I'd choose a Vaio over a Dell!
Written: Feb 25 '01
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Pros: Sturdy construction--takes a hit and keeps on ticking
Cons: heavy for travelers
The Bottom Line: Bottom line--if you are a business user who values battery power above aesthetics and weight, then this is a great computer for you!
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| chenmyu's Full Review: Dell Latitude C600 (220-6670) PC Notebook |
Choosing a laptop depends on how you expect to use it. I think the Dell is great for business people who aren't using this computer for home use. Here's a quick summary of who should/should not buy a Latitude:
A Latititude is NOT for you if:
1) You care about aesthetics. It's not a sexy looking laptop. Let's just say, no one will be noting how great your laptop looks!
2) You care about weight/size. This is a lug of a laptop computer. It's very heavy and is much less competitive in this arena than the Sony Vaio's. While a few collegues of mine are able to actually keep their Sony laptop in a folder, I'm stuck with a big laptop bag that will give strong men osteoporosis.
3) You care about reliability. Despite the vaunted reputation, i've had to replace two LCD screens, a cover over the circuitry, and two battery packs. That said, I travel 2x a month and who knows how other laptops would fare; however, this is not a stellar record over 18 months. Collegues using the Vaio have not reported any such problems.
4) Small design flaws! Dell has a few design flaws that aren't horrendous but are annoying. Chief among them is that you cannot just slot in a new battery to replace a dying one. You have to shut all the way down. Major annoyance for travelers on planes.
Another is to have only one port for either a keyboard or mouse. Thus, while i find it nice to convert to a desktop type system when i return to the office,the only way to do this is to buy a docking station which costs you another grand or two!
A Latitude is for you if the following criteria are met:
1)You care about battery life. The Dell Latitude has two slots for a battery or CD/ROM or Disk drive. With the decline in use of CD's and disks, I replaced mine with a second battery. With two batteries, you can make any cross-country flight (about 5 hrs) doing heavy work on the computer. This is crucial for any road traveler!
2) Good customer service. I've had to replace two LCD screens but they have been able to replace them in no time, no questions asked.
3)Solid keyboard, reflective of the large size of the notebook. It's virtually the same size as a normal keyboard which makes it very comfortable. There are empty spaces for your palms to make it easier to rest your hands. I don't even feel the need to add a mouse which is absolutely crucial for the sony vaio.
4) Large LCD screen. It's got a big 15" screen which, again, is a huge advantage over the Vaio. If you use your computer to watch videos, this is crucial.
Some recommended tips for use with the Latitude:
1) Don't use Windows NT--this will crush your laptop and turn it into the slowest possible performer i've ever seen. It also makes it difficult for you to sync with PDA's like Palm and Handspring.
2) Do use Windows 98 or 2000--both of which run far faster on this computer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3500
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium II
Processor speed: 501-600
Screen Size: 15
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-ROM
Hard Drive (GB): Under 4
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Epinions.com ID:
chenmyu
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Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 5 members
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