As the former director of sales force automation at MCI Worldcom, I have
seen a few laptops in my time. Back in 1995 when I started in that role, IBM
pretty much owned the laptop world. Their hot model was a little laptop that
sported an expandable "butterfly" keyboard that opened to a larger
keyboard when you popped open the laptop. It was very cool. Years later we
switched to Compaq due to better pricing and the fact that their 4210 actually
had a battery in the handle of the laptop. Also very cool.
Since then, the IBM's and Compaq's of the world have faded into the distance and Dell has
risen to the top of the heap for their quality, service and pricing. So when I
needed to purchase a new laptop two weeks ago, I knew even before I visited
their site that it would be a Dell. The question was no longer which
manufacturer to purchase from, but rather which model and configuration.
As of late, I have been doing more and more multimedia editing, so I knew I
needed a laptop that could handle the storage, RAM and speed required of my
applications. I spent an hour in an online chat with a very patient young lady
who answered all of my questions and made intelligent recommendations. After a
lengthy discussion, she suggested the Dell XPS 1730 laptop. The second I saw
the picture I was in love.
Folks, this is a laptop. It has received among the highest rankings available
from most of the gaming magazines. It comes in colors; I chose the Smoke Grey
finish. I told her what I wanted inside and she told me it would be delivered
within 10 days. When it arrived, I was like a little kid on Christmas.
Carefully removing the Dell XPS 1730 from the box, I was a little surprised by its
size. This model sports a 17 inch screen so it measures 16 inches across and
about 2 inches deep. It's BIG. It's also heavy -- about 10 pounds. I know, why
not get a desktop? I travel on business but need the power of a desktop. This
fits the bill. I maxed out drive space and RAM and dual processors so I now
have ample storage, speed and processing power to handle even the most complex
audio, video and graphic projects. Things load so damn fast it is not funny.
My old desktops are looking at me with sadness in their eyes -- they know
their days are numbered.
Here's what's cool about the Dell XPS 1730
laptop: it lights up. The top
cover has side lights -- white -- that glow very softly. The keyboard is lit
from underneath so I can type in the dark. The speaker grills light up, and
the touch pad lights up, too. And you can change the colors of these separate
zones and even apply special effects so the lights "breathe" or
rotate colors. Why add this to a laptop? I don't know. I guess if you are
gamer it is cool. You can have the lights flash when an email arrives. That's
pretty cool if you like to keep your audio low like me.
The Dell XPS 1730
has a built-in Logitech webcam and two microphones, so you can
easily use this laptop for videoconferencing. This is not a cheap webcam. I
compared it to my Logitech 9100 which is a high-end webcam and the picture
appears to be very close in quality.
There's a small LCD screen above the keyboard which has a clock and date,
stop watch (useful for tracking billable time and surfing), and tells you CPU and RAM consumption. That's helpful. There are also
more jacks and buttons then I know what to do with. I read the manual twice
and I'm still not sure about all of the options. Speaking of the keyboard, it
has a full-size feel with a numeric keypad to the right of the QWERTY
keyboard.
Battery life is good -- a solid 2 hours or more with full charge. Dell
batteries tend to wear down fast over continual use (past experience) so you
might buy an extra battery for those times you expect to be detached for a long
time.
The audio quality is excellent. The speakers are quite clear and the built
in microphones are adequate. I would still use a wired mike for any
videoconferencing or audio recording to get the best results.
The 17 inch screen is one of those new Ultra-Sharp TrueLife Wide Screens
and, boy, it is sharp. Now originally I had wanted an old-fashioned LCD screen.
I do not like the reflection these sharper screens can cause. If you use
overhead lighting you need to be careful where you sit and how you angle the
cover. I thought this would be a problem for me, but the reality is I got used
to it very quickly. Incredibly clear image. Almost HD quality.
Bottom line, if you are searching for a new laptop and want the ultimate
workhorse that is also extremely cool to look at and use, then the Dell XPS 1730
is for you. Click here to learn more about what's available from Dell.
Dell XPS 1730 Laptop
