Dell Inspiron 6400 15.4 inch Laptop Review

Dell's one of the well-known laptop maker has announced the launch of its new laptop namely, Dell Inspiron 6400. The Inspiron 6400 makes a good home or small-business system if it stays put most of the time, as it's too heavy for regular travel. With the new Inspiron 6400, all of the crucial elements are accounted for: You get a comfortable keyboard and touchpad, a decent display, and a very solid collection of basic multimedia features and connections. The base unit starts at approximately S$1,799, but Dell offers a vast array of configuration options for everyone from the most basic Web and email user to digital junkies who require midrange gaming and graphics capabilities. That said, if you're looking for a similar set of features but a larger display, check out the Inspiron 9400; if you're looking for something more portable, the Inspiron 640m weighs less and offers a similar experience, just with a nominally smaller display. HP also makes two systems, the Pavilion dv5100 and the Compaq Presario V5100, which offer comparable feature sets and weigh a little less.

Design

The Inspiron 6400's which powered by features 15.4-inch widescreen display can be configured with one of two native resolutions, XGA or the finer SXGA+, and either a glossy TrueLife or standard, nonglossy finish. We prefer the finer resolution, which affords more screen real estate, but if you have bad eyesight, the lower resolution will make text and graphics appear larger, though less detailed. The glossy finish makes the display look brighter but also gives off a distracting glare in sunny or well-lit environments. Our glossy, SXGA+ test unit delivered a solid score of 160cd/m² on our Minolta luminance meter, which tests a display's maximum brightness. The Inspiron 6400's keyboard is adequate, and the touch pad and two mouse buttons are nice and big, though they don't afford a great amount of tactile feedback.

Features

The Inspiron 6400 provides a standard array of ports and connections that should fulfill the needs of most basic users. The offering is virtually identical to what you'll find on the Pavilion dv4000, except that the Inspiron 6400 lacks a Type II PC Card slot (inconsequential, unless you already have a bunch of PC Cards) and has a media card reader that supports one additional format (SmartMedia). One of the very best things about the Inspiron 6400 is the set of seven handy multimedia buttons that sit smack in the middle of its front edge, which makes it easy to control music and movies, even when the lid is shut no other vendor offers.
Source : [asia.cnet.com]