Welcome to a Laptop Battery specialist of the Dell Laptop Battery
ell has long sold pretty good computers at pretty good prices. For “average” computer users doing mainstream things with a personal computer, Dell is a reasonable choice — along with HP/Compaq, Toshiba and a few other brands.
And so it is with Dell’s Inspiron 1420 range, which I reckon is solid, efficient and well priced, but which won’t knock any socks off.
Selling for $1599 at www. dell.co.nz, the Inspiron 1420 comes with a 14-inch monitor, weighs 2.5kg, is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processors, up to 160 GB hard-drive space, a choice of 1GB, 1.5GB or 2GB with battery such as Dell Inspiron E1505 Battery , Dell Inspiron E1705 Battery , Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Battery , Dell Inspiron Mini 1011 Battery , Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Battery , Dell Inspiron Mini 12 Battery , Dell Inspiron XPS M170 Battery , Dell Inspiron XPS M1710 Battery , Dell Latitude 120L Battery , Dell Latitude C Battery , Dell Latitude C500 Battery , Dell Latitude C510 Battery of RAM memory, an eight-in-one memory card reader, a two megapixel inbuilt webcam and something Dell calls a Wi-Fi catcher.
The catcher is a group of three Wi-Fi antennae atop the monitor that sniff out Wi-Fi signals without the machine being booted.
The Wi-Fi range is also said to be twice first-generation wireless technology.
Certainly, the Inspiron had no trouble picking up my home Wi-Fi signal, which emanates from an antenna kept in the basement.
Dell is keen that users do things on these computers without booting up Windows. “With the computer off, one press of the MediaDirect button gives you quick access to items on your hard drive, optical drive, a USB key or from the integrated five-in-one media card,” claims Dell’s promotional literature.
Users can also access videos, music, photos and some lite versions of Outlook, Calendar and PowerPoint without booting Windows.
I never found a need for any of this — and have never suffered from long Windows boot times — but can see the attraction of fast access.
The company also proudly pushes its “hi-def” monitors, claiming “more viewable lines than most high-definition TVs”.
And it was a delight to use, especially with the game (Medal of Honor: Airborne) that I tested on the machine.
That said, unplug the computer and the monitor dims appreciably.
I could sense eyestrain issues would arise trying to use this machine on battery power and full- powered resolution.
In sum, the Inspiron 1420 notebook will keep average buyers firmly ensconced in the computing mainstream for a few years — and at a decent price. –Will Harvie