Dell Inspiron 2500
With good performance, a top-notch display, excellent documentation, and a keyboard that rivals those of most desktop systems, the Dell Inspiron 2500 makes an excellent choice for students who aren't too concerned about their laptop's weight. The boxy Inspiron 2500 tips the scales at a hefty 3.44kgs, a considerable load to carry back and forth to the library every day. Still, it's a winner in most other respects--and at AU$2,598.20 direct, it's even a pretty good bargain.
In today's market, where the aesthetics of electronic devices are decidedly streamlined and futuristic, the matte-black Inspiron 2500's gaudy silver logo and unsightly interchangeable colour wrist-rest panels seem a throwback to a tackier time. Don't let this dissuade you, however. Opening the case reveals a gorgeous 15-inch screen capable of displaying XGA resolution at 24-bit colour. The optional 4MB video cache card in our evaluation model was able to drive external displays at resolutions up to 1,600 by 1,200 at 256 colours.
Dell's industry-leading Web site allows you to customise your Inspiron with ultrafine granularity; our evaluation unit came equipped with a fixed 8x DVD drive, a modular floppy, and a 10GB hard drive, all of which the system accommodates simultaneously. Performance for this 700MHz Celeron system did not stand out among the test group. Battery life for the Inspiron 2500's 3,800mAh lithium-ion cell (a "smart" battery with a push-button LED charge meter) was adequate at just over 3 hours.
Using the Inspiron 2500 is a pleasure. It's been quite a while since any notebook's keyboard has rivaled the much revered ones in IBM's ThinkPads--until now, that is. Dell has obviously been listening to its customers, equipping the Inspiron 2500 with a keyboard of uncompromising feel and layout. A full-size Backspace key, arrow cursor controls set far apart from the other keys, and arguably the best feel of all the keyboards here make it a luxury to type on. Dell complements the keyboard with a fully programmable Synaptics TouchPad with two large, if slightly stiff, actuation buttons.
Above the keyboard lie a hardware volume control and a row of dedicated keys that serve as both audio-CD controls and one-touch launch buttons for applications or the Net. The keys are easy to program via the icon in the system tray, but we have been critical of Dell in the past for not engineering a way for these buttons to toggle quickly between their two intended purposes. As it is, you must switch their functionality with the Keyboard control panel, an awkward arrangement.
Once you get your music CDs playing, you'll be quite pleased. Audio was rich-sounding and powerful, with just a hint of distortion at top volume. We found the operation of the hardware volume controls to be buggy, however, particularly during DVD playback; we couldn't get the sound loud enough for our tastes. The full-motion, full-screen video looked good for a notebook of this caliber, with only the rare hiccup. And although gameplay was by no means stellar, it was certainly acceptable.
Dell preloaded our Inspiron 2500's hard drive with its usual excellent assortment of help files, electronic documentation, and diagnostic tools, all under the umbrella of the well-designed Dell Solution Centre utility.
Dell Inspiron 2500
Company:Dell Australia
Ph: 1800 812 393
Price: AU$2,598.20
Pros: Good all-around performance; good video and audio quality; large display; terrific keyboard; affordable price
Cons: Comparatively heavy; quirky audio/application buttons; questionable aesthetics
Editors' Rating (10 is best): 6.7
Design: 6.0
Ease of use: 6.0
Features: 8.0
Performance: 6.0
Value: 7.0
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