Tagged Products - 13.3in+white

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

(or run Parallels, Fusion or Crossover) if you have one or two legacy Apps that you absolutely can't do without. A PC can't run OS X or any of its great applications, but a Mac can run Windows right along side Mac OS program with Parallels, VMWare Fusion or Crossover.

So, if you're trying to decide between a Mac for OS X and the easy of use I talk about below and a PC for old Windows programs, you can choose both by buying this or any Intel based Mac (which is all shipping models).

The Hardware is simply top notch. In its stock configuration you can do anything 99% of computer users do. And with a third party app, you can do the last 1%. OS X is Unix. Then you have the Mac OS (OS X) and you have he option of running Windows. So, really Macs these days are THE machine IT professionals are turning to in droves.

The Software (is what makes Macs shine):
OS X is extremely stable. It is a Unix OS, so advanced users can easily do anything from a command line they can do on any Unix system from a command line using the terminal application. If you don't understand the previous sentence you don't have to because the user interface as easy or easier than Windows and you never have to learn complex commands to unleash the power of the system.

The only time I reboot is when I install software that requires a reboot. (Currently My Uptime is over 21 days -- since I installed an OS Update, and I have no doubt the system could remain on for months without needing a reboot). That's almost unheard of in Windows land, where often the machine chokes on some process and the only option is a reboot.

You can't mess up the system by clicking the wrong button, or putting the wrong file in the trash -- OS X doesn't allow that and requires an administrator password to change any important settings.

Adding Users is as simple as clicking a new account button, typing in their name and a password. Then you can switch users with a click and be secure in the knowledge that your kids or grandma can't mess up the system or your settings (because they'll have their own set), or applications.

The system is very secure out of the box, and configuring to server web pages is a simple click and drag documents into a folder and flip the Sharing panel switch on. There's a built in Firewall that's extreme easy to configure. Wireless performance is top notch. There is zero downside to buying this machine.

Installing Applications is often a simple process of clicking and dragging the application into any folder or subfolder you want. Uninstalling is a simple matter of dragging thhe program, or program folder into the trash. No messy registry, no dicey uninstall apps that might delete a shared DLL, nothing like that at all.

Adding Other hardware to the machine is also a simple process of double clicking an installer (if it's even needed) and plugging in he hardware. You never experience hardware conflicts like you do in Windows. You just plug it in and it works.

If you've never used a computer or want to migrate from Windows or another Operating System, a Macintosh is an excellent choice. I've never had a person I recommended a Mac to come back and say, "This was a mistake, " or "I hate it" or "I can't figure out how to use it." They usually thank me and gleefully tell me they never realized using (and even administrating) a computer could be so easy.

Mac VS. PC (Real world stories):
I HAVE had many, many people come back to me after purchasing a Windows only Machine against my advice months or years later regretting it. They didn't realize a Windows based computer would be so much work, or that it wouldn't be reliable.

Windows XP is a bear to manage and Vista is the same bear, but just in a shiny coat with a bow. And all you can get on new computers these days is Vista. And I have yet to run into anyone, technician or layman, who even likes Vista. Sure you can downgrade to XP, but you have ot make sure there's XP drivers available for your system before you downgrade it, because if not, you'll end up with Audio or Wireless not working, and have to put Vista back on. A friend went through this exact experience.

There are some quality PC makers out there, but most are junk. If you're wondering why the MacBook costs hundreds of dollars more than a PC, remember, you get what you pay for. The margins Apple makes for a Mac are comparable to what PC manufacturers make nowadays. So, realize that most PC manufacturers are using cheaper (read "low quality") parts, and they're going to fail a lot sooner than a typical Mac would.

Viruses and Security:
Windows is way behind the Mac when it comes to security and virus prevention. Microsoft's solution was to pop up a dialog box for anything and everything a virus might do to try to gain control of a Windows PC. The effect: annoying the hell out of users. The OS X way: run in a mode where only things such as installing applications will bother the user. That and only check the first time if someone wants to run a new application. Once that's done the OS gets out of your way and let's you get your work done. Also, if this sounds too open, you can tighten down security simply by checking boxes in most cases. If you want to secure your machine's network connections even more try Lil Snitch.

Caveats:
Almost all computers will have problems. The Mac is no exception. You might get a lemon, but apple's return policy is great. With Applecare you're covered for the practical usable life of the computer (3 years). A hard rive might die on you: that's where backing up comes in. Backup your data. The more important, the more often you should backup. Other than that most Mac problems are simple and might just require a setting change or (at worst) a reinstall of the application. With Windows you might have to reinstall the OS and each and every application. For software and hardware problems Apple's tech support is top notch. If something needs ot be replaced -- like a bad LCD (which is rarer and rarer these days), you'll often have the machine back in a few days if you choose to ship it in for repair. Just get Applecare with your system and you'll be set.

The Bottom Line:
Macs are far superior to PCs. Take it from a guy who makes money off of repairing computers. If this is to be your first computer, you probably couldn't make a better choice. If you're a Windows user considering a sea change, you couldn't pick a better time to do it -- especially considering that with a third party App you can still run Windows apps if you want to. And believe me you won't want to after experiencing the level of usability of the standard OS X application. And if you're one of those RARE Mac users considering saving money, and thinks computers are all the same: save your sanity and not just a couple of bucks, and turn away from Sony, Dell or HP.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

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just works as advertised.

The MacBook is not the first or only laptop to use Intel's Penryn CPU, but it's the only one running a highly optimized OS with excellent power management. With the stock Li-Ion battery, I never get less than four hours of runtime, with the backlight turned up three quarters of the way, and Wi-Fi enabled. When I am in writing mode, working in my word processing application, with the backlight turned down to one notch above the "off" setting (which is still plenty bright to see your stuff just fine in most lighting conditions), and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off, battry life is over six hours, touching seven hours on occasion. There's simply no Vista laptop, even with a similar C2D Penryn CPU and comparable hardware, that can match this kind of field endurance. A laptop's purpose is mobility, and battery life is one of its most important attributes. With the MacBook, you can realistically be away from a power source all day, putting the system to sleep when you're not actively working, and you'll be able to get by on a single battery charge. With most Vista laptops, you have to haul that power brick around with you, and stay plugged in most of the time.

Speaking of sleep mode: the MacBook goes to sleep instantly when the lid is closed, and it wakes up before you have time to completely open the lid and put your fingers on the keyboard. ACPI power management on Windows is such a kludgy mess that most Vista laptops don't even wake up properly from sleep 25% of the time, and when they do, it takes them almost as much time to get back into action as a reboot would have taken. You can't even put a dollar value on the ability to just close-and-go, and being able to open your laptop again to pick up where you left off, without waiting or worrying.

Lastly, there are the many subtle design touches that make the MacBook so much fun to use. The MagSafe adapter is a genius idea--no more worn-out power plugs, or tripping over cords. The iSight camera works seamlessly with Leopard, iChat, and other A/V applications, and the PhotoBooth application really makes you want to use that camera. The keyboard improves on one of the main complaints I had with the iBook, which was flex and "mushiness". The MacBook's keyboard has individually attached keycaps mounted directly into the chassis, and the keyboard feels extremely solid as a result. There's also no room for stuff to get under the keys, and the keyboard deck is very easy to clean. The slot-loading optical drive means no more broken trays or non-closing tray latches. The overall design is pleasing in its minimalism: just a white slab with a keyboard and a power button, and no superfluous switches, latches, or protrusions. The power brick is a bricklet, the smallest power supply you'll find short of an integrated PSU, and it comes with pop-out hooks to wind up your power cord. The latch is magnetic, so the MacBook opens like a cell phone, with no mechanical latches that can break or stick.

Apple sells a blue zillion of these for a reason: they are extremely well designed laptops, mature technology that improves on the already great and proven iBook that preceded them. They're also durable, tough, easy on the eyes, and easy to upgrade, including hard drive replacement. (The iBook needed to be pulled apart almost to the last screw to replace the HD, while the MacBook HD sits under a hatch below the battery compartment, user-swappable in five minutes.)

Overall, I think the MacBook will be regarded as one of the best Apple portables of all time. There's simply nothing else on the market that offers the same synergy of size, power, battery life, durability, build quality, and ease of use.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

could go on describing the improved design, but let me give just one, seemingly trivial but representative, example. I never liked trackpads, so I use a mouse with my laptops. In Windows several steps were needed to disable the trackpad and enable the mouse. On a couple of occasions I forgot the mouse and had to enable the trackpad using keystrokes. Frustrating and time consuming. I ordered a wireless mighty mouse with the MacBook and had it enabled in 30 seconds. While searching Help to disable the trackpad, I noticed it was already disabled. Then I realized it was automatically disabled when the mouse was added. Then I learned it was automatically enabled when the mouse was turned off or moved away from the computer. Such a simple solution, but apparently lost on the Windows engineers.

Finally--the operating system and compatibility. The Mac OS is different from Windows and takes some getting used to. But not as much as I expected due to the intuitive nature of the Mac, the actually helpful Help menu and the hundreds of very well done tutorials on the Apple web site. As to compatibility, I expected to buy the Office for Mac suite, but after reading the critical reviews on Amazon I downloaded the less expensive iWork suite from Apple on a trial basis. It includes word processing (Pages), spreadsheets (Numbers), and presentations (Keynote). While those programs don't have all the bells and whistles of Word, Excel and Power Point, I had no problem opening and editing in iWork and sending them back to Windows.

In short, my apprehensions about making the switch proved groundless, while being treated to a distinct upgrade in product. Go ahead and do it. You'll be glad you did.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

could go on describing the improved design, but let me give just one, seemingly trivial but representative, example. I never liked trackpads, so I use a mouse with my laptops. In Windows several steps were needed to disable the trackpad and enable the mouse. On a couple of occasions I forgot the mouse and had to enable the trackpad using keystrokes. Frustrating and time consuming. I ordered a wireless mighty mouse with the MacBook and had it enabled in 30 seconds. While searching Help to disable the trackpad, I noticed it was already disabled. Then I realized it was automatically disabled when the mouse was added. Then I learned it was automatically enabled when the mouse was turned off or moved away from the computer. Such a simple solution, but apparently lost on the Windows engineers.



Finally--the operating system and compatibility. The Mac OS is different from Windows and takes some getting used to. But not as much as I expected due to the intuitive nature of the Mac, the actually helpful Help menu and the hundreds of very well done tutorials on the Apple web site. As to compatibility, I expected to buy the Office for Mac suite, but after reading the critical reviews on Amazon I downloaded the less expensive iWork suite from Apple on a trial basis. It includes word processing (Pages), spreadsheets (Numbers), and presentations (Keynote). While those programs don't have all the bells and whistles of Word, Excel and Power Point, I had no problem opening and editing in iWork and sending them back to Windows.



In short, my apprehensions about making the switch proved groundless, while being treated to a distinct upgrade in product. Go ahead and do it. You'll be glad you did.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

could go on describing the improved design, but let me give just one, seemingly trivial but representative, example. I never liked trackpads, so I use a mouse with my laptops. In Windows several steps were needed to disable the trackpad and enable the mouse. On a couple of occasions I forgot the mouse and had to enable the trackpad using keystrokes. Frustrating and time consuming. I ordered a wireless mighty mouse with the MacBook and had it enabled in 30 seconds. While searching Help to disable the trackpad, I noticed it was already disabled. Then I realized it was automatically disabled when the mouse was added. Then I learned it was automatically enabled when the mouse was turned off or moved away from the computer. Such a simple solution, but apparently lost on the Windows engineers.





Finally--the operating system and compatibility. The Mac OS is different from Windows and takes some getting used to. But not as much as I expected due to the intuitive nature of the Mac, the actually helpful Help menu and the hundreds of very well done tutorials on the Apple web site. As to compatibility, I expected to buy the Office for Mac suite, but after reading the critical reviews on Amazon I downloaded the less expensive iWork suite from Apple on a trial basis. It includes word processing (Pages), spreadsheets (Numbers), and presentations (Keynote). While those programs don't have all the bells and whistles of Word, Excel and Power Point, I had no problem opening and editing in iWork and sending them back to Windows.





In short, my apprehensions about making the switch proved groundless, while being treated to a distinct upgrade in product. Go ahead and do it. You'll be glad you did.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

in Office.

Other features that I find quite useful are the magnetic power adapter and the very multi-functional mini-DVI port. Most PC laptops have more buttons and ports but they are buttons and ports that I don't see much use for. For example, my dad owns a Compaq laptop that includes a button to turn off the wireless card. You can do that by clicking an icon on the OSX desktop so why do you need an additional physical piece that could break? It is elements like this that make the MacBook's design so desirable.

The only trade off is a lack of multi-media card reader but I picked one up for $12. Also, the 13.5" screen is a little small. I suppose that's a trade off for a notebook that's the size and nearly the weight of a notebook. I put mine in a neoprene sleeve and carry it in a standard sized backpack.

I've observed battery life of just over five hours using wifi.

Dell XPS M1330 Laptop (Black) Ultra Slim 13.3 Widescreen, Vista Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.0GHz, 200GB Hard Drive, 1GB DDR2 Memory, 13.3 Inch Wide Screen Wxga , 128mb Nvidia, Finger Print reader,

...

in Office.



Other features that I find quite useful are the magnetic power adapter and the very multi-functional mini-DVI port. Most PC laptops have more buttons and ports but they are buttons and ports that I don't see much use for. For example, my dad owns a Compaq laptop that includes a button to turn off the wireless card. You can do that by clicking an icon on the OSX desktop so why do you need an additional physical piece that could break? It is elements like this that make the MacBook's design so desirable.



The only trade off is a lack of multi-media card reader but I picked one up for $12. Also, the 13.5" screen is a little small. I suppose that's a trade off for a notebook that's the size and nearly the weight of a notebook. I put mine in a neoprene sleeve and carry it in a standard sized backpack.



I've observed battery life of just over five hours using wifi.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

in Office.





Other features that I find quite useful are the magnetic power adapter and the very multi-functional mini-DVI port. Most PC laptops have more buttons and ports but they are buttons and ports that I don't see much use for. For example, my dad owns a Compaq laptop that includes a button to turn off the wireless card. You can do that by clicking an icon on the OSX desktop so why do you need an additional physical piece that could break? It is elements like this that make the MacBook's design so desirable.





The only trade off is a lack of multi-media card reader but I picked one up for $12. Also, the 13.5" screen is a little small. I suppose that's a trade off for a notebook that's the size and nearly the weight of a notebook. I put mine in a neoprene sleeve and carry it in a standard sized backpack.





I've observed battery life of just over five hours using wifi.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

in Office.







Other features that I find quite useful are the magnetic power adapter and the very multi-functional mini-DVI port. Most PC laptops have more buttons and ports but they are buttons and ports that I don't see much use for. For example, my dad owns a Compaq laptop that includes a button to turn off the wireless card. You can do that by clicking an icon on the OSX desktop so why do you need an additional physical piece that could break? It is elements like this that make the MacBook's design so desirable.







The only trade off is a lack of multi-media card reader but I picked one up for $12. Also, the 13.5" screen is a little small. I suppose that's a trade off for a notebook that's the size and nearly the weight of a notebook. I put mine in a neoprene sleeve and carry it in a standard sized backpack.







I've observed battery life of just over five hours using wifi.

Apple MacBook MB061LL/A 13.3" Notebook PC (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive) White

...

in Office.









Other features that I find quite useful are the magnetic power adapter and the very multi-functional mini-DVI port. Most PC laptops have more buttons and ports but they are buttons and ports that I don't see much use for. For example, my dad owns a Compaq laptop that includes a button to turn off the wireless card. You can do that by clicking an icon on the OSX desktop so why do you need an additional physical piece that could break? It is elements like this that make the MacBook's design so desirable.









The only trade off is a lack of multi-media card reader but I picked one up for $12. Also, the 13.5" screen is a little small. I suppose that's a trade off for a notebook that's the size and nearly the weight of a notebook. I put mine in a neoprene sleeve and carry it in a standard sized backpack.









I've observed battery life of just over five hours using wifi.

Dell XPS M1330 Laptop (Black) Ultra Slim 13.3 Widescreen, Vista Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.0GHz, 200GB Hard Drive, 1GB DDR2 Memory, 13.3 Inch Wide Screen Wxga , 128mb Nvidia, Finger Print reader,

...

negative about the display is that the viewing angle isn't as wide as I had expected, and isn't as wide as the viewing angle on some other laptops with glossy displays.

We both got large hard drives, hers at 5400rpm and mine at 7200rpm. The 5400rpm one should be fine for 90% of users. I got the faster one because I do a lot of number crunching.

Hers has the integrated graphics, mine has the optional 128mb dedicated graphic card - neither of us have really pushed the graphics to the edge, but for everyday applications the (less-expensive) integrated graphics seems every bit as good as the extra-cost dedicated graphics card.

We both got core 2 duo intel processors - hers is 2.0 ghz, mine is 2.4 ghz. I consider a core 2 duo running at 2.0 ghz or better a necessity for anyone buying a laptop these days. I also suggest getting a large hard drive. It's better to pay extra for these things now, than to find out next year that your needs have outgrown your processor and hard drive. (RAM, however, is something you can upgrade later at relatively low cost as your needs grow.)

The keyboard has an excellent feel; typing on it is very pleasant, and the keys are not especially noisy. I've had 8 laptops from various companies (gateway, dell, toshiba, and 4 thinkpads from ibm or lenovo). Everyone says that thinkpads have the best keyboards. I think that USED to be true. But the keyboard on my most recent thinkpad - built after lenovo bought thinkpad from ibm - isn't quite as good as the keyboards on the three ibm-branded thinkpads I owned. Compared to most laptops, I like the keyboard on the Dell xps m1330 very much. This is subjective, though, and you should visit your local Best Buy (most locations stock Dell XPS laptops) and try the keyboard yourself.

We also like the slot-loading CD/DVD reader/burner better than the more common tray-loading ones. It is noisier than the tray when accepting or ejecting a disc, but the noise is only for a second or two and it is very tolerable, not annoying at all.

The bottom of the laptop does not get as hot as most other laptops I've used. However, some folks who bought this laptop say that theirs run pretty hot. A good thing to do is make sure you get the option to return your unit for a full refund, in case this (or anything else) turns out to be a problem.

We both get excellent battery life from the standard 6-cell battery. When running on battery power on a cross-country flight, I turned down the brightness of the display two notches from maximum, and got a bit over 3 hours of battery life. (This wasn't watching a DVD, though, which would use up the battery a bit faster.)

The build quality of these things seems very good. I fully expect them to hold up well over the long haul.

I realize this is subjective, but we both really like the looks of the XPS laptops. They are sleek and attractive. I encourage you to visit your local best buy and see one in person and judge for yourself. (This will also give you a chance to type on its keyboard to see whether you like the feel of it).

The Dell XPS laptops come with some nice extras, including:

a) all of the drivers, software, and operating system files on backup CDs or DVDs. This is unusual: most other laptops have these on their hard drives, and the buyer is required to create his or her own backup discs - most people don't bother doing this, which is bad news if a disaster happens and you have to reinstall everything from scratch.

b) a nice leatherette folder that holds all of these discs and the manual (yes, it comes with a printed manual, too!)

c) a soft sleeve to protect the laptop in case you put it in a briefcase, large handbag or backpack not specifically designed for laptops.

d) a small, thin wireless IR remote, which you can use when watching DVDs or listening to music or enjoying other media. This is a very cool but not incredibly useful extra, because you probably won't be sitting very far from the 13.3" display when watching your movies.

Now for the negatives.

There are only 2 USB ports. You can get around this with a USB hub, but some devices need to be plugged directly into a USB port in the computer. You can also get around this to a limited extent by opting for built-in bluetooth, then using wireless bluetooth devices instead of USB devices where possible. Still, it's inconvenient having only 2 usb ports.

That's really the only negative about the laptop, itself. The laptop doesn't have a few other luxuries that some other laptops now have - such as a little light built in to the top of the monitor that you can turn on when you're typing in a dark environment (red-eye flight) and it dimly lights up your keyboard. But just about everything else you'd need is here.

The big negative was dealing with Dell.

After configuring and pricing my systems online at dell's site, I ordered over the phone, because I'd read that you can bargain a bit with the phone sales reps. In fact, I did save about $200 on each of the laptops this way. However, the sales rep entered the order incorrectly for one of the laptops, never sent me a confirmation email, and gave me an incorrect customer number. Then, he took 5 or 6 days off, and it was very hard for me to get any information about my orders from anyone else at dell. When I finally did, I saw that one of the computers was not configured the way I ordered it, and it was quite a lot of trouble to get that changed back to how I originally wanted it.

After that was all straightened out, the laptops were built and shipped to me a few days before the estimated ship and delivery dates, which was a nice bonus.

But one of the laptops came with a nice, small 65-watt power supply adapter, while the other came with a big bulky and heavy 90-watt adapter. I thought there must be a mistake, they are both the same laptop, after all. It took me a while (and several calls) to learn that either adapter could be used safely with either laptop, but that the the 90-watt adapter would be better for the laptop with the faster processor.

I've made a couple calls to Dell technical support. Each time, I got through to a real human in only about 5-10 minutes. (These days, that's really quite good.) I believe this is because XPS laptops get access to "express" customer service/support, while regular Dell laptops (e.g. inspiron) have the regular (i.e. slow) tech support with long wait times.

The tech support person was located in the Philippines. He was very patient and helpful.

One other negative about Dell: they shipped both laptops with Windows Vista, the original edition NOT service pack 1 - even though SP1 was available to Dell for 2 months before I placed my order!!! That meant I had to install SP1 on both laptops. This installation did not go as smoothly as it should have (e.g., after installation, computer froze once, and later didn't wake from sleep correctly, or woke up but didn't recognize attached usb devices, etc).

In fact, I have a few issues with Vista, but I'm reviewing the laptop, not Vista, and you unfortunately will likely be forced to get Vista with almost any new laptop you are considering buying.

But it was incredibly disappointing that Dell put the old Vista on these machines when SP1 was already available. Perhaps they hadn't yet gotten around to testing SP1 on their laptops.

* * *

Would I do it all over again? Yes, even if I had to go through the same hassles dealing with Dell, because I really love these XPS laptops.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

negative about the display is that the viewing angle isn't as wide as I had expected, and isn't as wide as the viewing angle on some other laptops with glossy displays.



We both got large hard drives, hers at 5400rpm and mine at 7200rpm. The 5400rpm one should be fine for 90% of users. I got the faster one because I do a lot of number crunching.



Hers has the integrated graphics, mine has the optional 128mb dedicated graphic card - neither of us have really pushed the graphics to the edge, but for everyday applications the (less-expensive) integrated graphics seems every bit as good as the extra-cost dedicated graphics card.



We both got core 2 duo intel processors - hers is 2.0 ghz, mine is 2.4 ghz. I consider a core 2 duo running at 2.0 ghz or better a necessity for anyone buying a laptop these days. I also suggest getting a large hard drive. It's better to pay extra for these things now, than to find out next year that your needs have outgrown your processor and hard drive. (RAM, however, is something you can upgrade later at relatively low cost as your needs grow.)



The keyboard has an excellent feel; typing on it is very pleasant, and the keys are not especially noisy. I've had 8 laptops from various companies (gateway, dell, toshiba, and 4 thinkpads from ibm or lenovo). Everyone says that thinkpads have the best keyboards. I think that USED to be true. But the keyboard on my most recent thinkpad - built after lenovo bought thinkpad from ibm - isn't quite as good as the keyboards on the three ibm-branded thinkpads I owned. Compared to most laptops, I like the keyboard on the Dell xps m1330 very much. This is subjective, though, and you should visit your local Best Buy (most locations stock Dell XPS laptops) and try the keyboard yourself.



We also like the slot-loading CD/DVD reader/burner better than the more common tray-loading ones. It is noisier than the tray when accepting or ejecting a disc, but the noise is only for a second or two and it is very tolerable, not annoying at all.



The bottom of the laptop does not get as hot as most other laptops I've used. However, some folks who bought this laptop say that theirs run pretty hot. A good thing to do is make sure you get the option to return your unit for a full refund, in case this (or anything else) turns out to be a problem.



We both get excellent battery life from the standard 6-cell battery. When running on battery power on a cross-country flight, I turned down the brightness of the display two notches from maximum, and got a bit over 3 hours of battery life. (This wasn't watching a DVD, though, which would use up the battery a bit faster.)



The build quality of these things seems very good. I fully expect them to hold up well over the long haul.



I realize this is subjective, but we both really like the looks of the XPS laptops. They are sleek and attractive. I encourage you to visit your local best buy and see one in person and judge for yourself. (This will also give you a chance to type on its keyboard to see whether you like the feel of it).



The Dell XPS laptops come with some nice extras, including:



a) all of the drivers, software, and operating system files on backup CDs or DVDs. This is unusual: most other laptops have these on their hard drives, and the buyer is required to create his or her own backup discs - most people don't bother doing this, which is bad news if a disaster happens and you have to reinstall everything from scratch.



b) a nice leatherette folder that holds all of these discs and the manual (yes, it comes with a printed manual, too!)



c) a soft sleeve to protect the laptop in case you put it in a briefcase, large handbag or backpack not specifically designed for laptops.



d) a small, thin wireless IR remote, which you can use when watching DVDs or listening to music or enjoying other media. This is a very cool but not incredibly useful extra, because you probably won't be sitting very far from the 13.3" display when watching your movies.



Now for the negatives.



There are only 2 USB ports. You can get around this with a USB hub, but some devices need to be plugged directly into a USB port in the computer. You can also get around this to a limited extent by opting for built-in bluetooth, then using wireless bluetooth devices instead of USB devices where possible. Still, it's inconvenient having only 2 usb ports.



That's really the only negative about the laptop, itself. The laptop doesn't have a few other luxuries that some other laptops now have - such as a little light built in to the top of the monitor that you can turn on when you're typing in a dark environment (red-eye flight) and it dimly lights up your keyboard. But just about everything else you'd need is here.



The big negative was dealing with Dell.



After configuring and pricing my systems online at dell's site, I ordered over the phone, because I'd read that you can bargain a bit with the phone sales reps. In fact, I did save about $200 on each of the laptops this way. However, the sales rep entered the order incorrectly for one of the laptops, never sent me a confirmation email, and gave me an incorrect customer number. Then, he took 5 or 6 days off, and it was very hard for me to get any information about my orders from anyone else at dell. When I finally did, I saw that one of the computers was not configured the way I ordered it, and it was quite a lot of trouble to get that changed back to how I originally wanted it.



After that was all straightened out, the laptops were built and shipped to me a few days before the estimated ship and delivery dates, which was a nice bonus.



But one of the laptops came with a nice, small 65-watt power supply adapter, while the other came with a big bulky and heavy 90-watt adapter. I thought there must be a mistake, they are both the same laptop, after all. It took me a while (and several calls) to learn that either adapter could be used safely with either laptop, but that the the 90-watt adapter would be better for the laptop with the faster processor.



I've made a couple calls to Dell technical support. Each time, I got through to a real human in only about 5-10 minutes. (These days, that's really quite good.) I believe this is because XPS laptops get access to "express" customer service/support, while regular Dell laptops (e.g. inspiron) have the regular (i.e. slow) tech support with long wait times.



The tech support person was located in the Philippines. He was very patient and helpful.



One other negative about Dell: they shipped both laptops with Windows Vista, the original edition NOT service pack 1 - even though SP1 was available to Dell for 2 months before I placed my order!!! That meant I had to install SP1 on both laptops. This installation did not go as smoothly as it should have (e.g., after installation, computer froze once, and later didn't wake from sleep correctly, or woke up but didn't recognize attached usb devices, etc).



In fact, I have a few issues with Vista, but I'm reviewing the laptop, not Vista, and you unfortunately will likely be forced to get Vista with almost any new laptop you are considering buying.



But it was incredibly disappointing that Dell put the old Vista on these machines when SP1 was already available. Perhaps they hadn't yet gotten around to testing SP1 on their laptops.



* * *



Would I do it all over again? Yes, even if I had to go through the same hassles dealing with Dell, because I really love these XPS laptops.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

and you can't see any fingerprints on the outside. They keys on the inside, however, and the wrist wrest can get quite dirty, so you may want to invest in a keyboard cover from iSkin (I'm using one right now ... fits perfectly and makes typing comfortable and quieter), and a wrist pad cover from marware, and you should be good to go if you're worried about dirt. I'm fastidious about keeping things clean, and these just fit the bill perfectly. DVD performance on this thing is outstanding ... there is no reason to not get this high quality computer from Apple. Apple really cares about their customer experience, from shopping to customer service. BTW, I recommend getting the apple care package as well ... always have been helpful when I had simple questions about hooking up wireless and printer.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

and you can't see any fingerprints on the outside. They keys on the inside, however, and the wrist wrest can get quite dirty, so you may want to invest in a keyboard cover from iSkin (I'm using one right now ... fits perfectly and makes typing comfortable and quieter), and a wrist pad cover from marware, and you should be good to go if you're worried about dirt. I'm fastidious about keeping things clean, and these just fit the bill perfectly. DVD performance on this thing is outstanding ... there is no reason to not get this high quality computer from Apple. Apple really cares about their customer experience, from shopping to customer service. BTW, I recommend getting the apple care package as well ... always have been helpful when I had simple questions about hooking up wireless and printer.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

Why does Mac not include this??? :(
5. It does NOT require the regular restarts that my Windows systems have always required. Simply close the lid and put it to sleep at night, and the next morning lift the lid and you are back in business. I can do this with my Toshiba but start getting errors in Windows after a couple of days and need to reset. Also, my Macbook runs very cool (with little heat) in the sleep mode, thereby allowing me to put it in my brief case in sleep mode without it heating up. I could never do that with any of my PC laptops. They would always heat up.
6. No virus software needed. Happy, Happy, Happy. Surfing the internet is faster because of this. Also, opening a document in MS Word is faster because the Virus software is not screening it.
I purchased MS Office and loaded it. It runs great and is almost identical to its Windows counterpart in functionality. But, Word and Excel seem to boot up a bit slower than the Windows versions. This is one thing that I do not like.
7. I like the way the electric cord connects with a magnet instead of plugging in. This seems handier and better in design, but I wonder if the magnet will still be as strong two years from now?

All in all, I am extremely pleased with this Mac. When you compare the price with the included features, it is only slightly more expensive than a comparable PC. To me it is worth the extra $200.

Actually what is going to make this very expensive, is now that my wife and daughter have seen my Mac they are both wanting to replace their PCs as well. This is one expense I did NOT budget for.

Thanks for reading. Hope this helps

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

Why does Mac not include this??? :(

5. It does NOT require the regular restarts that my Windows systems have always required. Simply close the lid and put it to sleep at night, and the next morning lift the lid and you are back in business. I can do this with my Toshiba but start getting errors in Windows after a couple of days and need to reset. Also, my Macbook runs very cool (with little heat) in the sleep mode, thereby allowing me to put it in my brief case in sleep mode without it heating up. I could never do that with any of my PC laptops. They would always heat up.

6. No virus software needed. Happy, Happy, Happy. Surfing the internet is faster because of this. Also, opening a document in MS Word is faster because the Virus software is not screening it.

I purchased MS Office and loaded it. It runs great and is almost identical to its Windows counterpart in functionality. But, Word and Excel seem to boot up a bit slower than the Windows versions. This is one thing that I do not like.

7. I like the way the electric cord connects with a magnet instead of plugging in. This seems handier and better in design, but I wonder if the magnet will still be as strong two years from now?



All in all, I am extremely pleased with this Mac. When you compare the price with the included features, it is only slightly more expensive than a comparable PC. To me it is worth the extra $200.



Actually what is going to make this very expensive, is now that my wife and daughter have seen my Mac they are both wanting to replace their PCs as well. This is one expense I did NOT budget for.



Thanks for reading. Hope this helps

Dell XPS M1330 Laptop (Black) Ultra Slim 13.3 Widescreen, Vista Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.0GHz, 200GB Hard Drive, 1GB DDR2 Memory, 13.3 Inch Wide Screen Wxga , 128mb Nvidia, Finger Print reader,

...

an integrated remote control meant for controlling media, but which I use for frequent powerpoint presentations. Dell has also rolled out MediaDirect, a separate system which boots quickly to give you access to media and powerpoint presentations without booting into Vista. Integrated wireless and bluetooth works like a charm. I upgraded the memory to 4 gigabytes out of the box and have found the machine to be blazingly fast. I could not be more pleased.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

comes to reliability, durability, predictability, consistency, and security. Additionally, UNIX (with its open source variants) does not suffer from conflict of interest between operating systems and applications. One always wonders if some MS Windows quirk exists to solve a development problem in some MS application. I quickly put the terminal icon on the MacBook desktop so I could indulge myself with the UNIX shell command line any time I want ;-).

I installed a third party wireless router and configured internet services on the MacBook in a few minutes. I also added a third party optical bluetooth mouse in about thirty seconds. It took longer to install the mouse batteries than configure the MacBook bluetooth capability.

Apple has a very solid package with the current MacBook. There is little that one needs to add to the MacBook. It comes with just about every hardware interface available today. It has ample processor, RAM, and hard disk storage for average users. It comes with dual layer DVD RW. The bundled suite of applications is adequate for the full spectrum of casual computing (e.g., web browsing, email, chat, word processing, photo/video/audio processing). Apple stuff is a bit pricy but you receive the value you pay for.

If you want a good comprehensive companion book for your MacBook, I recommend David Pogue's "Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual". This book is large and contains much technical detail but is very well written. It is not for the casual computing novice that finds reading and comprehension tedious.

I have used Apple support one time and found the wait to be acceptable and support engineer to be competent, efficient and attentive. I have used MS support many times over the years and found them to be equally capable.

I have not found anything I dislike about the MacBook after thirty days of usage. My wife, however, would like the Apple logo on the lid to glow red instead of white when the MacBook is powered up.

Apple MacBook, 13-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - White - MB403LL/A

...

comes to reliability, durability, predictability, consistency, and security. Additionally, UNIX (with its open source variants) does not suffer from conflict of interest between operating systems and applications. One always wonders if some MS Windows quirk exists to solve a development problem in some MS application. I quickly put the terminal icon on the MacBook desktop so I could indulge myself with the UNIX shell command line any time I want ;-).



I installed a third party wireless router and configured internet services on the MacBook in a few minutes. I also added a third party optical bluetooth mouse in about thirty seconds. It took longer to install the mouse batteries than configure the MacBook bluetooth capability.



Apple has a very solid package with the current MacBook. There is little that one needs to add to the MacBook. It comes with just about every hardware interface available today. It has ample processor, RAM, and hard disk storage for average users. It comes with dual layer DVD RW. The bundled suite of applications is adequate for the full spectrum of casual computing (e.g., web browsing, email, chat, word processing, photo/video/audio processing). Apple stuff is a bit pricy but you receive the value you pay for.



If you want a good comprehensive companion book for your MacBook, I recommend David Pogue's "Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual". This book is large and contains much technical detail but is very well written. It is not for the casual computing novice that finds reading and comprehension tedious.



I have used Apple support one time and found the wait to be acceptable and support engineer to be competent, efficient and attentive. I have used MS support many times over the years and found them to be equally capable.



I have not found anything I dislike about the MacBook after thirty days of usage. My wife, however, would like the Apple logo on the lid to glow red instead of white when the MacBook is powered up.