Laptop Review – Dell Vostro Series
Gone are the days when the norm was that business could only be done in the office. Dell made this series of laptops to be able to withstand spills, moisture, and falls, to some extent. It has a feature that shuts off the hard drive as soon as the laptop enters a state of free fall in order to avoid data loss. The Dell Vostro Series laptops are also relatively lightweight and not as bulky. Wireless capability is long-range and the laptops come with security software that is useful for preventing the release of vital information. The screen size is available from 8.9″ to 17″ and its processors range from AMD to Intel Core Duo.
There is no one choice of laptop that fits everybody. The buyer would have to consider the specific tasks that the laptop will have to be able to handle well. The Dell Vostro Series is easily upgradeable so if the needs of your business change, then it would be simple to remedy.
The Dell Vostro Series is preferred by a majority of businesspersons and working professionals as a result of these features that are mentioned above. The consumer laptops would fall short of what entrepreneurs seek to accomplish. However, high-end corporate laptops would be an overkill too. Dell discovered that there was a niche in between the two that needed to be filled.
The laptops provide the ultimate in simplicity and sturdiness. The styling is elegant and understated, which is what we think people in business like. Because each of the Dell Vostro Series laptops give a good performance, that fact has taken a toll on the battery life, which isn’t mediocre by any means, but fails in comparison to other companies’ strides in this aspect.
The Dell Vostro Series has the following notebooks currently available: the 1220, 1320, 1520, 1720, A90 and A860. The most recently released is the Vostro 1220, which became available on July 1, 2009. The Vostro 1320, 1520 and 1720 were released on April 2, 2009. Meanwhile, the Vostro A860 went on sale on Nov. 13, 2008, and the Vostro A90 was released on April 15, 2009.
Vostro 1220
The Vostro 1220 is nearly as tiny as a netbook but it has features that only laptops can offer. Its battery also lasts considerably longer than netbooks. The Vostro 1220 is able to handle daily office tasks well; however, the screen is too small to really be able to effectively do editing. With heavy use, the Vostro 1220 could only run for three hours. The keyboard just feels too cramped and the keys aren’t as responsive as we would have liked. Considering that it is priced very low, we’re not surprised that it doesn’t impress us.
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Celeron 900, Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, P8600, P8700, or T9550 – Display: 12.1″ WXGA w/TrueLife – Memory: 2 GB Single Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz, 2, 3, 4, or 8 GB of Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz – Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW drive, Blu-ray Disc Combo drive – Video Card: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD – Security Hardware: Fingerprint reader w/DigitalPersona software, Wave Encryption software – Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA @ 5400 RPM, 250, 320, or 500 GB @ 7200 RPM w/Freefall Sensor, 250GB Encrypted Hard Drive @ 7200RPM w/Free Fall Sensor & Wave software, 128 GB Solid State Drive – Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 or 1510 mini card, Intel WiFi Link 5100, WiMAX/WiFi Link 5150, or 5300 mini card – Bluetooth: Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth 2.0 – Webcam: Integrated 1.3 MP webcam w/digital mic, optional free video chat software – Battery: 4-cell or 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery
Vostro 1320
Lugging the Vostro 1320 around isn’t a problem due to its size, weight, and sturdiness. In a mass of mostly black laptops, we welcome its burgundy-colored lid and black base. Opening several office applications simultaneously was uneventful. The Vostro 1320 can deal with the workload well. Photo and other multimedia editing can also be done with no hassle too. We don’t like that it only has a 2-hour battery life and its keyboard doesn’t provide much comfort.
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Celeron 900, Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, P7550, P8600, P8700, or T9550 – Display: 13.3″ WXGA Anti-Glare, UltraSharp WXGA w/TrueLife – Memory: 2 GB Single Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz, 2, 3, 4, or 8 GB of Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz – Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW drive, Blu-ray Disc Combo drive – Video Card: Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS – Security Hardware: Fingerprint reader w/DigitalPersona software, Wave Encryption software – Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA @ 5400 RPM, 250 or 320 GB @ 7200 RPM w/Freefall Sensor, 250GB Encrypted Hard Drive @ 7200RPM w/Free Fall Sensor & Wave software, 128 GB Solid State Drive – Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 or 1510 mini card, Intel WiFi Link 5100 or 5300 mini card – Bluetooth: Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 – Webcam: Integrated 1.3 MP webcam w/digital mic, optional free video chat software – Battery: 4-cell, 6-cell, or 9-cell Lithium-Ion battery
Vostro 1520
Weighing just 2.5kg and measuring 357 x 258mm x 38mm, the Vostro 1520 is a very portable device. But with a display of 15.4″, many working professionals will find that the screen size is satisfactory. The Vostro 1520′s anti-glare screen is a plus. While it isn’t really the most stylish of the lot, it meets most requirements of small to mid-sized companies.
Specifications – CPU: Intel Celeron 900, Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, P7550, P8600, P8700, or T9550 – Display: 15.4″ WXGA Anti-Glare LED, WXGA+ Anti-Glare, WXGA+ w/TrueLife – Memory: 2 GB Single Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz, 2, 3, 4, or 8 GB of Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz – Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW drive, Blu-ray Disc Combo drive – Video Card: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS – Security Hardware: Fingerprint reader w/DigitalPersona software, Wave Encryption software – Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA @ 5400 RPM, 250 or 320 GB @ 7200 RPM w/Freefall Sensor, 250GB Encrypted Hard Drive @ 7200RPM w/Free Fall Sensor & Wave software, 128 GB Solid State Drive – Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 or 1510 mini card, Intel WiFi Link 5100 or 5300 mini card – Bluetooth: Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 – Webcam: Integrated 1.3 MP webcam w/digital mic, optional free video chat software – Battery: 4-cell, 6-cell, or 9-cell Lithium Ion battery
Vostro 1720
Meant to replace the desktop, the Vostro 1720 packs a lot of power and allows for the user to handle office applications and even some minor editing and design work well. The display is topnotch and this makes watching videos and viewing images a delight. With a 17″ display, comparing documents and multitasking are made easy. The keyboard is comfortable and typing for long periods of time can be done with no cramping. Battery life is ample even when it is used heavily.
Specifications - CPU: Intel Celeron 900, Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, P7550, P8600, P8700, or T9550 – Display: 17″ WXGA+ Anti-Glare LED, UltraSharp WUXGA w/TrueLife – Memory: 2 GB Single Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz, 2, 3, 4, or 8 GB of Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz – Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW drive, Blu-ray Disc Combo drive – Video Card: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS – Security Hardware: Fingerprint reader w/DigitalPersona software, Wave Encryption software – Hard Drive: 160 GB SATA @ 5400 RPM, 250 or 320 GB @ 7200 RPM w/Freefall Sensor, 250GB Encrypted Hard Drive @ 7200RPM w/ Free Fall Sensor & Wave software, 128 GB Solid State Drive – Wireless: Dell Wireless 1397 or 1510 mini card, Intel WiFi Link 5100 or 5300 mini card – Bluetooth: Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 – Battery: 6-cell or 8-cell Lithium Ion battery
Vostro A90
Vostro A90 is the rebadged Inspiron Mini 9. Its display measures 8.9″ and while most business users would probably not pick it up because there is such a thing as too small, there will be those who purchase it simply for that feature. The Vostro A90 provides images that are sharp and bright. The processing speed is limited though.
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Atom N270 – Display: 8.9″ WSVGA – Memory: 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM @ 533 MHz – Optical Drive: None – Video Card: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 – Hard Drive: 16 GB Solid State Drive – Wireless: Wireless 802.11g card – Webcam: Integrated 0.3 MP webcam – Battery: 4-cell (35 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery
Vostro A860
The A860 is marketed to be a budget laptop and hence, it only has the most basic features. Its appearance is run-of-the-mill and does not hide the fact that it is a low-end model. We think that two ports is too few and will pose major problems later on. Since the usb ports are located on the left, a wired mouse used by a right-handed person would prove to be a problem. Its processor may not be the fastest but if your tasks are limited to browsing and office applications, it should be enough.
Specifications
- CPU: Intel Celeron M M560, Intel Core 2 Duo T5870 – Display: 15.6″ WXGA – Memory: 1 or 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM @ 800 MHz – Optical Drive: 8X DVD+/-RW drive – Video Card: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 – Hard Drive: 160 or 250 GB SATA @ 5400 RPM – Wireless: Wireless 802.11b/g – Webcam: None – Battery: 4-cell or 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery
If you find this review of the Dell Vostro Series informative, get a load of other laptop and netbooks reviews via Laptops and Netbooks.
Author: J Guelas
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Mobile device news
Related posts: