inch high-definition (1366 x 768) panel on the Dell Inspiron 14z isn't quite as nice as the vibrant 1600 x 900 screen used on our review unit of the Studio 14z. The colors on this screen are generally good but contrast wasn't as impressive. The WLED backlighting in our review unit is pretty even and offers a range of brightness settings. Yes, it is a 16:9 screen ratio, but that's the new standard ... we all have to live with it. Horizontal viewing angles are extremely good, so you won't have any trouble sharing a movie with the person sitting next to you on a plane. Vertical viewing angles are average or below average with colors quickly washing out when viewed from above and colors begining to distort and invert as you move the screen back.
The keyboard on our review unit has full-sized keys with acceptable key spacing and an excellent depth to the key throw. Each key has a textured black finish and a relatively flat surface. The keyboard is extremely firm so you won't have to worry about keyboard flex while typing. There is a hint of flex in the keys on the right side of the keyboard directly above the optical drive, but you have to press down very hard to create flex in this area. My only minor aggravation is that the keyboard isn't available with optional backlighting ... making it harder to type in a dark classroom or dorm room.
The port selection on the Inspiron 14z is retty average for a budget 14-inch notebook with one or two exceptions. Dell included three USB ports, VGA and HDMI video out ports, Ethernet, and a multi-format memory card reader. Unlike the Studio 14z, which sacrifices an optical drive for the sake of portability, the Inspiron 14z includes a standard 8x CD/DVD burner with dual-layer support. The Inspiron 14z lacks an ExpressCard slot, FireWire, and eSATA, so if those ports are important to you then you'll need to look elsewhere.
Front: Microphone and headphone jacks
Rear: Screen hinges and battery
Left: Kensington Lock slot, heat vent, VGA, HDMI, Ethernet, USB, and memory card reader
Right: Two USB ports, optical drive, and power jack
The performance of the Inspiron 14z with an Intel Core 2 Duo CULV SU7300 processor and Intel X4500HD integrated graphics is good enough for typical daily activities (browsing the web, typing documents in Microsoft Office, or making simple edits to your digital photos or videos) but this laptop certainly won't win any awards for performance.
The 6-cell 48.8 WHr battery does a pretty good job overall. With the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and the Windows 7 power profile set to "Balanced" the Inspiron 14z stayed on for 5 hours and 54 minutes. For use in the classroom or on your lap in front of the TV this amount of battery life was fine, but it isn't quite as impressive as we expected based on Dell's marketing of "66% better battery life." That said, it's worth mentioning that the default "balanced" power profile under Windows 7 will automatically dim the screen after a short period of inactivity ... which will extend the battery life even more compared to keeping the screen set to 70% brightness.
The cooling system does a reasonably impressive job keeping the external temperatures down. After extended periods of use the keyboard and touchpad areas get warm, but temperatures remain well below 100 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. The temperature readings below were taken after stressing the system with performance benchmarks and web browsing for 60 minutes.
The Dell Inspiron 14z is a basic 14-inch notebook that delivers good battery life at the expense of performace. If your child or your family is looking for a convenient laptop for general use then the Inspiron 14z can handle daily tasks with ease. That said, the overall price/performance ratio is a little hard to justify when the Dell Studio 14z offers better performance at a lower price.
The Inspiron 11z is a new netbook from Dell, hoping to change the way we think of the ultra-portable segment. Instead of using the long-favored Intel Atom processor, Dell decided to use the new ultra-low voltage Celeron 723 and the GS45 chipset. On paper the processor has more grunt, and when paired with X4500 integrated graphics, it has a huge advantage over Atom machines. In this review we take an in-depth look at the new 11z, to see if it is the netbook we have all been waiting for.
Dell's latest premium 14-inch consumer notebook, the Dell Studio 14z, promises to give students everything they want in a high-performance notebook for the back-to-school season. The Studio 14z is indeed the thinnest and lightest 14-inch notebook Dell has ever produced and promises more than 6 hours of battery life, but you might have to make a few sacrifices. Keep reading to discover what we found after spending a few weeks with the Studio 14z.
Click here :
Full Review
by Jerry Jackson Almost every school around the globe is looking for a durable, ultraportable laptop that can survive use and abuse in the classroom, and Dell promises they have the perfect solution in the form of the new Latitude 2100 netbook. The first Latitude netbook offers a low-cost answer to the specific needs of K-12 students, teachers and school administrators. We spent a few weeks testing the Latitude 2100 to see if it indeed is the perfect classroom companion. Dell Latitude 2100 Specifications: Build and Design Dell even found a way to help teachers make sure students are paying attention in class. A Network Activity Light on the top edge of the lid helps teachers monitor network use and identify students who may be surfing the Internet. The light stays constantly lit when the netbook is on and a web browser is closed, but the light begins flashing if a student opens a web browser or chat application ... so teachers can instantly see who needs to spend some extra time in detention. (Attention students: There's no easy way to disable the network activity light ... not even in the BIOS. Dell actually wants you to pay attention to your teacher.) Our review unit of the Latitude 2100 features "School bus gold" exterior, but Dell also offers the Latitude 2100 in Chalkboard black, Schoolhouse red, Blue ribbon, and Ballfield green ... almost every color needed to promote your school colors. Build quality is quite good thanks to thick plastic construction and the thick rubber armor covering the top and bottom of the chassis. The matte black plastics used around the screen, keyboard, and palmrests show only minimal flex under heavy pressure. You can create ripples across the screen by pressing on the back of the screen lid, but other than that the Latitude 2100 feels rock solid. The keyboard is very firm and the screen hinges provide excellent tension. Sure, the design is thick and heavy for a netbook, but this bad boy will survive abuse that would probably break other netbooks. In short, this certainly doesn't feel like a $400 laptop. The bottom of the netbook chassis shows a clean design with no easy access panels. Since the base of the netbook also doesn't have vent holes the rubberized bottom of the netbook keeps the internal components safe from spills in the classroom or at home. If the school IT manager wants to upgrade the RAM or hard drive they will have to remove the entire bottom of the netbook. That said, most schools will purchase extended service agreements from Dell for any repairs or upgrades ... so this shouldn't be an issue. Screen and Speakers The screen might not look special compared to every other 10-inch netbook on the market, but the optional touchscreen is a first for an education netbook and makes the Latitude 2100 something new for enhanced student interaction and easier special education teaching. The resistive touchscreen provides good accuracy, but the limited resolution of the 10-inch screen makes it a bit difficult for large fingers to move the cursor to small icons or specific lines of text on the screen. Unlike the ASUS Eee PC T91 netbook tablet that we recently reviewed, the Dell Latitude 2100 doesn't come pre-loaded with software that takes advantage of the touchscreen interface. In other words, you can touch the screen rather than use the touchpad or a mouse, but Dell doesn't include any useful applications to make the touchscreen interface more useful. I also can't help but question the usefulness of a touchscreen that cannot rotate into a tablet orientation for writing on the screen or for simplified Touchscreen use. The built-in speaker performance on the Latitude 2100 is acceptable for a netbook but isn't particularly impressive. The built-in stereo speakers are located on both sides of the screen and are in the perfect position to direct sound toward the user. That said, audio quality is rather average with good highs but very little bass. The speakers get loud enough to fill a room with sound, but distortion starts to become obvious at higher volume levels and music sounds like it's being played from inside a tin can. On the bright side, the audio output from the headphone jack is good when paired with earphones or a good set of external speakers. Keyboard and Touchpad Dell was kind enough to include dedicated volume up, volume down, and mute buttons so students (and teachers) can easily adjust the volume for webcasts or video presentations. The power button also serves as a quick Windows shutdown key, but that might prove problematic from time to time since there's no way to stop the PC from shutting down if you accidentally press the power button. The Dell touchpad used on the 2100 is a little small, but that's pretty common for 10-inch netbooks. Still, I feel like the touchpad could have been larger if Dell moved the volume and power buttons up and shifted the position of the keyboard up just a little. Despite the small size the matte touchpad texture feels fine and offers good sensitivity and smooth movement. The touchpad buttons have relatively deep feedback with cushioned clicks. Input and Output Ports Here is a quick tour around the Dell Latitude 2100: Performance and Benchmarks The performance section of a netbook review is generally very boring compared to a full-featured notebook because most netbook have virtually identical specs. All Intel Atom-based netbooks have nearly identical performance in terms of actual real-world use. Overall performance with the Intel Atom platform is very reasonable for daily activities like Web browsing, email, using Microsoft Office, listening to music, and watching DVD-quality movies. If you're in a bind you can even use Photo Editing Software like Photoshop or GIMP for basic image editing. The use of Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics is probably the only major limitation for netbooks. This integrated graphics processor (IGP) is powerful enough to handle displaying a PowerPoint presentation on a projector or watching DVD quality movies, but if 1080p video playback or video editing is your primary concern then you'll want to look elsewhere. We selected a family-friendly movie trailer and downloaded three different versions in 480p, 720p, and 1080p resolutions. We used the CCCP Codec Pack for decoding and Media Player Classic Homecinema (version 1.1.796.0) for playing all of the video files. Video Playback Performance: wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance): PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance): HDTune for the hard drive performance: Heat and Noise Below are images indicating the temperature readings (listed in degrees Fahrenheit) taken inside our office where the ambient temperature was 74 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooling fan inside the Dell Latitude 2100 was surprisingly loud. It's not the kind of noise that would be disruptive to a class, but it is louder than most current generation netbooks. I suspect the cooling fan has to work harder because the protective rubberized exterior acts like something of a thermal blanket keeping heat inside the netbook chassis. Battery Speaking of charging the batteries, in addition to the included 65W power adapter, the Latitude 2100 is available with a "Mobile Computing Station" -- a cart to securely store, recharge, manage and network up to 24 Latitude 2100 netbooks with one Ethernet and power cord. However, while the Mobile Computing Station is cool it is prohibitively expensive at a cost of $3,899 each. It's also worth pointing out that the 3-cell and 6-cell batteries have a personalized window on the back of the battery pack where the school logo or name can be displayed, allowing schools to personalize or easily identify the owner of the netbook. Conclusion The hardware specs might not seem too impressive compared to the kind of desktop or 15-inch notebook you can buy for $400, but if you're in the market for a low-cost portable laptop for young students then the Latitude 2100 makes perfect sense. Although Dell clearly had schools in mind when they designed the Latitude 2100, this netbook might honestly offer a little something for everybody. Individual consumers or businesses looking for a durable business-class netbook will likely be attracted to the Latitude 2100 for everything from outdoor activities to on-location training and customer service. Bottom line, despite the bulk and weight this is indeed one impressive netbook.
The Dell Latitude 2100 is the first netbook from the Latitude family of business PCs and the first "serious" netbook we've seen that is so clearly focused on education. Dell claims its designers worked closely with hundreds of students, teachers, parents and administrators to create an education netbook that focuses on helping students learn. It's a little too early to tell whether schools will start filling their classrooms with Latitude 2100 netbooks, but this tough little laptop certainly has a lot going for it. The rugged, rubber-coated exterior, antimicrobial keyboard, and optional solid state drives should survive everything from a messy kindergartner to an accidental drop off the desk by a teacher.
The Dell Latitude 2100 uses a nice and bright 10.1-inch LED-backlit display panel with a 1024 x 576 native resolution. This is a little less that the standard 1024 x 600 resolution seen on most 10-inch netbooks, but the difference isn't particularly noticeable. Our review unit includes the optional touchscreen which has a semi-gloss surface similar to the screens used on most dedicated GPS devices. Vertical viewing angles are average, with obvious color inversion when viewing from below and some over-exposed colors when viewed from above. Horizontal viewing angles are okay but colors start to shift at wide viewing angles (possibly a result of the touchscreen layer).
The 2100 uses a new keyboard that feels like a strange hybrid of the keyboard on the Dell Mini 10 netbook and the keyboards on the older D-series Latitudes. The antimicrobial keyboard surface features a nice textured finish that makes typing easy and enjoyable. The key size and spacing might be a little small for adult hands, but younger students should have no problems typing school papers or emails to teachers on this keyboard. The keyboard is nice and firm with zero flex.
The port selection on the Latitude 2100 is pretty basic, but perfectly sufficient for student needs. This netbook includes three USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, Ethernet, microphone and headphone jacks, and even a 3-in-1 media card slot. One surprisingly cool feature is the inclusion of two security lock slots. This allows schools to secure the netbooks to a computer lab on either side or attach a handle/strap for students to carry the netbook between classes.
Front view: Indicator lights, heat vents and media card reader.
Rear view: No ports ... just the hinges and battery.
Left side view: Security lock slot, VGA out, heat vent, USB 2.0 port, microphone and headphone jacks.
Right side view: Two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, power jack, and security lock slot.
It's safe to say that most K-12 school districts don't require computers with extreme performance. Typing a school assignment in Microsoft Word, browsing the web while researching a class project, or maybe running some specific software for an advanced class is about as much work as most school laptops ever receive. This is why netbooks might make surprisingly good choices for schools.
Video Resolution CPU Usage Playback Comments 480p 25%-35% (hyperthreading) Plays flawlessly 720p 45%-50% (hyperthreading) Plays flawlessly 1080p 55%-70% (hyperthreading) Plays with severe stutter, dropped frames and audio out of sync
Notebook / CPU wPrime 32M time Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.20GHz) 76.240 seconds HP Pavilion dv2 (AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 @ 1.60GHz) 103.521 seconds ASUS Eee PC 1000HE (Intel Atom N280 @ 1.66GHz) 114.749 seconds ASUS Eee PC 1008HA (Intel Atom N280 @ 1.66GHz) 116.030 seconds ASUS Eee PC 1005HA (Intel Atom N280 @ 1.66GHz) 116.421 seconds HP Mini 2140 with HD screen (Intel Atom N270 @ 1.60GHz) 123.281 seconds Dell Latitude 2100 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 124.062 seconds Acer Aspire One (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 125.812 seconds Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (2009) (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz) 126.406 seconds ASUS Eee PC T91 (Intel Atom Z520 @ 1.33GHz) 141.031 seconds Samsung NC20 (VIA Nano ULV U2250 @ 1.30GHz) 173.968 seconds
Notebook PCMark05 Score Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600, Intel GMA 950) 2,446 PCMarks HP Pavilion dv2 (1.60GHz AMD Athlon Neo, ATI Radeon HD 3410 512MB) 2,191 PCMarks ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, NVIDIA 9300M 256MB) 1,851 PCMarks Toshiba Portege R500 (1.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600, Intel GMA 950) 1,839 PCMarks ASUS Eee PC 1005HA (1.66GHz Intel Atom N280, Intel GMA 950) 1,637 PCMarks Dell Latitude 2100 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,588 PCMarks ASUS Eee PC 1008HA (1.66GHz Intel Atom N280, Intel GMA 950) 1,564 PCMarks Acer Aspire One (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,555 PCMarks ASUS Eee PC 1000HE (1.66GHz Intel Atom N280, Intel GMA 950) 1,535 PCMarks Samsung NC20 (1.30GHz VIA Nano ULV U2250, VIA Chrome9 HC3) 1,441 PCMarks HP Mini 2140 with HD screen (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,437 PCMarks ASUS Eee PC T91 (1.33GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950) 1,292 PCMarks 
External temperatures on the new Latitude 2100 are mostly what we consider to be "lap friendly" over most of the netbook's surface. The one exception to this general rule is the area near the hard drive on the bottom of the 2100. Temperature readings taken from the outside of the rubberized plastic chassis remained mostly in the 80s and 90s but the area around the hard drive exceeded 100 degrees.
Battery life with the 6-cell lithium-ion extended life battery is reasonably impressive for a netbook, but not as impressive as some of the Asus Eee PC netbooks. In our test with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and XP set to the laptop/portable power profile the system stayed on for 6 hours and 23 minutes of constant use. Considering that most schools aren't likely to use these netbooks for more than a few hours without charging I think it's safe to say the battery life will meet or exceed school needs.
The new Dell Latitude 2100 probably deserves a place on the shopping lists for most schools and maybe even some parents should consider purchasing this netbook for their youngsters. For between $400 and $600 you get a very rugged laptop that is easy to use and portable enough for kids to toss in a backpack. Extra features like the dual security lock slots, network activity light, personalized window over the battery, and optional mobile computing station will certainly prove very attractive to educators and parents.
by Kevin O'Brien The Inspiron 15 is the back-to-basics mainstream 15" notebook from Dell, offering good performance at a value price. Consumers can configure this notebook with basic lid configurations, or go all out with the customized lids from the Dell Design Studio for an additional cost. If you are just looking for a basic system to meet your needs at school or home, read our full review of the Dell Inspiron 15. Our Dell Inspiron 15 Configuration: Build and Design The Dell Inspiron 15 has average build quality compared to other value-oriented models we have reviewed. The plastics used held up well in our tests, but did show signs of flexing and creaking in spots. The screen lid and palmrest were the two main areas which exhibited flex, with the palmrest giving off creaking sounds if you squeezed it in the right spot. The screen lid on the Inspiron 15 uses a latch-less hinge design which keeps it held down using friction and gravity. You need two hands to open it up with it placed horizontally on your desk, but if you were carrying it around under your arm it did have a tendency to open up about a centimeter or so. In most latch-less designs we like to see a secondary holding method, such as a magnet or spring loaded hinge to keep it shut when held in any direction. The plastics used in the construction of the chassis feel pretty durable and should hold up well over time, but the glossy finish around the keyboard and palmrest did have a tendency to show fine scratches. Dell gives you easy access to all internal components of the notebook. This includes the system memory, hard drive, and wireless card, as well as the processor if you are so inclined. Underneath the main access panel (which includes handy circlips around each screw so they don't go flying) is the RAM, wireless card, and processor with heatsink. The hard drive and optical drive are removable through individual sections with their own retaining screws. Oddly enough Dell doesn't have any "warranty void if removed" stickers anywhere, including the screws around the processor. Screen and Speakers The included speakers were good compared to other budget models, with clear high-range audio, but little low or midrange coming through. Peak volume levels were enough to fill a small room, but if you plan on sharing a movie inside a dorm room, it might be wise to connect the laptop to a set of external surround speakers. For enjoying music or movies by yourself, headphones are still a must-have accessory. Keyboard and Touchpad The touchpad is a large Dell-specific model, with a nicely textured matte finish that gives excellent traction. Speed and accuracy were pretty good, with barely any lag noticed in our tests. We did encounter one situation where a quick tap and select movement wouldn't release the selection box, but that situation didn't come up frequently. The touchpad might not have been as nice to use as a Synaptics model, but for the notebook's intended market it should be fine. The touchpad buttons were a big surprise to see on a budget model. They provide excellent feedback and have a deep throw, instead of standard "clicky" touchpad buttons. Ports and Features Performance wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance): PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance): 3DMark06 measures video and gaming performance (higher scores mean better performance): All of the 3DMark06 scores for all of the systems listed above were run at 1280 x 800 (for screens with a 16:10 ratio) or 1280 x 768 resolution (for screens with 16:9). HDTune storage drive performance results: Heat and Noise Battery Conclusion Pros: Cons:
The design of the of the Inspiron 15 is pretty good for a value notebook, offering a smooth rounded profile and clean lines. While our model doesn't offer one of the most expensive custom lid designs, it gives you an idea of what you would get if you chose the current "FastTrack" shipping option on this model. The only design element of the notebook that doesn't blend well with the stock matte lid finish is the fully glossy interior. The screen, screen bezel, keyboard trim, and palmrest are all glossy black inside the notebook, which doesn't always play well with reflections or smudges. If you keep it clean it looks great, but at times it did get annoying if you were sitting with your back to bright windows where the entire notebook turned into a mirror. Overall, if you don't mind the glossy surface the design of the Inspiron 15 is pretty nice compared to other budget models on the market.
The glossy 1366x768 display on the Inspiron 15 is average compared to other panels we have seen. Colors and contrast are excellent thanks to the glossy surface, which tends to scatter less light than the equivalent matte surface. Backlight levels could be better on the high-end of the spectrum, but we found it adequate for most conditions, including a bright off setting, underneath shop lighting, and or just sitting on your couch enjoying a show. Viewing angles could have been better, with color distortion found in both the vertical and horizontal extremes. Colors started to shift when titling the screen 20 degrees forward or back. Horizontal viewing angles were better, only showing color shifting past 45 degrees.
The Inspiron 15 keyboard is very comfortable to type on, offering excellent support and a very good layout. The keys are of normal size with a light matte finish for excellent traction. Spacing is spot on compared to my ThinkPad keyboard, so no adjusting was necessary. Support underneath the keyboard is excellent, with no flex anywhere, even under very strong pressure. Individual key action is smooth with a very quiet "click" emitted when a key is fully pressed. It might not be the quietest keyboard I have used, but it still ranks up there. The function key layout is interesting compared to other notebook models, with use of the function keys backwards. Normally to adjust the brightness or volume, or toggle the WiFi settings you press the FN-key, then the appropriate function key. Dell went with a setup where the secondary command is now primary. To put it another way, if you want to hit F5 to refresh a webpage, you now need to press FN+ the brightness up key. For normal uses this might be more intuitive, but for advanced users who love using commands like window close, page refresh, full screen, and other function key commands, it is more confusing and complex.
Port selection on the Dell Inspiron 15 is lacking compared to notebooks of the same size, including only three USB ports, VGA, LAN, and an ExpressCard/34 slot. HDMI would have been greatly appreciated, since it would allow a user to hook the notebook up to a home theater to play movies, whereas now you would need to have a TV that supports VGA in, and still be limited to analog audio out. For quickly copying images off a memory card, there is a spring loaded SDHC-compatible memory slot on the front of the notebook. eSATA would have been another nice touch, but it is hard enough to find it on some high-end notebooks.
Front: Audio jacks, SDHC-card slot
Rear: Battery, CPU exhaust vent
Left: Kensington Lock slot, 2 USB, VGA, LAN
Right: ExpressCard/34, optical drive, 1 USB
System performance was below average when compared to other consumer notebooks, but that was heaviliy dependant on the low-end T4200 Intel Dual-Core Pentium our configuration included. While it might not be able to play the latest games, users will not have any problems typing documents, watching HD movies, ripping music through iTunes, or editing photos. Boot times were still quick, only taking about 35 seconds to get to a ready desktop screen from a full shutdown. The included 320GB hard drive offered plenty of storage space for movies, music, and photos, and even though it is only 5400RPM, it is still quick for daily use. Overall this system falls toward the bottom of our list in terms of performance, but if you were to upgrade the processor, speeds across the board would get a nice boost.
Dell Studio 15 (1555) (Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.4GHz) 32.995 seconds Toshiba Satellite A355 (Core 2 Duo P7450 @ 2.16GHz) 35.848 seconds Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (Core 2 Duo P7350 @ 2.0GHz) 38.455 seconds Lenovo G530 (Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3400 @ 2.16GHz) 38.470 seconds Dell Inspiron 15 (Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200 @ 2.00GHz) 38.768 seconds HP Pavilion dv5z (Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 @ 2.1GHz) 39.745 seconds Dell Studio 15 (1535) (Core 2 Duo T5750 @ 2.0GHz) 41.246 seconds
Toshiba Satellite A355 (2.16GHz Intel P7450, ATI Radeon HD 3650 512MB) 5,842 PCMarks Dell Studio 15 (1555) (2.4GHz Intel P8600, ATI Radeon HD 4570 256MB) 5,731 PCMarks Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Nvidia 9300M 256MB) 4,844 PCMarks Lenovo G530 (2.16GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3400, Intel Intel 4500MHD) 4,110 PCMarks Dell Inspiron 15 (2.00GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200, Intel X4500) 4,068 PCMarks Dell Studio 15 (1535) (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100) 3,998 PCMarks HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200) 3,994 PCMarks
Dell Studio 15 (1555) (2.4GHz Intel P8600, ATI Radeon HD 4570 256MB) 4,189 3DMarks Toshiba Satellite A355 (2.16GHz Intel P7450, ATI Radeon HD 3650 512MB) 4,084 3DMarks Lenovo IdeaPad Y530 (2.0GHz Intel P7350, Nvidia 9300M 256MB) 1,833 3DMarks HP Pavilion dv5z (2.1GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80, ATI Radeon HD 3200) 1,599 3DMarks Dell Inspiron 15 (2.00GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4200, Intel X4500) 784 3DMarks Lenovo G530 (2.16GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3400, Intel Intel 4500MHD) 730 3DMarks Dell Studio 15 (1535) (2.0GHz Intel T5750, Intel X3100) 493 3DMarks 
System temperatures stayed well within our "lap-friendly" range, with only one hot spot being the touchpad. On battery power with nothing significant running in the background the system barely climbed above room temp. Noise levels remained low during our tests, with only a few blips of higher fan speeds, before the fan resumed its silent/off fan state. After the notebook had been running for the good part of a day plugged in and being stressed moments earlier, the system still showed no signs of running abnormally hot in our temperature readings shown below in degrees Fahrenheit.
Battery life was below average compared to other notebooks, and we had expected slightly better results from the 48Wh battery Dell included with it. In our tests with screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Vista set to the Balanced profile the Inspiron stayed on for 2 hours and 38 minutes. Power consumption varied between 12 and 16 watts during our battery test. A more efficient processor and power management system could have yielded much better results. To put this in perspective, the ThinkPad T400 with an Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor and X4500 graphics consumed as little as 8.5 watts of power.
The Dell Inspiron 15 is a decent mid-size budget notebook with good looks and average build quality. The keyboard is very comfortable to type on with excellent support, but has a weird function key layout that may annoy more advanced users. The touchpad offers an excellent surface texture with buttons that have great feedback and throw distance. Basic configurations start as low as $379, making it a reasonable choice if you are working on a budget. Overall it might not be the best notebook on the market, but it still offers great value and a reasonably attractive design.
Notebookreview.com
