Specs
2.0 GHz T2500 processor
1 gig ram
100 gig 5400 rpm HD
256 MB Nvidia GeForce 7400
6-cell battery
Intel 3945 Wireless
8x DVD/CD-RW
Windows XP Media Center Edition
Out of the box impressions
The packaging for the machine is fairly impressive. It comes w/ a box containing the AC cord, XPS accessory bag, XPS CD case, instruction manuals, and original install CD's. Then there's another box housing the actual machine w/ XPS cut out of the cardboard.
General Build, Appearance, & Ergonomics
I was fairly impressed w/ the appearance of the machine. The black w/ gray accents color scheme works very well. The build feels very solid, no creaky hinges. The laptop shuts and opens w/ ease and doesn't use any latch devices. It's a little thick for it's size, but it more than makes up for it in pure performance. It's a little heavier than it looks, but again, it more than makes up for it in performance.
Top of machine, CD jewel case included for size reference.
The only con to the black top is that you will see fingerprints easily.
Contrast adjusted to bring out the fingerprints.
Ports & Media
Left side of machine: RJ11 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, S-Video out, Wi-Fi on/off/catcher, vents, hard drive
Right side of the machine: DVD/CD-RW, 5in1 card reader, 1394, 2 USB 2.0, VGA out
Front of Machine: 2 Headphone port, Mic line in, Media buttons
Back of Machine: RJ45 ethernet, AC Power
Screen
I have the dreaded toshiba LCD58E. I actually think the screen looks fine. However, I'm definitely not an expert on screens, so don't crucify me when I say the screen looks fine to me. The screen is very bright at the max setting and is more than decent at the halfway point. At this point, I'm not going to try to get Dell to replace my screen as I have no comparison point. I'm not going to go out of my way to find another M1210 owner w/ an AUO3241, but if I happen to see one, I'll probably fold due to curiousity.
NO light leakage!
Keyboard/Touchpad
I'm glad Dell decided to have the full size keyboard on this. The flex is almost non-existant and I have no trouble hitting the right keys, just as I was typing on my desktop.
The touchpad was a very pleasant surprise. It's very responsive and it didn't wander/jump once during the whole time I was using it. The click buttons are absolutely excellent. They have the perfect amount of travel and are probably the best click buttons I've ever used on a laptop.
Wireless capability
The wireless card range is more than sufficient as I was able to pick up 7 different networks from the dining room in my house. I live in the suburbs and the distance between each house is a good 10 ft. I also love the Wi-Fi catcher feature. Just slide the Wi-Fi on/off switch all the way to the right and the catcher will tell you whether or not you have a signal. And this feature works whether or not the laptop is on or off, so you don't look like an idiot walking around w/ your laptop open looking for a signal.
Sound & Speakers
I really didn't expect much in this department as I was thinking there was no way this tiny laptop could house decent speakers. The speakers are actually quite decent. I had no problem listening on Itunes or dialogue during a movie.
6 Cell-Battery
My battery came fully charged from the factory. The battery has a small guage on it that has 5 lights. If you press and release the guage, it tells you how much battery it has left in 20% increments corresponding to the 5 lights. If you press and hold the guage, it gives you a battery health reading. I went right to work removing the bloatware and adding the laptop to my home network. Once i got it connected (Wi-fi off, cable connectivity), i transferred 13.9 gigs of music from my desktop, loaded up a few programs, while surfing the net. I then watched a 15 minutes of an Entourage episode and saw that I had been on the laptop for a little under three hours. I checked the battery and it was at 15%. That's pretty decent life for what I was doing.
Processor
The core duo T2500 smokes all other laptops I've ever handled plus my personal desktop. I was installing programs, transferring files from my desktop, and surfing the net all at the same time and it didn't skip a beat. A real treat for multitaskers!
Super PI to 2M digits: 1 min, 11s
Optical Drive/Media Center
What can I say about the optical drive.... it works. It's a tad bit louder than some of the drives I've used, but nothing overpowering. Media Center is also a welcome addition to Windows. I really enjoy watching DVD's w/ it as opposed to the crap player Dell packages in the bloatware.
Conclusion
This laptop is all I expected and more. You can't beat the power to size ratio along w/ the decent price (unlike Sony). This laptop packs a punch and not only spanks all others in it's 12" screen class, it outperforms many other desktop replacements. This thing performs so well that I find myself using it more than my desktop. If you're looking for power in a small package for a decent price, this is definitely is the way to go.
Case Logic 13" Slimline Laptop case (TNC-13)
I stumbled on this case while browsing on amazon. This holds the M1210 perfectly as seen in the pix. It has many pockets for anything you can imagine: keys, camera, built in CD sleeves, document holder, etc.
Official Case Logic site link:
http://www.caselogic.com/case_logic/...?modelid=70104
I got mine at amazon for $31.99 shipped. I also believe newegg has a good deal also.
2.0 GHz T2500 processor
1 gig ram
100 gig 5400 rpm HD
256 MB Nvidia GeForce 7400
6-cell battery
Intel 3945 Wireless
8x DVD/CD-RW
Windows XP Media Center Edition
Out of the box impressions
The packaging for the machine is fairly impressive. It comes w/ a box containing the AC cord, XPS accessory bag, XPS CD case, instruction manuals, and original install CD's. Then there's another box housing the actual machine w/ XPS cut out of the cardboard.
General Build, Appearance, & Ergonomics
I was fairly impressed w/ the appearance of the machine. The black w/ gray accents color scheme works very well. The build feels very solid, no creaky hinges. The laptop shuts and opens w/ ease and doesn't use any latch devices. It's a little thick for it's size, but it more than makes up for it in pure performance. It's a little heavier than it looks, but again, it more than makes up for it in performance.
Top of machine, CD jewel case included for size reference.
The only con to the black top is that you will see fingerprints easily.
Contrast adjusted to bring out the fingerprints.
Ports & Media
Left side of machine: RJ11 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports, S-Video out, Wi-Fi on/off/catcher, vents, hard drive
Right side of the machine: DVD/CD-RW, 5in1 card reader, 1394, 2 USB 2.0, VGA out
Front of Machine: 2 Headphone port, Mic line in, Media buttons
Back of Machine: RJ45 ethernet, AC Power
Screen
I have the dreaded toshiba LCD58E. I actually think the screen looks fine. However, I'm definitely not an expert on screens, so don't crucify me when I say the screen looks fine to me. The screen is very bright at the max setting and is more than decent at the halfway point. At this point, I'm not going to try to get Dell to replace my screen as I have no comparison point. I'm not going to go out of my way to find another M1210 owner w/ an AUO3241, but if I happen to see one, I'll probably fold due to curiousity.
NO light leakage!
Keyboard/Touchpad
I'm glad Dell decided to have the full size keyboard on this. The flex is almost non-existant and I have no trouble hitting the right keys, just as I was typing on my desktop.
The touchpad was a very pleasant surprise. It's very responsive and it didn't wander/jump once during the whole time I was using it. The click buttons are absolutely excellent. They have the perfect amount of travel and are probably the best click buttons I've ever used on a laptop.
Wireless capability
The wireless card range is more than sufficient as I was able to pick up 7 different networks from the dining room in my house. I live in the suburbs and the distance between each house is a good 10 ft. I also love the Wi-Fi catcher feature. Just slide the Wi-Fi on/off switch all the way to the right and the catcher will tell you whether or not you have a signal. And this feature works whether or not the laptop is on or off, so you don't look like an idiot walking around w/ your laptop open looking for a signal.
Sound & Speakers
I really didn't expect much in this department as I was thinking there was no way this tiny laptop could house decent speakers. The speakers are actually quite decent. I had no problem listening on Itunes or dialogue during a movie.
6 Cell-Battery
My battery came fully charged from the factory. The battery has a small guage on it that has 5 lights. If you press and release the guage, it tells you how much battery it has left in 20% increments corresponding to the 5 lights. If you press and hold the guage, it gives you a battery health reading. I went right to work removing the bloatware and adding the laptop to my home network. Once i got it connected (Wi-fi off, cable connectivity), i transferred 13.9 gigs of music from my desktop, loaded up a few programs, while surfing the net. I then watched a 15 minutes of an Entourage episode and saw that I had been on the laptop for a little under three hours. I checked the battery and it was at 15%. That's pretty decent life for what I was doing.
Processor
The core duo T2500 smokes all other laptops I've ever handled plus my personal desktop. I was installing programs, transferring files from my desktop, and surfing the net all at the same time and it didn't skip a beat. A real treat for multitaskers!
Super PI to 2M digits: 1 min, 11s
Optical Drive/Media Center
What can I say about the optical drive.... it works. It's a tad bit louder than some of the drives I've used, but nothing overpowering. Media Center is also a welcome addition to Windows. I really enjoy watching DVD's w/ it as opposed to the crap player Dell packages in the bloatware.
Conclusion
This laptop is all I expected and more. You can't beat the power to size ratio along w/ the decent price (unlike Sony). This laptop packs a punch and not only spanks all others in it's 12" screen class, it outperforms many other desktop replacements. This thing performs so well that I find myself using it more than my desktop. If you're looking for power in a small package for a decent price, this is definitely is the way to go.
Case Logic 13" Slimline Laptop case (TNC-13)
I stumbled on this case while browsing on amazon. This holds the M1210 perfectly as seen in the pix. It has many pockets for anything you can imagine: keys, camera, built in CD sleeves, document holder, etc.
Official Case Logic site link:
http://www.caselogic.com/case_logic/...?modelid=70104
I got mine at amazon for $31.99 shipped. I also believe newegg has a good deal also.
