Not that I have anything against Apple's Powerbook G4 (well, I do want to complain that it's priced too high), I think that the Inspiron 4000 from Dell Computer Corporation is the best alternative. For the price and all the features that this laptop is packed with, one can't go wrong at all.

Just this past week, I helped a colleague of mine to purchase one. For a long time, she had wrestled with the idea of owning a computer. For some esthetic and religious reasons, she wanted to have enough time to dedicate to her church-related activities. It appears that for the longest time, she had been programmed against owning a computer. Since she was picky and had to have a machine that would meet her fast-paced, always-on-the road lifestyle, I suggested a laptop. After shopping around for a while, she settled on the Inspiron 4000.

What are some of the features and specs can you expect to find on such a laptop?

The Dell Inspiron 4000 Series comes with a 14.1 inch screen size. It comes with an 800-MHZ Pentium III chip; 128 MB of memory; a 10-GB hard drive; an ATI Rage Mobility 128 MB of memory; a 10-GB hard drive; an ATI Rage mobility 128 graphics chip; a DVD-ROM drive; built-in 56K fax modem and Ethernet adapter; two PC-card slots; and all the necessary ports that include USB, infrared and TV-out. It also comes with two built-in pointing devices: a touchpad and Trackpoint-style device. It also comes with the Windows 2000. The Dell Inspiron 4000 Series has a great battery life. It will give you between 2 and 4 hours of use.

This is a laptop I would not hesitate to purchase if I needed one for now. I like its screen display. It's very bright. I also like its keyboard. It's pretty comfortable. After all, you don't want to have pain from using the machine. If you want a good laptop to network and stay in touch with your business headquarters and just stay in contact with your friends, Dell Inspiron 4000 Series is the right one.

Check it out and you will be able to tell your own story here.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 2,190
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 801-900
Screen Size: 14
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20