djst's nest

Just bought a Dell

I just placed an order for a Dell Inspiron 6000. However, I managed to trick the web system by choosing a pre-configured system with Pentium M, and then removed the ATI graphics card and all of a sudden I saved SEK 2800, compared to buying the exact same system from the cheap Celeron link. What I get is:

• a Pentium M 730 (1.60GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB),
• 15.4" widescreen (1680x1050),
• 512 MB RAM 400 MHz,
• 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
• a powerful 9-cell battery with over 6 hours of battery life,
• 40 GB 5400 rpm disk drive,
• Intel Pro/Wireless 2915 a/b/g,
• and a free printer/copier/scanner included, Dell 922.

So basically, I got the upgrade from Celeron M to Pentium M and the DVD burner for free. I also chose the higher resolution on the screen, to justify the large 15.4" size. I'm sure looking forward to get the computer! :)

Perhaps a Dell instead

I won't buy the Uniwill computer after all. In the end, the price tag was just a bit too much for my budget, and I don't want to take a loan just for a new computer. I won't buy the HP dv1011 either, because it's almost as expensive as the Uniwill but has worse hardware in almost all aspects, from disk drive speed to processor type and cache.

I'm seriously considering something much cheaper, but unfortunately a lot heavier: a Dell Inspiron 6000. Earlier this week it costed just SEK 7300. For that price, I get:

• a Celeron 1.3 GHz with 1 MB cache,
• 15.4" widescreen (1280x800),
• 512 MB RAM,
• a powerful 9-cell battery with over 6 hours of battery life,
• 40 GB 5400 rpm disk drive,
• Intel Pro/Wireless 2915 a/b/g,
• and a free printer/copier/scanner included, Dell 922.

The only catch is the weight: approx. 3.2 kg (7 lbs). It won't be as portable as the other two systems, but I've realized that I will mostly use the system at home anyway. For the occations I will bring the computer to the university, two or three kilos won't really matter. It's a lot to carry anyway along with the charger, the course books, the lunchbox and the 1.5 litres of Pepsi Max, so one more kilo will not make a big difference. ;)

Updated info about the notebook

Today I got my hands on the Uniwill 223 series notebook that I blogged about yesterday. I can't say it felt perfect, but it's still the most interesting of the notebooks I've tested so far. On the negative side, the lightweight 1.9 kg computer actually felt quite heavy anyway. The difference from the HP Pavilion dv1011EA was hardly noticeable (weighing in at 2.4 kg). Of course, the HP is just a Celeron 1.4 GHz, with a slow (4800 rpm) 40 GB hard disk, so it's a slower, heavier system overall. And worst of all, I think it has a Broadcom wireless chip. Nevertheless, it's at least SEK 1500 cheaper.

Other negative things about the Uniwill computer was that it felt a bit soft and plastic, as if it would easily break. If you closed the notebook, you could squeeze the screen so it almost touched the keyboard. You could also press your finger behind the screen and the LCD crystals would change color. I don't know if that's common in notebook displays, but I will definitely check with the HP model to see if that one has the same problem. Not sure if it really is a problem though, but it gave the computer a cheaper feeling. The last negative detail was the annoying placement of the Fn key, where the Ctrl key is supposed to be. This makes it hard to adapt, since I use Ctrl so often.

On the brighter side, the wireless LAN card is an Intel PRO/Wireless 2195 (hmm or was it 2915?) (a/b/g), so appearantly it was slightly better than what I thought. Also, you get a bag for the notebook with the price, saving me a few hundred SEK:s (making the actual price difference between the Uniwill and HP models even smaller).

The screen was definitely not too small. I had expected a 12.1" widescreen to be hard to use, but it was actually of great quality. Bright, crisp and sharp. The screen looked like it was made of glass, very glossy and shiny. Perhaps that could be annoying if it reflects too much of the environment. I heard that Sony Vaio users often complain about that.

I haven't decided if I will buy it or not. I will take a closer look on the HP Pavilion dv1011EA and see how it compares. Of course, the Uniwill is more interesting since it's smaller, more lightweight, and has better hardware specs. To summarize:

Yes, laptops in Sweden are not cheap. The alternatives are not worth it though, because of keyboard layouts, toll fees, different power plugs, etc.

Possibly my new notebook

I have finally found a notebook that fits my pusposes well and is within the right price range. My main priorities have always been:

1. Small and lightweight,
2. not too expensive, and
3. Linux compatible.

What I've found is a machine called Vega+ 223 with the following specifications:

• Pentium 4 Mobile 1.6GHz, 2MB-Centrino
• 512MB DDR So-Dimm
• 60GB HDD Fujitsu silent 8Mb, 5400
• Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 (855GME, up to 64MB shared memory)
• DVD±RW
• 3D sound, mic, 4 speakers
• 56k Modem & 10/100Mbit LAN
• Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g (Intel PRO/Wireless 2200)
• Firewire IEEE1394, 2 x USB
• Card reader, PCMCIA Type II, Docking port
• Power Cinema, Smart Power II
• 12.1" TFT Wide WXGA 1280*800
• Li-Ion Battery Pack 6 Cells - 4400mA
• Weight: 1.9 kg (that's 4.19 lbs.)
• Dimensions: 230mm (W) x 292mm (D) x 25~36mm(H)

Does anyone have any experience with Vega+ notebooks, or anything relevant to say about this choice? The thing I've been a bit sceptical about is the size of the screen. While I'm looking for a small and highly portable notebook since I'll carry it with me to the university almost every day, I still want it to be large enough to actually be usable. Anyone here who has actually used a 16:10 ratio 12.1" widescreen?

Tomorrow I will go to Stockholm where this computer is sold and see how it actually looks like. If it meets my expectations, I'll probably buy it.