Dell Inspiron Mini 9 vem pronto para o 3G

Enquanto a Sony tentou acertar a mão numa criação revolucionária com o Vaio P, a Dellpreferiu seguir a receita consagrada dos Eee PCs ao entrar no mercado de minilaptops. Acabou saindo o Inspiron Mini 9, uma máquina sem recursos extraordinários ou design inovador, mas que manda muito bem quando o assunto é navegação. Ela tem a dimensão ideal para viajar dentro da bolsa e vem com ótimos recursos de conectividade, inclusive suporte 3G.

A versão testada pelo INFOLAB é a mais avançada, incluindo conexão Bluetooth e SSD (Solid State Drive) de 16 GB. A opção pela memória flash é mais segura, veloz e deixa a máquina com apenas um quilo. Mas poderia haver uma alternativa com um disco rígido maior, para a escolha ficar a gosto do freguês. No mais, a configuração é aquela que você já até decorou: processador Intel Atom N270, de 1,6 GHz, e memória RAM de 1 GB.

A Dell também preferiu o básico na hora de escolher o sistema operacional, o Windows XP Home Edition, que roda com desenvoltura os aplicativos do dia-a-dia, como processador de textos e navegador. Em nossos testes, o micro reproduziu clipes em 720p sem nenhum engasgo, mas suou a camisa com arquivos em 1 080p. É claro que isso serve apenas como parâmetro, pois obviamente um notebook com tela de 8,9 polegadas e resolução máxima de 1 024 por 600 pixels não é feito para tocar vídeos em alta definição.

Dell Inspiron Mini

Enquanto a Sony tentou acertar a mão numa criação revolucionária com o Vaio P, a Dell preferiu seguir a receita consagrada dos Eee PCs ao entrar no mercado de minipaltops. Acabou saindo o Inspiron Mini 9, uma máquina sem recursos extraordinários ou design inovador, mas que manda muito bem quando o assunto é navegação. Ela tem a dimensão ideal para viajar dentro da bolsa e vem com ótimos recursos de conectividade, inclusive suporte a3G .

A versão testada pelo INFOLAB é a mais avançada, incluindo conexão Bluetooth e SSD (Solid State Drive) de 16 GB. A opção pela memória flash é mais segura, veloz e deixa a máquina com apenas um quilo. Mas poderia haver uma alternativa com um disco rígido maior, para a escolha ficar a gosto do freguês. No mais, a configuração é aquela que você já até decorou: processador Intel Atom N270, de 1,6 GHz, e memória RAM de 1 GB.

A Dell também preferiu o básico na hora de escolher o sistema operacional, o Windows XP Home Edition, que roda com desenvoltura os aplicativos do dia-a-dia, como processador de textos e navegador. Em nossos testes, o micro reproduziu clipes em 720p sem nenhum engasgo, mas suou a camisa com arquivos em 1 080p. É claro que isso serve apenas como parâmetro, pois obviamente um notebook com tela de 8,9 polegadas e resolução máxima de 1 024 por 600 pixels não é feito para tocar vídeos em alta definição.

O Dell Alienware M17x

Com toda a extravagância que o fato merece, um alienígena aterrissou no INFOLAB para uma autópsia, digo, uma extensa bateria de testes. Preto, mas cheio de luzes coloridas, o Dell Alienware M17x não veio à Terra para destruir a raça humana, mas para trazer alegria aos gamers maníacos que tiverem 7.999 reais sobrando. Trata-se apenas de um notebook(e na versão básica, acredite), mas tem a robustez e a configuração necessárias para encarar a jogatina pesada com os amigos da lan house.

O modelo testado veio com processador Core 2 Quad Q9000, de 2 GHz, 4 GB de memória (são dois pentes de 2 GB, com frequência de 1.066 MHz) e 250 GB para armazenamento em HD. O sistema gráfico trabalha com duas placas de vídeo: a offboard NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M e a integrada GeForce 9400M. No total, há 1 GB de memória dedicada para vídeo. A máquina veio com Windows Vista Home Premium, mas essa opção não está mais disponível na loja online da Dell, que promoveu o upgrade de tudo para Windows 7.

Como não poderia deixar de ser, o micro aposta num design chamativo, mas apenas quando ele está ligado. Com as luzes apagadas, o Alienware só não passa despercebido por causa do tamanho e do peso. O laptop tem 5,3 quilos e mede 40,6 por 4,9 por 32,4 centímetros. Tem acabamento em preto fosco e aspecto quadradão, sem aqueles exageros de asas de dragão, raios flamejantes ou coisas do tipo. Ao apertar o botão de ligar, o usuário se depara com uma porção de luzes. O teclado é iluminado, assim como o touchpad, o logotipo na tela, os alto-falantes na base e a cabeça do extraterrestre que fica na tampa. Cada item pode ter uma das 20 cores diferentes, configuráveis via software.

Dell's Vostro 1220 business notebook is excellent value for under $1000

At first glance, you might mistake the Dell Vostro 1220 for a netbook - it's not too dissimilar to the Dell Mini 12. A second glance, however, reveals just how much the lines have blurred between netbooks and laptops over the past 12 months.

Both Dell and HP have explicitly made a connection between their netbook lines and their business laptops, developing similar styling and overall feel. Telling the difference could prove challenging for some.

Despite that, the Vostro 1220 is clearly a 12in laptop, rather than a 12in netbook. The difference is in the processor - a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo T6670, almost identical in specification to the HP Probook, opposite.

What that processor does is boot the performance score from the average 0.37 for an Atom N270, to a much more pleasing 1.09. That score is close enough to the HP ProBook's result to make the similarities between the two far more clear, and it's around 150% more performance than you'll get out of the likes of the Mini 12. The ProBook equals the Dell's score, despite the Vostro having the faster T6670 processor, thanks to faster RAM.

Not only that, but the results across the board in our benchmark are remarkably consistent - there's no single area that is weaker or less capable than another. This is a machine that will handle both giant spreadsheets and photo editing with equivalent gusto.

Admittedly, it can't compete with the more powerful Dell models, such as the Alienware, but at times it's hard to believe that it wasn't so long ago that 0.7 seemed like a good result for a laptop of this calibre .

The build quality is good, though there are a couple of weak spots. We liked the rubber protectors for the screen on either side of the wrist rest area, but the screen flexes when pressure is applied, showing a little warp. The chassis, too, flexes under pressure. The hinge, on the other hand, is a solid barrel with reassuring heft.

The specifications, too, have some nice touches. The hard drive supplied is a faster 7200rpm model, rather than the standard 5400rpm found in most laptops. The HP Probook 4310s, also includes a 7200rpm drive, but it seems more surprising to encounter in the $999 Vostro.

You won't get quite the same level of features as in the HP. While both have 2GB RAM, the HP uses DDR3, compared to the DDR2 found in the Dell. Wireless is available, but it's 802.11b/g, compared to the draft-n found in the HP.

But what the Dell does, it does well.The keyboard has a crisp snappy feel - not only does it click pleasingly while you type, but the key responsiveness is sharp and helps feel as though you're typing faster.

It's not as comfortable as the likes of the T400s or HP 6930p, but it's definitely a step above the keyboards for many laptops in this price range. The trackpad buttons, like the HP, are a little too soft-feeling for high levels of res-ponsiveness, but they're capable enough.

While the heavy use benchmark shows that the Vostro can't take punishing applications for very long - a shade under two hours, to be more precise - the light use benchmark was another story.

At 6 hours 17 minutes, it has a decent amount of life in it, and, if you can avoid using anything too strenuous, we think you'd see a good 3-4 hours on the go. While that may not be up to the likes of the more outstanding netbooks, such as the BenQ U121 Eco or Asus 1108HA with their 8-9 hour battery life, it's more than you'll get in many laptops at this price.

Dell Latitude Z Notebook

ENERGY STAR 5.0 compliant, EPEAT Gold, Mercury-free LED, arsenic-free display glass and BRF/PVC (Halogen)-free components make up the Dell Latitude Z notebook.

Review: Dell Adamo 13 notebook

Dell has had a long history of ultraportables, but when Apple released the MacBook Air in early 2008, it underscored a wide gap in terms of design: while Latitudes have always been functional, they've rarely been alluring to home (or simply design-centric) users in the way the Air was. The Adamo 13 is Dell's attempt to rectify this with an ultra-slim profile and attention to quality. But is it a case of improving on what's come before or just a Latitude in better packaging?

design and expansion

There's little doubt that Dell's primary concern for the Adamo was its body shape. At 0.65 inches thick, it's one of the few Windows-based notebooks to truly be thinner than the MacBook Air. Some might argue that the Mac is thinner overall, but in a bag, it's that maximum dimension which counts. The consistently flat shape might not be as easy to hold but is better when fitted into a tightly packed case.

Perhaps the most important advantage Dell can claim is expansion -- namely, it exists. Apple's computer has just one USB port, no eSATA or FireWire, and no Ethernet without an adapter. The Adamo has a cleverly designed area behind the display hinge that is thick enough and sufficiently open enough to include an Ethernet jack as well as three USB ports, one of which doubles as an eSATA connector. Unlike its most obvious counterpart, the Adamo can be used as a primary computer without depending too heavily on USB hubs and adapters. And while we love Apple's LED Cinema Display, the full DisplayPort input does give Dell's machine a wider choice of monitors, at least for now.

In use, the notebook is very reassuring. We didn't encounter any of the build issues encountered by early testers, and the system was extremely sturdy. As you'd expect from an almost exclusively aluminum chassis, everything has a pleasing tactile feel and comes without any signs of flexing or creaking. The trackpad is also metal and produces a solid clicking action. Prospective buyers may want to opt for the Pearl (silver/white) model instead of Onyx (black), though: both are attractive, but Onyx is liable to show fingerprints and other smudges on the smoother top half of its lid.

The keyboard produces mixed if generally favorable impressions after extended use. With a 16:9 aspect ratio display to give Dell a large amount of room, the individual keys are very large and easy to strike with a short, satisfying amount of travel. They're also dynamically backlit and very handy in a dark meeting room. However, the layout is slightly odd, making some of the right-hand non-letter keys easier to reach. It takes a mild amount of retraining to adjust. We'd also add that the keys are slightly cheaper-feeling, albeit not enough to be a serious drawback.

Where the Adamo's construction struggles the most is in its weight. Despite being thinner than the MacBook Air, the Adamo is exactly one pound heavier and feels as much. It's not an extreme strain, but it's significant; why produce an ultraportable when it's almost as heavy as conventional notebooks? Even the is only slightly heavier and is potentially faster. Here's hoping Dell finds new building techniques that could reduce the weight, as some may rule out the Adamo based on the strain it could put on their shoulder on a long commute.

iny notebooks from Dell

…and it will be a veritable boxing match to see which one comes out on top.

In this corner, the now , with five models priced between $499 and $849. Here are some stats:

2.6 pounds, Via C7-M processor, 1280×768 8.9-inch screen, QWERTY keyboard that’s eight percent smaller than standard. On the low end, a $499 1.0GHz Linux-powered unit is configured with 4GB of flash and 512MB of RAM; on the high, $749 for a 1.6GHz processor, 120GB hard drive and Vista Business.

In the other corner, a rumored Compal Electronics-made Dell notebook, 8.9-inch screen for less than $499. No statistics as of yet, but Michael Dell responded to HP fanfare in with the following: “We will introduce a similar laptop.”

“We do see opportunities for very interesting products that are smaller and lighter and address the more mobile users in a very cost-effective way,” he said, adding the laptops would “fit into the category” of targeting a market for children.

“Stay tuned,” Dell said. “We will have some interesting products coming in that space over the next two quarters.”

Given Dell’s recent, uh, progress, this may be an interesting make-or-break product for the company. Then again, I always thought the tiny screens and keyboards of mini laptops were going out of vogue.

What do you think, readers? Is the mini-notebook a carpal tunnel catastrophe or a lightweight workhorse? Or will these new bargain prices outweigh everything else? Tell us in TalkBack.

Dell XPS M1730 Notebook

The Dell XPS M1730 desktop replacement (DTR) notebook was launched with great fanfare and met with universal excitement among some gamers when it was announced that there would be versions customized with World of Warcraft (WoW) decals and wallpapers specially designed for the system. The WoW fanatics from the Zone team had a range of different reactions, from being excited on hearing the news to having a "been there done that" response. However, one thing we all had in common soon after was our jaw-dropping reaction when the pricing for our XPS M1730 notebook monster was revealed to be a whopping S$8,777.

We hate to disappoint (and some of us were disappointed too!) but the Dell XPS M1730 that arrived at our labs for review was not the WoW machine. The specifications and build remain similar, minus the WoW decals and wallpaper.

Specifications-wise, the XPS M1730 like all Dell, can be heavily customized to suit your needs when you make your order. Expectantly, Dell shipped us a review unit that came loaded with all the bells, whistles and latest parts that the XPS M1730 can support, some of which aren't even available as options on the Dell Store yet, so it is something to look forward to. Gamers willing to shell out the cash will definitely be getting their money's worth in hardware and as an added bonus, the XPS M1730 will be more 'portable' as compared to your heavily modded desktop gaming rig. Of course, users shouldn't be expecting desktop GeForce 8800 GTX class performance, as that's not yet possible even in these DTR form-factors, but as far as notebooks go, the XPS M1730 will still get you some pretty awesome performance. Here are some profile shots of it before we summarize the notebook's specs below:-

Instead of slapping the standard earphone jacks on the front, the XPS M1730 instead sports media buttons on the front. While it isn't a new idea, the classy look and feel of the buttons definitely scores points with us. Just resting below the media buttons is an infrared port for the provided remote control.

DVI and S-Video display outputs, one USB, one 4-pin FireWire, one 8-in-1 integrated card reader, the standard audio jacks and a Blu-ray drive for watching HD movies on the 17-inch screen.

On the notebook's right profile, we found dual USB ports, a WiFI locater button, a wireless switch, and a remote control hidden in an ExpressCard slot.

As mentioned earlier, this remote control is hidden within the ExpressCard slot. Apart from the novelty factor, the remote is only good for watching movies at a distance.

The rear of the Dell XPS M1730 contains only a single USB port and a LAN jack. Most of the rear space is taken up by the exhaust vents to cool this mean machine.

Core 2 Duo Notebooks Launched, Dell Rocks XPS Line with More to Come

Today is the big launch day for the processors, those laptop-specific processors which were affectionately known as Merom during their development stage. Just about every laptop manufacturer is trumpeting these updated dual-core processors they've dropped into existing notebooks.

Case in point: Dell, updating its XPS series laptops with Core 2 Duo processors, with the Inspiron, Latitude and Mobile Precision lines also soon benefiting from the Intel-quoted 12% overall system performance improvement over first-generation Core Duo processors.

The XPS notebooks now offer a choice of three Core 2 Duo processors, including the T7600 (2.33GHz), the T7400 (2.16GHz) and the T7200 (2GHz), and are priced from a steep $3500 for a XPS M2010, $2300 for the the M1710 (pictured above), down to the first Merom-packing Inspiron E1705 for $1124. Other Core 2 Duo-equipped Dell Inspirons, Latitude and Mobile Precision Workstation notebooks are forthcoming. We'll be reviewing one of Dell's Merom-packing notebooks in a couple of days, so stay tuned. – Charlie White

Dell’s New Notebooks Take Design Seriously

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LAS VEGAS — Dell doesn’t have a booth here at CES, but the company staked out a floor at the trendy Palms casino to make several product announcements — and to try to win a few style points.

The stodgy PC maker from Round Rock, Texas has been known for years for its workhorse PCs and notebooks — functional, economical, generally reliable, and butt-ugly. But in the last year, the company has been working hard to change that perception. For instance, its compact Studio Hybrid PC has a sleek look and can be modded with replaceable outer sleeves, so you can color it (red, black, bamboo) to suit your decor. And its line of Studio laptops, which can be customized with any one of more than 100 different artistic designs, has been selling well.

This week, the company rolled out two new laptops, the Studio XPS 16 (shown above with Dell’s head design guy, Ed Boyd) and the Studio XPS 13, that continue the trend of wrapping computers in cutting-edge cases made out of interesting materials. And the company announced a mysterious "luxury brand" called Adamo, which so far seems to be little more than a slim black notebook (or the chassis of a notebook) in the hands of a supermodel.

The XPS 16 and XPS 13 are notebooks with, respectively, 16-inch and
13-inch screens. Both have distinctive multi-toned exteriors in differing shades of black, gray, and charcoal gray, and both include leather trim along the back (hinge) edge of the top lid. While tastes may differ — and some may find the inclusion of animal skin a bit abhorrent — these notebooks have a classy, refined look that’s a world away from Dell’s earlier work.

Both laptops are available now, starting at $1,200.

As for Adamo, very little is known. Dell hired a model to show off the notebook, but no one was allowed to touch it and Dell representatives didn’t turn it on. They also did not release any specifications. So for now, Adamo is little more than a pipe dream.

Read on for more pictures of Dell’s new products.

Dell’s Studio XPS 13 notebook. Photo courtesy of Dell

The 16-inch Studio XPS 16. Photo courtesy of Dell

The Studio XPS 16 has a slim profile and a glowing power connector in the hinge that resembles those on some high-end, slim Sony Vaio notebooks. Photo courtesy of Dell

Dell acknowledged its laptops’ homely past with this display, which showed the stylistic progression of laptops from 2005 to 2008. Photo: Dylan Tweney/Wired.com

Dell’s suite at the Palm casino was bedecked with laptop art available for installation on current laptop models. Some of the artists commissioned to create art for Dell, including graffiti artists Mike Ming and Tristan Eaton, were in the suite, painting giant canvases and printing original designs on T-shirts. Photo: Dylan Tweney/Wired.com

Notebook Dell Inspiron 15

A Dell é famosa por fazer notebooks não necessariamente bonitos, mas bastante confiáveis e por ter um serviço de suporte e atendimento muito eficiente. Se você quer ter um notebook e não se preocupar com o que pode acontecer com ele nos próximos 2, 3 anos, compre um Dell com complete care e pronto, seja lá o que aconteça com o seu notebook, é só dar uma ligada pra Dell e tudo se resolve.

Bom, tudo isso sobre atendimento e suporte ainda é verdade, mas o fato de os notebooks não serem bonitos não é algo que ainda se possa dizer hoje em dia.

Há pouco tempo a Dell começou a produzir notebooks muito bonitos, inclusive em diversas cores. Esses são os notebooks da linha Inspiron.

O primeiro modelo a fazer sucesso na linha Inspiron foi o notebook Dell Inspiron 1525. Essa linha evoluiu para se tornar a linha atual de notebooks da Dell, os notebook inspiron 15.

São notebooks para todos os gostos, em todos os sentidos. A linha vai desde máquinas com Intel Celeron até Core 2 Duo e está disponível em nada menos que 9 cores e mais 5 opções de design que são desenhos bem bacanudos na tampa dos notebooks.

Como o nome já diz, os Inspiron 15 são notebooks de 15″, na verdade 15.6″ com resolução WXGA de 1366×768 pixels, um pouco maior do que a resolução que encontramos em notebooks de 14″ e até mesmo em alguns modelos de 15″, que é de 1280×800.

A configuração é bastante personalizável, outra característica marcante da Dell. Veja abaixo:

• Processador: Desde Celeron 900 até Core 2 Duo de 2.1GHz
• Memória: de 2 a 4GB (cuidado, no entanto, ao comprar o notebook com 4GB de memória, pois se o sistema operacional for de 32 bits, apenas 3GB estarão disponíveis para uso)
• Monitor: Desde LCD normal, até um com tecnologia True Life, iluminado por LED e com acabamento glossy que permite cores mais vibrantes
• HD: de 160GB até 500GB, SATA, de 5400 RPM
• Placa de vídeo integrada Intel X4500HD
• Wireless e Bluetooth (apenas em alguns modelos)

Dell Inspiron 1300

Budget notebooks have never been better! Low-end notebooks were always priced at $800 or more, and never really packed the "oomph" of higher-spec expensive notebooks. This may have changed. The Dell Inspiron 1300 starts at $599, and the model we reviewed is just $800 (Although you can get one for less with upgrades thanks to Dell's generous coupon offers) and can handle most if not all day-to-day tasks. So what's inside it? The 1300 is a customizable notebook that's built to order, so the price and features will depend on what you pick when you buy. The mode we used for this review has an Intel Celeron M360 processor running at 1.5GHz, a 60GB hard disk at 5400RPM, 512mb of RAM, a nice 15.4" Widescreen display, and to top it all off, 802.11a/b/g WiFi. Design and Ergonomics I asked some of my friends what they think of the 1300, and the verdict was that this notebook is "ugly". You can make up your own mind from the pictures. Personally, I disagree. The silver accent around the keyboard contrasts greatly with the black plastic casing, and although I would have preferred a metal case, it does the job. If you pick up the notebook and wave it around (I don't recommend it) you will find that the screen hinge does not wobble or bend, and the display stays firmly where it should - open. This is great for such an inexpensive notebook, when I remember an old Dell Latitude l400 (a much higher priced notebook) would fold flat if you even moved it on your lap. The notebook is 14" x 10.5" x 1.41" in size and weighs 6.7 pounds. Now I wont pretend that this is a subnotebook. In fact, this is more of a mid-sized model that's much more portable than a desktop replacement. The DVD+RW drive is on the right of the notebook, towards the front. The left side houses the three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, microphone and headphone jacks (3.5mm), ExpressCard (supporting 34mm and 54mm cards) slot, RJ-45 Ethernet jack, and a modem jack. The back of the notebook is empty apart from the power socket, and the front of the machine houses the two speakers and four LEDs.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard is simply a pleasure to use. The keys have a really nice feel to them, and are big with generous spacing. Pressing the function key will enable you to access the numpad (1 is j, 4 is U, and etc.), and the hardware functions like volume, standby, etc. The delete key takes a little bit of getting used to, but otherwise, you wont need any adjustment from desktop keyboards.

The Touchpad is the normal Synaptics pad found on most Dells. It's speedy and responsive, and you can customize the way the cursor moves to suit your needs. But in the end, it's just the same touchpad as most other notebooks.

Horsepower and Performance

As mentioned, the Inspiron 1300 is a customizable notebook, with processors ranging from a 1.4GHz Celeron M to the 1.73GHz Pentium M, all with a 400MHz front side bus. Mine came with a 1.5GHz Celeron M360 processor, 512mb of RAM in a 2x 256mb configuration, so if you want to upgrade you'll have to throw one away(1gb RAM maximum), a reasonably fast 60 gig 5400 rpm hard disk, and WiFi 802.11a/b/g. I wont deny that I was expecting to be disappointed by this notebook. Although I cant really class myself as a gamer, I do play on some intensive games (Rome: Total War and Sniper Elite to name a few) and was expecting them not to run well. Well, I now take it all back. I have migrated from a PC desktop running a 2.4GHz Celeron and 512mb of RAM with no dedicated graphics and an XGA screen, and I'm getting better frame rates on the notebook! Okay, Sniper Elite just isn't the same with a touch pad, but hey, it works! You wouldn't want to run serious CAD apps or Half Life 2, however. The built-in DVD+-RW is a bonus for mobile DVD burning, and a steal for $780! I'm not really strongly opinionated about the Express Card slot. I think it's good that Dell is thinking forwardly, and since WiFi is built in, I cant really think of a use for a PCMCIA slot. Unless you really want to use an EVDO card, then this isn't really a drawback. You decide whether this is a benefit or drawback.

Display, Graphics, and Multimedia

The Inspiron 1300 can house either a 14" XGA screen or a 15.4" WXGA (800 x 1280) screen. I went for the 15.4" option. Although not as bright or shiny as some other notebooks on the market, it does the job and is certainly an improvement over an XGA monitor. The backlight is sufficient for everyday use. If you're in a dark room, then it can actually be painful to set it to full brightness, but about 75% should be good enough. This screen is not driven by a dedicated , but, as mentioned, it is good enough for reasonably demanding games. The Inspiron 1300 has Intel's integrated Media Accelerator 900 Graphics and you can set up to 128mb of RAM as video RAM.

The audio package provided is reasonable. While you're not getting an amazing, mind-blowing audio experience, your not disappointed either. The two speakers on the front are adequate, but if you want to listen to some serious music, plug in some headphones or better speakers. The lack of a microphone is rather annoying, especially when using Skype.

DVDs play well on this laptop, although the mentioned speakers can be pretty dismal sometimes. Battery life can be an issue if you want to watch a two and a half hour film at full screen brightness with WiFi turned on, but because 50% brightness is acceptable and the lack of need for WiFi when watching films, most will find it usable.

Ports, Expandability and WiFi

The 1300 has an array of ports that should suit most users. A trio of USB 2.0 slots sit on the left side (although a little bit cramped) along with the VGA out, RJ-45 Ethernet jack and the modem. The ExpressCard slot is on this side as well. The power socket is on the back below the hinge. I can’t think of any other ports you would need on a notebook, unless you need PCMCIA.

The left side ports

You can expand via the ExpressCard slot on the left of the notebook. At time of writing, there are almost no cards and peripherals on the market to fit into this slot, but, again, with WiFi built in, there isn’t a lot to add other than EVDO or FireWire.

WiFi is very good on this notebook. It's 802.11a/b/g integrated Dell 1470 so it will connect to pretty much everything. The connection strength isn’t bad either: I was able to pick up an 11b network up one floor and though two walls with a "Very strong" signal status, whereas my PDA with a Senao WiFi card will usually drop out.

Battery Life

I decided to pay $20 more and get the 6-cell battery option. I suggest that, if you have the money, you get it. It's a small price to pay for 1.5 times the normal battery power.
The 6-cell is a 5045mAh battery, which isn’t bad for a 1.5GHz notebook. I got about 3 hours of use with mainly Skype over WiFi, and about 3 hours with no WiFi playing mp3s. Overall, I think the battery is acceptable. If you need WiFi, full screen brightness, and full CPU speed, then you may only get a few hours out of it, but otherwise its a pretty impressive battery. The standard battery is a 4 cell, 29 WHr Ion battery that Dell estimates lasting 2 hours.

Conclusion

The Inspiron 1300 has set the benchmark for budget notebooks for a while yet, with it's solid performance and even better price. Although the speakers are rather dire and the lack of microphone is irritating, what do you really expect for an $800 notebook?

Pros: Good performance, spacious hard disk, DVD±R/W drive, great screen, excellent WiFi signal, solid construction, quality keyboard.

Cons: lack of microphone, speakers aren't great, almost no ExpressCard peripherals available.

Price: starting approx. $599, varies depending on options selected and current coupon offers

Dell anuncia Core i7 em três notebooks

Os processadores Intel Core I7 , como já sabemos. A Dell (e a sua marca Alienware) está lançando uma nova linha de laptops e desktops para tirar proveito da potência e das capacidades dos i7.

Não há grandes mudanças no Studio 15, no Studio 17 ou no Studio XPS 16. Eles mantêm o mesmo estilo e boa parte das especificações – mas o chip Core i7 e (no Studio 17 e no Studio XPS 16) as novas placas de vídeo devem fazer com que eles tenham desempenho melhor do que a linha atual.

O Dell Studio 17 é um equipamento focado em multimídia, com tela de 17,3 polegadas e sistema de som 2.1, além de placa de vídeo ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 de 1 GB e bateria de nove células. Esse desktop replacement custará a partir de US$ 1.100, e seu corpo será um pouco mais magro do que o do modelo atual. A Dell ainda nos informou que haverá uma opção com touchscreen com multitoque ainda neste ano.

O Studio 15 também ganha atualização, com o mesmo processador Intel Core i7 720QM a 1,6 GHz do Studio 17 e placa de vídeo ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 de 512 MB. Custará a partir de US$ 1.000. Finalmente, o Studio XPS 16 terá as mesmas especificações do Studio 17, mas em um formato menor, com tela de 15,6 polegadas. Preços a partir de US$ 1.250.

New Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook Comes In 7 Colors

Dell is announcing some classy additions to its netbook. Under the moniker of Inspiron Mini 10v, the new Dell machine - starting at $299 – will feature a 92%-of-standard-size keyboard, or XP, a webcam, 1 GB of RAM and the option of Bluetooth.

Consumers will get the choice of a 120 or 160 GB HDD for their Mini 10v netbook, with a 16 GB SSD or the option of an 8 GB drive for Ubuntu machines.

The most exciting part? New colors! The new color scheme includes colors like “Obsidian Black, Alpine White, Cherry Red, Promise Pink (in the United States only—sorry, Canada and Latin America), Ice Blue, Jade Green and Passion Purple,” set to class up Dell netbooks everywhere.

Dell Latitude 2100 netbook, bright and rugged for educatio

ntroduced the Dell Latitude 2100 netbook, intended for areas of education user. Dell Latitude 2100 is pretty netbook for its target K-12 audience. We already mentioned about this device in the gadgetfolder, when it appeared in the first image. 10-inch Dell Latitude 2100 is intended primarily for use in the classrooms of educational institutions, the target age group, mostly students. The device is placed in a durable rubberized shell and more resilient to shocks than the netbook standard. In addition, Dell Latitude 2100 has touch screen and keyboard with a coating, inhibiting reproduction of bacteria, it is especially important because its users are children.

Along with educational Latitude 2100 netbook, you can purchase the equipment Mobile Computing Station, which it will keep netbook and manage a network of 24 devices (maximum) with a single cable, Ethernet, in addition, for the entire system will need only one power cord. Dell Latitude 2100 is proposed in several bright colors: gold (School Bus Gold), black (Chalkboard Black), Green (Ball Field Green), Blue (Blue Ribbon) and red (Schoolhouse Red). You also can select the modification operating system; Windows XP Home, Windows Vista Home Basic, or Ubuntu Linux. Cost Dell Latitude 2100 is $ 369, its sale has already started in the United States.

Specifications Dell Latitude 2100:
* 10.1-inch touch screen display
* Processor Intel Atom N270
* Operating system Windows XP Home, Windows Vista Home Basic or Ubuntu Linux
* 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
* Various options of wireless communications
* Card reader, 3-in-1
* External optical drive DVD +/-RW (connect via USB)
* Options: web-camera and a keyboard with antibacterial coating (U.S. only)
* VGA out
* 3/6-cell battery
* Weight is 1.32 kg

Dell Latitude 2100 Netbook for the Childrens Is Crayola Rugged
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