Road Warrior's Handyman
Written: Sep 10 '99 (Updated Nov 19 '99)
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Pros: Lightweight, Nice Screen, Big Keyboard, Good Support
Cons: Pointing Device, No built in floppy
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| healdkw's Full Review: Dell Inspiron 3500 A366GT |
Before this product I was using a Toshiba Tecra for work. Now that I have just recently received this Dell, I realize what slow brick that the Tecra was. Granted it was an older machine and the newer Toshibas i'm sure are better, but this Dell has been very nice for the month I have had it.
First off is the look. The Dell is a sleek looking machine. Granted it doesn't have the flourescent look of the IBook (thank God!) but it definitely is appeasing to the eye. But what really matters is functionality, and this Dell has it. The keyboard is nice, I should say it is REALLY nice. I have no problems typing on it as the keyboard is big and easy to use. The keyboard is soft to the touch but not too much that it feels "smushy". There is plenty of room for your palms to rest, and the speakers are not squelched by your hands since they are located on the side of the keyboard. That is actually one weakness in my mind. If the speakers were next to the screen instead I think the sound would be better. There is an IBM Thinkpad here in my office that does sound better because of the screen-speaker configuration.
As for the pointing device I am still a bit iffy. I am not a huge fan of touchpads and that is what the Dell has. This is more of a matter of personal preference than anything else. For a touchpad it works well and is decent position to use when you type. I still prefer to use a mouse attached to the laptop though when I am doing heavy computing.
The screen is big and clear...definitely an improvement over the older Latitudes. I have a DVD player with my laptop and the display is adequate to watch movies on. In general though I would rather watch the movie on a real monitor or TV, which is possible with the output card that came with the DVD player (as well as the monitor out port).
My Dell is speedy, but this will entirely depend on the configuration you decide on. Mine is a Pentium II 366 and it performs fine for applications that I use for work. I run a SQL database on it sometimes to test products and it performs well. But you can configure the Dell however want so options and processor are personal preference. It would be nice to have a built in floppy drive though. The 3500 is also light, and I prefer it to the 7000 for this reason alone. The 7000 is big and bulky, with a bigger screen and longer battery life. But if you travel a lot it isn't worth it.
As for the issue of support, Dell does a fine job. I think this is HUGELY important as many laptops are very much the same. The support is what puts a product over the top. I have worked at client sites that have used Dell support for both workstations and laptops and the phone support is knowledgable. If something goes bad then it is replaced, but typically you will have to do some of the footwork your self. It isn't like IBM who is big on personal service and having a technican help you. But that isn't what you pay for. With IBM you pay higher upfront for more personal support where with Dell you pay less up front so support isn't quite as personal. But honestly it doesn't matter. In my experience the Dell fail rate is low and they are very reliable coming straight from the factory.
Overall the Dell Inspiron is a nicely put together machine that does everything you will need on the road. If you are a true "road warrior" I would recommend getting the DVD as part of your setup. It makes those boring nights on the road that much more tolerable.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2700
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium II
Processor speed: 301-400
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 4-6
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Epinions.com ID:
healdkw
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Member: Kevin Heald
Location: Arlington, VA
Reviews written: 107
Trusted by: 143 members
About Me:
I currently work as a systems engineer in the Northern Virginia area.
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