Dell Inspiron 700m

[NetRyder]

Just received the new 700m a couple of days ago. I'll have a mini-review up in the next few days (no time right now), but someone asked me to post pics in another thread, so here they are. :)

I think Dell did a marvellous job with the design on this one. Much better design than their previous line-up (I have a Inspiron 5100 too...the 700m is for my dad). The footprint is tiny: it's about 1.5" thick and weight a little more than 4 lbs; that's lighter than a 12" iBook. The wide-aspect 12.1" WXGA screen is drop-dead gorgeous (best I've seen yet). Other impressions coming up later this week.

Specs:

12.1" WXGA (1280x800) wide-aspect reflective TFT display

Intel Pentium-M "Dothan" 725 @ 1.60 GHz (2MB Cache, 400MHz FSB)

512MB (2x256) PC2700 DDR SDRAM

40.0 GB Hard Drive

8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+RW/+R) w/ double-layer write capability

Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG MiniPCI IIIB Adapter (802.11b/g)

64MB Intel Extreme Graphics

Integrated 10/100 Network Adapter

Integrated v.92 56k Modem

2 x USB 2.0, 1 x IEEE 1394 (Firewire) ports

1 x S-Video out, 1 x VGA out ports

1 x Type I/II PCMCIA card slot

1 x Secure Digital (SD) memory card reader

8-cell 65WHr Li-Ion battery

Windows XP Home SP1

Pics:

Just delivered. :) The small box on the right is the free Dell 720 Photo Printer that came with the system.

Beautiful finish on the lid...

Small and light enough to carry with one hand.

A glimpse of the screen...the brightness and crispness just blew me away.

The right side of the machine - a modular dual-layer DVD burner. That's right, 8.5GB on a single disk :cool:

Size-comparison with my 14.1" 5100. Of course, one is a mainstream machine, the other is almost an ultraportable.

UPDATE (Oct 11, 2004): Final review posted :)

Check it out here.

Edited October 11, 2004 by NetRyder

[jerry]

Looks Nice (Y)

Wish they had a better videocard in there :happy:

[thollian]

awesome laptop, just wish also that it had a better video card

[siinoi]

yummy!

it looks beautiful.

[NetRyder]

awesome laptop, just wish also that it had a better video card

I took that into consideration, but since my dad (and myself, for that matter) isn't a gamer, the rest of the specs, along with the design, easily overshadowed that little aspect. :)

I agree though - a better dedicated GPU would probably make it more appealing to a larger sector of the market. Maybe heat, weight or battery life considerations prompted them not to include something more powerful.

[JustGeorge]

That's a killer laptop, but I'm not too crazy about reflective screens. Can't stand the glare on my lil gba let alone this!

[Storm]

Do you want to sell the blue one?

[xGROMx]

I like Dell laptops, there is only one problem with them, they are all intel.........very bad. They need to support AMD, but Intel can't handle the compitition. Still looking sweet though.

[aaron901]

this has got to be the best looking laptop Dell has ever made. :)

[karma_police]

Yeah for sure aaron901

My dad is getting one, should arrive the next week.

[JoHideo]

How do you get those reflective screens? I love them!

[Cube]

damn thats one seksi laptop :D

congrats, I want one :yes:

I wont use it for gaming, the vidcard is fine

[NetRyder]

How do you get those reflective screens? I love them!

The 700m is currently the only Dell portable that has one. Definitely worth it, in my opinion. :yes:

[NetRyder]

Do you want to sell the blue one?

Hehe, as I said, the blue one (the i5100) is mine. The 700m is what my dad will be using.

...although I wouldn't mind selling my 5100 if I could get almost enough from the sale to get a new 700m. :p

I like Dell laptops, there is only one problem with them, they are all intel.........very bad.  They need to support AMD, but Intel can't handle the compitition.  Still looking sweet though.

I don't mind that at all. The Pentium-M (Dothans) are the best x86 mobile processors as far as I'm concerned. :)

Edited September 2, 2004 by NetRyder

[TheLegendOfMart]

wow Dell has gone up a notch in my book, looks awesome, sham they dont do the 700m here in the UK, id get one

[Cube]

I like Dell laptops, there is only one problem with them, they are all intel.........very bad. They need to support AMD, but Intel can't handle the compitition. Still looking sweet though.

umm sorry but amds laptop processors aren't as mobile friendly as pentium M..

I'd rather have them stick with intel

[giga Veteran]

Very nice laptop. :yes: (Y) One of the best Dell's i've seen for sure. But one question remains to be unseen: How much did it cost? If it's more than $1100, then theres no point in comparing it to an iBook.

[NetRyder]

About $1850 (with discounts) for the specs mentioned in the original post.

Wasn't comparing anything other than the weight/dimensions to the iBook, since the iBook is usually considered to be one of the more portable machines out there. The 700m and the iBook are in different leagues altogether. :)

[Cube]

its better than the ibook. It is in the same league as powerbook IMO

[LosingHold]

wow....i really like the size of it. I have had to fix many of my friends Dell laptops so i've never really been a fan of them, but I would give this one a try.

[asdflkjsdrhthfhrhr]

It's pretty, the screen looks nice. Does the shineyness get in the way?

I think this one is okay, but all other dell notebooks I really find to be crap.

[Yuxi]

I like the blue one! :D :shifty:

[Hurmoth]

I'm not a Dell fan, but this system looks awesome!

[NetRyder]

It's pretty, the screen looks nice. Does the shineyness get in the way?

Not really...I just watched a movie in the car the other day, and it was visible even in the sunlight.

My 5100 has a regular screen, and it starts to look faded in direct sunlight. :)

[j0sh]

After seeing this thread, I'm convinced even more to save up for one of these :D