Dell XPS Ultrabook 13″

A friend of mine bought this Dell XPS 13″ Ultrabook and asked me to help him set it up. OK. I thought to myself. What have we here? Did I not just see an Asus laptop fairly recently, looking exactly like an Apple MacBook Air? And now Dell is jumping on the copy bandwagon? What gives?

Don’t get me wrong. I like Dell. I have been using Dell computers for years. I had a Dell Vostro that lasted me four-and-a-half years before it conked out fairly recently. My current Dell laptop is an Inspiron 15. It chugs along well but sometimes, I wish that I had my Vostro. When I saw this, I kind of liked and disliked it almost immediately. One, it is very thin. I have always been an advocate of tough laptops and that is why till today, if money were no object,  would plonk down a king’s ransom for the Panasonic Toughbook. This Ultrabook just looks…fragile. Two, the price. For that price, I would get the afore-mentioned Panasonic toughbook because at least I know that it would be able to take a beating and come back for more. It is not to say that I am a complete klutz with laptops but I always believe in prevention being much better than cure. Specifications-wise, this is what this Dell Ultrabook has to offer:

• 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2467M processor (1.60 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.30 GHz,TPM)
• Genuine Windows® 7 Professional SP1 64bit (English)
• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz Memory
• Intel® HD 3000 graphics
• High Definition Audio + Waves MaxxAudio® 4 (Soundcard and speakers)
• Up to 256GB Solid State hard drive
• 1.3MP webcam with dual array digital microphones
• Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 802.11 a/g/n with Intel® Smart Connect Technology + Bluetooth 3.0

All this is squeezed in a notebook that is pretty small in size. I think my wife would be better off with this notebook, given its small size. For me? Yep…you know what I would prefer!

The Dell Vostro 1400 is officially…DEAD

Yep. My Dell Vostro 1400 finally died about a week ago, after four-and-a-half years of sterling service. Its sad really because I was really hoping for it to pass 5 years. I was counting on it, and it let me down. Well, it did have a good run and it is a great computer but sad to say, we all have our threshold and I think the poor bugger just could not take anymore. But I must say…more than four years for a laptop… now that is pretty impressive. Admittedly, the tell-tale signs were there…I just chose to ignore them. Hey, don’t we all? But it was good while it lasted. Goodbye Vostro. Thanks for the sterling service. At least you lasted longer than the crappy Seagate drive that was shipped with you…

Dell Inspiron 15 N5050

I bought this laptop for my wife because she needed a new one. Cost me only about $600, a VERY good price indeed. I have been using Dell laptops for quite a few years with no issues. My Vostro 1400 is doing fine but it is almost 5 years old. Its hard drive has been upgraded to a 320Gb one and is running Windows XP. I am looking at getting one of these Ispiron 15 laptops for myself in case mine breaks down but it does not look like it will conk out anytime soon. Specifications-wise:

Display
Diagonal Size : 15.6″
Resolution : 1366 x 768 (HD)
WLED True-Life

Graphics Card
Intel® HD Graphics 3000

Processor
Type : Intel® Pentium® B950 processor
Speed : 2.10 GHz
Cache : 2M

Type : Intel® Core™ i3-2330M processor
Speed : 2.20 GHz

Type : Intel® Core™ i5-2430M processor
Speed : 2.40 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.00 GHz

Chipset
Intel® HM67 Express Chipset

Memory
Options :
2 GB 1 DIMM DDR3 1333Mhz
4 GB 1 DIMM DDR3 1333Mhz

Storage
Up to 500GB 5400 RPM hard drive

Optical Drive
Tray-load DVD+/-RW

Communication
WLAN & Bluetooth : Standard Combo Dell Wireless Card 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0+HS

Audio
Dell Audio – 2 speakers (2 Watt each)
Built-in analogue microphone

Interface
1 x Ethernet / RJ45
1 x HDMI
1 x VGA Port
3 x USB 2.0
1 x Headphone jack
1 x Microphone jack

Slots
Card Reader : 3-in-1 memory card reader

Camera
0.3MP

Power
Battery : 6-cell 2.2 AHr Li-Ion

Security
Kensington lock slot

Dimensions and Weight
Width : 376.0 mm (14.8 inch)
Depth : 260.0 mm (10.24 inch)
Height : 31.52 mm – 34.53 mm (1.24 inch – 1.36 inch)
Weight : starting at 2.37 kg (5.2 lbs) with 6-cell battery

Operating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium SP1 64 bit

So as you can see, you get quite a lot for $600. The only beef I have with Dell is that they do not ship the Operating System DVD with the notebook. You need to order it separately. That is the major bugbear of this system because should you need to re-install this laptop, you will be stuck with no Operating System CD. When I first ordered this laptop for my wife, I found out that the laptop was loaded with all types of software that really slowed it down. So I ordered the operating system DVD for $5 extra and reloaded the system. It is considerably a LOT faster now but I had to jump through hoops to get the camera software as it is not included in the supplied driver DVD. And that is another strange thing. Why does Dell supply the driver DVD but not the operating system DVD?

But other than that, I am happy with the purchase that I made for my wife and she is happy too.

 

Dell Windows 7 OS restore DVD

Dell used to provide the Windows Operating System restore DVD with their systems but they do not do so now. It will cost you $5 extra when ordering your new laptop or workstation online to get the disc. But the disc is very worth it. It will save you when your hard drive crashes. You can reload your operating system with no issues at all. The disc above is for illustration purposes only. There are different versions of Windows shipped with different models of Dell PCs. So remember, get the disc!

Lenovo X61 notebook

I have a second notebook, a Lenovo X61, that I use sometimes for mobile-disco parties (I hook it up to my DJ controller) and for clubs and pubs when I have to DJ. In fact, I will be taking it to the club tonight and testing it out for the first time. I have always taken my Dell Vostro 1400 but the notebook is too heavy. Besides, that is my primary notebook that I use on a daily basis. I hooked this up to a gig I was doing last Friday and it performed OK. What I am worried about is the age of the notebook because if it dies, there goes my night. I think it will perform ok. Just have to get some isolators for it.

Dell Latitude ST tablet

Looks like Dell is upping the ante in the tablet range with this Dell Latitude ST being released to the enterprise according to this cNet article. According to the article, this Dell tablet is “powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on Windows 7. It’s a fully featured tablet with front- and rear-facing cameras, USB, HDMI and both Wi-Fi and mobile broadband wireless connectivity options. The tablet is also built to withstand the rigors of different environments like hospitals and classrooms, with features such as a rubberized bumper and a Corning Gorilla Glass screen. “

I wonder if this thing is coming out in Singapore soon.

Fujitsu S-Series Lifebook

I have had this laptop for ages, since the year 2000. It lasted me almost, no actually, more than 7 years till I changed it to my current Dell Vostro 1400. This notebook has been with me to a few countries, has played MP3s at functions and has been my constant companion for so long. After a while, its limitations (it only had 256Mb of RAM) led me to try to find another notebook. What was amazing about it was its size, and build quality. Fujitsu did not skimp on that. When it first came to me, it had a 4Gb hard disk. I upgraded to a 20Gb, then to a 30Gb one, to a 60Gb one and finally, to an 80Gb one. It has had its share of operating systems but the one which it worked best on was Microsoft Windows 2000. A rock solid performer and I would be using it still if it had note been for its afore-mentioned limitations. All I can say is that they sure do not build them like they used to.

Apple iPad problematic after less than a year

I bought an Apple iPad for my wife in December last year when she had to go to Japan on business. The funny thing is, the iPad only lasted less than a year before it started to go all topsy-turvy. I was very lucky that I took the advice of my friends and bought the AppleCare warranty. I would advise all of you contemplating getting Apple products to do the same. It will get you the protection you need when your device ever goes bonkers. But I am still perplexed. I mean, I paid a premium for this Apple products. How come the darn thing only lasted for less than a year before it had to be exchanged? Heck, my Dell computer is more than three years old and still ticking!

Dell Inspiron and the missing media kit

I posted an article on the Dell media kit (operating system disc) yesterday and had a chat with the Dell representative today online. Upon asking her about the option to purchase the media kit, this is what I got from her:

She actually thinks that backing up my computer is the best way to go about new purchases if one does not have the media kit. Maybe she does not know better, maybe this is a scripted response or maybe she does not want to go to the trouble of finding out why there is no media kit. All I can say is that Dell does not seem to know how to go about solving this and if there is no media kit, there is NO WAY I am going to purchase a Dell. It’s as simple as that.

Do not get me wrong. I am willing to pay for the media kit, and the media kit is available for an optional purchase for other models but not on the model I want. What gives Dell?

Issues with new Dell Inspiron laptops

I was looking at this new Dell Inspiron 14. Pretty good deal for the price. I was just about to order it after customising it and then the penny dropped:

It looks like Dell does not ship the Windows 7 restore discs anymore. What happens when my hard drive dies, like what happened when I got the Dell Vostro I am using now. The bloody hard drive only lasted 8 months before the Seagate drive went tits-up. What happens to my recovery partition then? I can buy a hard drive but what the hell am I going to do for a reload? I think that Dell needs to seriously look at this fault of theirs. I mean, I am willing to pay for the the disc, which should only cost about $5 but the option to purchase it is _just_not_there. What gives Dell?