This time around, courtesy of Lucid Communications, the public relations company that handles Dell Indonesia, I had the opportunity to put a handsome Dell XPS M1330 through its paces for a couple of weeks.
This notebook was launched in Indonesia in February, when Dell announced it was also entering the consumer segment. Previously, Dell mainly supplied our market with desktop and notebook PCs in the business category.
The XPS M1330 is positioned as an ultraportable Intel-based notebook. There are some positive points in getting my turn to review a notebook -- or a cell phone -- after half a dozen other people: At least it has undergone some abuse that I would not have the heart to perform.
When I received the notebook and opened it, for example, my nose was immediately stung by the smell of clove cigarette ash. Clearly, the earlier reviewers were intentionally or unintentionally testing the unit against unfriendly particles.
When I received the notebook and opened it, for example, my nose was immediately stung by the smell of clove cigarette ash. Clearly, the earlier reviewers were intentionally or unintentionally testing the unit against unfriendly particles.
There were a lot of smudges, too. But, all it took me was five minutes with a wet chamois, and the unit looked brand new again. This demonstrated Dell's careful choice of materials for the notebook casing.
The first thing to catch your eye when you see a Dell XPS 1330 is its highly appealing screen cover color. My test unit came in blue, and it looked very handsome. Other color options are available, including black and red. The overall design is enhanced further with silver trim -- the same color as the keyboard and the palmrest.
The color combination tends to give the impression this is a five-kilogram machine. It isn't. It weighs just a little over two kgs. Of course, although Dell puts it in the ultraportable category, the M1330 is not to be compared with the MacBook Air or ThinkPad X300.
The engine is a pretty capable one. My review unit ran on an Intel Core 2 Duo T75450 processor with a 1.66 GHz clock speed. Thanks to its 2 GB memory, it ran Windows Home Premium like a professional marathon runner. Unlike the notebooks from many of the other brands, it did not come with too many preinstalled applications that most of us never use.
In addition to its great performance, I loved the screen. It is an LED backlit, widescreen display measuring 13.3 inches diagonally. The TFT panel has a glossy surface that does not seem to get smudged easily. It produces a high level of brightness, but it is not too bright and is not uncomfortably glaring.
I had to lower the resolution a lot to make the characters easier to read. The factory default resolution is 1280 by 800, which gives very tiny characters. My sweet spot turned out to be 800 by 600. It is not the right resolution for a wide screen, so the icons and characters look stretched and disproportionate. But, at least, they are easier on my eyes.
The keyboard is spacious and pleasing enough for a fast typist. I like the large arrow keys as well as the column of the navigation keys along the right edge. The unit gets rather warm after a while, but not enough to burn your lap.
The integrated Webcam is another plus found on this unit. With a 2.0 MP capability, it is great for videoconferencing as well as taking vanity photos. It even has face tracking that will try to put your face in the center. If the bandwidth is limited, the resolution can be lowered. Adjusting the resolution, color setting and background light compensation is very straightforward once the Dell Webcam Manager is running.
Incidentally, the Webcam application has motion detection capability, too. So, if you see an unattended Dell XPS M1330, you had better not mess with it. It may send an alert to its owner without your knowledge.
The M1330 comes with two USB ports. I would opt for more. In addition to the standard VGA port to connect it to an analog projector, there is also an IEEE 1394 port for video transfer. It also has a port for High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), which can connect the computer to a high definition TV. A remote control is even thrown in.
Most notebooks come with both an RJ-45 Ethernet port and an RJ-11 modem port. Dell's design engineers seem to think that people no longer use dial-up connection, so the modem is a detachable USB device. Another extra is an 8-in-1 card reader, which complements the ExpressCard slot.
The Wi-Fi is also very easy to set up. Slide the Wi-Fi button on the ride side, and you will see all the available 802.11 a/b/g/n networks in your surroundings, complete with their individual signal strength. The audio ports are located on the front edge. I think these ports should be on the side, but the challenge is perhaps finding the space for them as both sides are already full with connector ports and buttons.
Interestingly, two sets of stereo headphones can be connected to the notebook.
Also atypical of previous Dell notebooks, there is a row of touch buttons on the top right-hand end of the keyboard. It is called Dell MediaDirect. The touch-sensitive buttons detect human fingers only. Nothing happened when I tried to press any of them with a cotton bud. Unfortunately, though, they are placed too close to each other that, I think, the system sometimes gets confused if they are not touched in the right spot. It is a challenge for people like me, who have fat fingers.
Also atypical of previous Dell notebooks, there is a row of touch buttons on the top right-hand end of the keyboard. It is called Dell MediaDirect. The touch-sensitive buttons detect human fingers only. Nothing happened when I tried to press any of them with a cotton bud. Unfortunately, though, they are placed too close to each other that, I think, the system sometimes gets confused if they are not touched in the right spot. It is a challenge for people like me, who have fat fingers.
The DVD writer is trayless, or slot-loading, according to Dell's lingo. I still feel worried when using the slot-type drive -- worried that I will not be able to take a disc out should it become stuck inside. There is the option of using a Solid State Drive instead of a conventional hard disk, but it will raise the price substantially. Besides, the current maximum capacity is only 64 GB, which is quite small for those who have become accustomed to having a 200 GB hard disk.
So, what do I think of the M1330, which has received an Editor's Choice from PCMagazine as well as a long list of other awards? When it comes to lightweight and thinness, it may have arrived a tad too late in the market. But, when it comes to performance, comfort-of-use and style, it still offers truly exceptional value. It should definitely be on your list of alternatives if you are in the market for a new notebook.
So, what do I think of the M1330, which has received an Editor's Choice from PCMagazine as well as a long list of other awards? When it comes to lightweight and thinness, it may have arrived a tad too late in the market. But, when it comes to performance, comfort-of-use and style, it still offers truly exceptional value. It should definitely be on your list of alternatives if you are in the market for a new notebook.
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