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Dell Introduces Laptop With WUXGA
Cutie Pi writes "Dell has just released the Inspiron 8500, a new 15.4" widescreen notebook with a WUXGA screen--thats 1920x1200, high enough resolution to watch HDTV quality movies. Couple that with the new nVidia 64MB GeForce4 4200 Go (much faster than the ATI Radeon 9000), and you've got quite a notebook!! Can't wait to get my hands on one!"
You realize some geeks are going to use this resolution to view more text on the screen at once and lose their eyesight that much faster, don't you?
and weighs as much, too! 6.9 lbs w/o a media drive!! and 1.5" thick. I'll keep my TiBook (or even a new 17" AlBook), thank you very much. :)
With a screen at that resolution, I just might be able to view an entire slashdot advertisement at once. Wow, no scrolling for me.
One future, two choices. Oppose them or let them destroy us.
... What is with Dell and their ugly-ass notebooks? Fucking BODY CLADDING, ala Landau roofs on Lincolns.. They're not fooling anybody..
Apple's got the prettiest notebooks by far, with Sony and IBM the only credible alternatives IMHO.. Dell stuff just looks like Taiwanese junk..
Apple Called... They want their laptop design from 2 years ago back.
Ads for nerds. Shit that we can't afford.
...and the NVIDIA video drivers cause the machine to blue screen once/week. Dell says that this is "an ongoing issue between Dell and Microsoft". There is no driver update available.
Dell sells a lot of stuff that's not ready for prime time - is the 8500 yet another example?
Despite the headline, one can't really call it a "laptop", since using it on one's lap would create safety (and fertility) issues. Dell's official term is "notebook", but I believe "mobile computer", "traytop", and "portable space heater" are also acceptable. I challenge anyone to actually sit through a two-hour HD movie with this on their lap.
Gotta love this gouging, under the customization look at what they charge for extra ram:
512MB,DDR,266MHz 2 Dimms
512MB,DDR,266MHz 1 Dimm [add $200.00]
640MB,DDR,266MHz 2 Dimms [add $300.00]
768BM,DDR,266MHz 2 Dimms [add $400.00]
1GB,DDR,266MHz 2 Dimms [add $650.00]
1.5GB,DDR,266MHz 2 Dimms [add $1,800.00]
2GB,DDR,266MHz 2 Dimms [add $3,300.00]
And what are the chances of actually being able to see the end of that HDTV movie before the battery runs down?
Not good, I'd say...
There is no excuse for a 7 pound 15in notebook.
I once beat a man to death in Reno* using nothing but a Dell laptop.
*just to watch him die
much faster than the ATI Radeon 9000
What's that? The poster must have meant the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000, which is much different from the Radeon 9000 Pro AGP card.
I bought an Inspiron 7500 when the PIII 500 chips were first made available in laptops. It has been a few years now and this machine has been all over the US, banged up, dropped, kicked, etc. at jobsites, conventions & seminars. The only thing that has gone wrong with it have been the CD burning out playing CTP and the 'm' key jumping off. I hope the new line can stand up to the kind of abuse this one has because this machine is still kickin and I would certainly consider buying another one in the future.
Prospecting Stinks. Stop Wasting Time on Cold Calling.
I would definitely go thin and light. I bought the most powerful, largest screened laptop I could find (at the time). However, it's so unweildy, and drains battery power like nothing else. If I'm lucky (with two batteries in it) I'll be able to surf for 1 hour before it goes dead. Plus, by the amount of heat it generates, I know I'm going to have lap cancer by age 35.
In other words, I cant do a whole lot with it, and it's really heavy and awkward. My dad on the other hand, has a super small Sony Vaio that can go about 6 hours on a battery and still do everything I do, even though it's more underpowered.
geez, I've got a 16.1" screen on my Sony Vaio laptop, and the native resolution on that is 1600x1200. I couldn't imagine a _smaller_ screen with a higher resolution. Would make reading anything with a font size below 16pt impossible I'd assume. I can barely cope with 12pt on the 1600x1200 16.1" screen.
Maybe I can get a headband-mount for it, that'll get the chicks to come a-runnin'.
Sweet, a new computer from Dell. Does it come with a free sample of Marijuana? Dude, you're gettin' some weed!
Ok, that's just cruel.
For every post, there is an equal and opposite re-post.
Having never used a widescreen aspect ratio screen I was curious as to how games handle these odd resolutions. Do they actually recognize and adjust for the aspect ratio or simply default to the highest available 3:4 setting which means the graphics start to blur? Anyone know?
Eddy.WriteLinux.Com
"It may be me, but I would rather have a cheaper, lighter notebook with a long (8 hours or there abouts) batterylife than a HDTV+DVD-player combo with a computer attaced. But hey, each to his or her own."
Ditto
check out http://www.dynamism.com. Japanese laptops with a US warranty.
The sharp MM1 looks sweet, and it doubles as a USB2 hard drive.
Cheers,
prat
This is a neat laptop, and I'm sure it would make a great desktop replacement, or even a good gaming laptop. That said, though, I can't bring myself to buy another Dell machine until they re-earn my trust.
The short version of the story is that I bought a laptop from them and tried to get it fixed under warranty. They failed to fix all of the problems when I sent it back, and failed to note the problems as unfixed. When I got it back, outside of warranty, with the problems unfixed, I called Dell, and Dell refused to fix them, saying that it was out of warranty. They did, however, fix the problems they caused while it was being repaired. When I got it back from the second repair, there was an additional problem, a cracked access panel. It took a good half-hour of arguing to get them to replace the panel. I did finally get them to fix the original problem, but it took a sternly-worded letter to senior management to make it happen. That letter details several of the problems I've had with Dell over the years; it also contains the full version of this story.
Short answer is that I have lost my faith in Dell, and until they prove themselves to me again, I won't buy their products, and I advise other people to do the same, no matter now nifty-cool they may be.
Moderate drunk! It's more fun that way!
WUXGA = Wide Ultra eXtended Graphics Adapter
That's a lot of adjectives, and a whole lot
of pixel lovin'.
With a screen that big and a video card that powerful, imagine the battery life that you'l
That was exactly my response, too.
FWIW, an IBM salesdroid I talked with a few months ago said they might ship linux on their laptops this year. We'll see. Nobody's getting my money if I have to send a portion to Redmond, too.
Just gimme a friggin' laptop without Windows on it! [OK, at a reasonable price, Apple-boy.
--
Given enough personal experience, all stereotypes are shallow.
Crikey, at that price, I might as well save up to get either a 17" PowerBook or get the 15" now.. both are way thinner, lighter and better looking. I think no discussion about notebooks is complete without a comparison to Apple notebooks and the obligatory Mac Vs. PC debate. However, I'd just like to point out that their [Apple's] notebooks are just *that* much better (IMHO) than anything that's on the market. Dell and co should take Sony's stand and actually try to build a)Fully featured notebooks b)Pay attention to asthetics c)light and portable enough to be actually used as a mobile computer. *start rant* I take my iBook everywhere with me and much to PC notebook owners, I don't feel it a hassel to open it up just to check on a date on my iCal or catch up on work anywhere. OS X's instant on makes it as if I'm using a palm top.. unlike XP's startup from sleep. It's those 20 seconds or so that puts people off from starting their computer *end rant* I took a look at the "bottom" of the Dell on the website and noted all the fugly holes, ventelatiion, battery compartments, compulsory Windows stickers and other bloat. Why can't they just keep it simple??
Fight Crime - Shoot Back!
And are drooling about this thing.
I speced one as close as I could to my 1GHz TiBook and it was the same price and the Dell did not include a SuperDrive equivalent.
So considering that the keyboard/mouse thingy has been replaced twice in my Dell Inspiron in 18 months, I think I will stick with my TiBook.
Looks like a nice machine other than the fact that I have seen too many Dell portables fall apart.
Thanks for the 'news', but I'm not in the market for a laptop right now.
And if I was, I'd have found this information myself.
BTW, I'm trying to sell an old waterbed. Do you mind if I stick a flyer up on the homepage? Thanks.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
I have a Thinkpad T30 with their 1400x1050 14" screen and LOVE it. It's enough room for two side by side pages or a web browser and a couple of IM windows. It's not real heavy and has been a serious workhorse. It's crashed once in the last 4 months, and that was due to new ATI drivers (that weren't official).
Compare these two photos:
Inspiron 8500
PowerBook G4
I know, I know... it's just the bottom of the machine, but you gotta love style.
The resolution is 1900x1200 which beats the hell out of 1440x900 not to mention Apple crippled their laptops by switching to the OLD Geforce 4 Go 420 which is like the POS Geforce 4 MX. The ATI was better. Now if the new 15" comes with a nVidia Geforce 4 Go 4200 w/128MB I'll buy it. Otherwise I may hold off completely.
... is still only $3000 compared to apples $3300 for the 17" AlBook.
I'm a huge apple fan but some of the most critical things I need to do for my company are either not available for Mac or are exponentially more expensive. BTW I develop software for Linux (2.2+), Windows (win32), Mac (OS X) and Solaris (7+). I have seen the 17" AlBooks at the Apple Store and while impressive it doesn't do much more for me than the old 15.2. If the 15.4 comes available for a decent price (see note) I'll get one as soon as they are available (not the lovely preannouncements Apple has been giving). Otherwise, I'll just get an old TiBook 1GHz for 2550 or so.
Note: the Dell with 2.4GHz proc, 512MB 1 DIMM, GF4 4200, 60GB, 1920x1200, Extra Battery,
About the only significant difference I see is the resolution - the Dell screen, while smaller, has a resolution of 1920x1200. The Apple screen is "only" 1440x900. This is a signficant difference in resolutions, and may partially explain the weight difference. More likely, though, it's simply case materials.
Of course, the Apple PowerBook G4 17" is $3299. Base (which includes a lot). A comparably configured Dell Inspiron 8500 (upgrade HD to 60GB, video to GF4Go, WUXGA video, 2 GHz CPU) is only $2657. And the Dell has a faster CPU (the 1 GHz G4 isn't going to beat a 2 GHz P4M in most tasks), more resolution (albeit a smaller screen), and a much, much longer standard warranty (3 years vs 1 year).
Oh, and yes, the Inspiron 8500 has 802.11b/g, standard. I don't think it has Bluetooth (the Powerbook does), but both have Gigabit ethernet and built-in modems. Both have CD-RW/DVD-R's, and half a gig of memory (upgradable on both). They're really pretty comparable as far as hardware goes. Which software you prefer is obviously up to you.
The Apple is lighter and (mostly) smaller. About the biggest difference is the height - 1" vs 1.5" is pretty major. The Apple is an inch wider, but that's probably not a big deal to most people.
OK, for a Geoforce4 4200 Go with 64MB RAM, a 2.4 GHz processor, and 1 GB RAM using 2 DIMMS, I managed to run the price up to $3,277..........
Now I can get a Shuttle SB51G case for ~325, a 3.06 GHz P4 for $548, 2x512MB DIMMS for $88 [total], and a Built by ATI Radeon 9700 Pro for $320, total = 1281.... mind you I still need HDD, Display, and CD-ROM drive, but can I manage to rack up another 2K for that? Especially if upgrading and using my old CD-ROM, Display, and HDD???
Don't get me wrong, I love Dell; I think they typically make superior PC's/Servers&Notebooks. But, is portability at the sake of performance, and that whopping price tag worth it???
"notebook with a WUXGA screen"
Call me back when you have an Awooogah screen.
I want to use it on my submarine.
Dell: Weight: 6.9 lbs. (2.96 kg) with travel module, battery and Harddrive.
Apple: Weight: 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) with battery and optical drive installed.
Interesting trick. The Apple weighs more if you use metric measurements!
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"
- Charles Darwin
And just how do they prove themselves to you again if you won't deal with them?
I note that we have 5 Dells in our immediate family, including the 5 year old Dimension I'm typing this on. I've also worked closely with another dozen, and never had any problem with Dell service or support. I submit that your experience is not universal to all Dell owners.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
And go update your drivers. You're obviously NOT running the latest ones.
My dad had bluescreen problems with his I8000 and obtained new drivers from *Windows Update* of all places. This was months ago.
I was using the latest Dell drivers from their website with no problems whatsoever. I don't think my 8200 has ever bluescreened even once.
And if you bothered to do ANY research at all, you would've found the D-Force (and related) modified INFs that are regularly maintained so that you can use your latest Detonator release with "Go" series of GeForces. Yes, I'm running the 41.09 Detonator release on my 8200 with full functionality.
BTW, Dell has some excellent user-to-user support forums if you go to their support website.
Oh yeah, and it runs Linux beautifully too.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Cool!
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
-Marilyn Manson
Outside of the one that SGI released a few years ago, there have been no widescreen tubes or panels for the PC (perhaps some very high-end models).
Widescreen is nice. The Mac world proves that.
So, why aren't the PC makers and monitor vendors come out with 16:9 displays and give everyone a reason to upgrade?
jonathan
are dell laptops just looking worse and worse. I'm not talking about features.. I'm talking about physical looks. they've release 3 different laptops recently of varying economics, they all look the same.. and they all are ugly as SIN!
..
At least teh old inspirions.. standard black.. with the wildly overprice clip on color pads.. were neutral looking. It was black.. it went with anything. Now these things area light blue and odd shade of gray. Seems like colors you'd have as baby-shower decorations than on a laptop.
Laptops are a fashion statement.. if your gonna be lugging one into your local starbucks it better not be an eye-sore. I looks like they cut the side off some old computer cases and formed them to a laptop case.
The laptop I will get next will need to be power efficient and powerful(not so concerned about weight).. But if I have to pick i'll choose mroe power than power efficiency. Thats why i've got hopes for Centrino.. or some variant with the Pent-M
This laptop is neither of my requirements.. and its an ugly monster to-boot
Who makes you Sig?
Both cards actually support 2048x1536. Dell just didn't have a screen that did this on a laptop before now. It's a new product, give them time. =)
-----------------------------------------
Remove the Greed which plagues mankind.
I've had the misfortune to have two Dell laptops (Inspiron 7000 back in '99, Latitude C840 presently). They were not my choice - work machines. Both have been heavy, cheaply made junk. The Inspiron had multiple hardware repairs before I got rid of it (screen failure, memory, casing). The current Latitude is only 5 months old and the hard drive crapped out last week. It takes the patience of Job to deal with Dell Support, particularly when you are an IT professional and you already know what is wrong! It only took 3 days to argue the drive replacement out of them.
Also I'm not sure why Dell bother putting Nvidia graphics adapters in these 'high-end' laptops. Check out the most recent update available for the Geforce 4 440 Go drivers for the Lat C840 (v28.35 anyone?).Sunny Dubey
I'm sorry, but that high of a resolution on a 15in monitor seems kind of idiotic to me. Everything would be tini-tiny, it would only be good for watching DVDs.
Dell should of produced a 17in 1440-900 laptop like Apple. That'd be a hell of a lot cooler.
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
You can place orders online today:d el_inspn _inspn_8500.htm
http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/products/mo
But they show the "build time" at 25 days (compared with 5 days for an 8200).
So yes, you can buy this today. But you probably won't have it in your hands tomorrow.
Damn, I have to do something about this dyslexia. I thought you said "I'm happier than a bishop in amsterdam with three thumbs up my ASS."
It's going to be a while before I forget that thought.
Oldmanrant
I used to carry a Mac SE with a jerry-rigged hard drive home every night from work on the train. The damn thing was 35 pounds by the time it was in the bag.
I was happy when we switched to the Compaq Portables. Happy, I tell you!
Oh yeah, we ate sand.
/Oldmanrant
the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
Soooo....., the possibilities are narrowed. Fired NASA engineers either go to work for Apple, or Dell.
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Would it help to set the fonts bigger or isn't that an option?
see a Text Widget
Sure, it's a 15.2 instead of a 15.4 (at least until the update, expected in the next couple of weeks), but check out this side-by-side comparison: If you configure a 15 inch PowerBook with the best processor (1GHz) and make the components match as much as possible: Apple Titanium PowerBook: 15.2 inch Widescreen Display (Max. Res. 1280x854, plenty for a screen this size!) 1GHz PowerPC G4 Processor 60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) Wireless Networking (AirPort) 512 MB SDRAM - 1 DIMM ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 w. 64MB DDR SDRAM Height: 1.0 inch (2.6 cm) Width: 13.4 inches (34.1 cm) Depth: 9.5 inches (24.1 cm) Weight: 5.4 pounds (2.45 kg) with battery and optical drive installed Price: $ 2,699.00 Dell Inspiration 8500: 15.4 inch Widescreen Display (Max. Res. 1920x1200) 2.4GHz Mobile Pentium 4 Processor 60GB Ultra ATA Hard Drive Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) Wireless Networking (802.11a/b) 512 MB DDR SDRAM - 1 DIMM nVidia GeForce 4 4200 Go w. 64MB DDR SDRAM Height: 1.52-inch (3.86 cm) Width: 14.22-inch (36.12 cm) Depth: 10.87-inch (27.61 cm) Weight: 6.9 lbs. (3.13 kg) with travel module, battery and Hard Drive Price: $ 2,927.00 Price difference: the thicker, taller, wider, HEAVIER, insanely hideous Dell costs $228 more. Sure, we could have another endless MHz myth discussion. But seriously, step back a second and just think about this. You can get the Mac for less than the Dell. Some of you may want to look out the window and check for porcine aviators.
You cant go above 12x10 on a standards LCD because a stardard single DVI-D link can only supply that much information to the monitor. A dual DVI-D link could provide 1920x1200, but no videocards seem to implement dual DVI.
See http://www.rell.com/pdfs/DSG_ssLCD-240t.pdf -- Maximum Digital Resolution: 1280x1024 @60Hz
The Doormat
If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.