LIKE MANY THINGS IN the PC industry these days, laptop computers as the digital camera (digital camera battery ) are a fairly mature sort of product. We all know about the basic types and sizes, and how the inevitable tradeoffs in display performance, size, weight, battery life and display real estate tend to work. If you're a road warrior, you can get a svelte, compact machine with understated design cues and six hours of battery life; you'll just have to sacrifice performance for that mobility. If you're a gamer, you can get a graphics and processing powerhouse with Pontiac-style ribbed body cladding and a display large enough to double as the main sail on a small yacht; you'll just have to accept the additional weight, heat, and battery drain that comes with it. For most of us, buying a laptop means deciding what set of tradeoffs we're willing to make and then looking into the various choices in our preferred weight class.
Dell's entry-level multimedia laptop, the XPS M1210 (xps m1210 dell laptop battery)has some excellent show-biz genes, such as media buttons and a TV tuner option. But it's also a strong, well-designed, and highly mobile performer. The Windows Vista refresh only enhances the earlier XP version's strong points.
The 4.9-pound M1210 is not the lightest laptop in its class, but it's still quite travel friendly as a digital caemra (digital camera battery ) . Pricing is flexible, starting at $1299, and the design is excellent. The M1210 has four USB ports, among other connections, ports, and card slots. Its 12.1-inch WXGA screen is extraordinarily bright and inviting, and the well-laid-out keyboard requires no ramp-up time. And with the unit turned off, one press of the keyboard's MediaDirect button launches a movie, music file, video clip, or photos slide show located anywhere on the notebook. Though the M1210 is a small notebook with small-sounding speakers, it comes with two headphone ports on the front so two people can plug in and listen at the same time.
Last year Dell added an 'Instant office' option to the MediaDirect menu; after selecting it, you can flip through your PowerPoint slides, contacts, and calendar entries, without waiting for Windows to load.
The Mobile Media Guru configuration, included on our $2150 (as of April 11, 2007) review unit) further broadens your entertainment and communications horizons. An external USB TV tuner and a remote control enable you to watch and record live TV on the M1210's small screen. Dell also includes an excellent Webcam and an integrated broadband antenna at this price level. (An integrated Cingular or Verizon cellular broadband card and Bluetooth cost extra, however.) The notebook's 'WiFi Catcher' switch makes it easy to scan for any type of wireless signal--Wi-Fi, broadband, or Bluetooth.
The XPS M1210 ( dell xps m1210 battery )features a bright 12.1-inch display that's just big enough for surfing the Web and watching the occasional movie on the road; the crisp 1,280x800 native resolution and glossy finish in particular add to the movie-watching experience. Above the display sits an optional 1.3-megapixel Webcam with directional microphone; the camera swivels so that you can snap shots in front of or behind the laptop and record presentations with audio and video. Beneath the display sit two speakers with the tinny sound that's typical of a laptop; we had hoped for more from a laptop that's billed as a mobile entertainment center.
The keyboard on the XPS M1210 (xps m1210 battery ) shows some significant gains over its predecessor's; all of the keys are full size, with generous travel that makes typing comfortable for even extended periods. The touch pad and mouse buttons are a bit small (typical for a laptop of this size) but functional. We like the glowing blue media controls that sit along the XPS M1210's front edge, making it easy to change music tracks and control volume. We also like the handy Wi-Fi catcher, which lets you test for nearby Wi-Fi networks by simply sliding a switch on the laptop's left edge.
The Dell XPS M1210 takes advantage of its slightly thick case by packing it with an impressive number of ports, jacks, and slots. For starters, you get four USB 2.0 ports, a number usually seen on much larger systems. Add to those four-pin FireWire, VGA, and S-Video-out ports plus two headphone jacks (handy if you want to watch a movie with a friend) and a microphone jack; there's also an ExpressCard slot and a five-in-one media card reader that recognizes Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and xD formats. Networking options include modem, Ethernet, and 802.11a/g Wi-Fi; our review unit also included Bluetooth and WWAN. An integrated DVD burner rounds out the feature set.
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