 |
|
Nov. 23, 2009
JWisdom.com: Actually, it really is all about you with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Nov. 20, 2009
Nov. 19, 2009
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf
with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith
with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality
with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Nov. 12, 2009
JWisdom.com Does God get tired?
with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven
with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole
in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to
have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How
to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Nov. 5, 2009
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking
Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker
With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater?
With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change
With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Oct. 31, 2008
/ 2 Mar-Cheshvan 5769
Dell Vostro A Good Business Laptop
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
For around $1,000 — before the $50 discount offered online — Dell Computer will
send you a Vostro 1310 notebook. It runs Microsoft Windows Vista, has a 160 Gigabyte
hard drive that's supposed to resist damage in a fall, a DVD-burning optical drive
and 2 Gigabytes of memory, though it's now shipping with 3 GB, I believe. It's nice
looking, but some would call it mundane or pedestrian. It's not a super-flashy
machine whose screen pivots, or is equipped with flashing lights around the edge,
nor does it sport reverse osmosis water cooling for the processor.
There's something to be said for mundane or pedestrian, however. Especially among
people who work in business, or in school, perhaps. You don't want something that's
too flashy. You want something that will stay operational.
The Vostro shows every sign of doing just that. It's a solidly built portable
computer. It doesn't way too much — I could easily carry it around an office
setting — and the 13.3-inch screen is large enough to open while seated in coach
on an airline flight. The keyboard is very solid, reminiscent of the ones IBM used
to put on their laptops, back when IBM made laptops. All around, it's a good looking
machine.
That's important, because Dell remains one of the dominant brands in business
computing. Companies everywhere have contracts with the firm, and legions of road
warriors (and even desk jockeys) use Dell notebooks every day. If I had a dollar for
every Dell notebook I saw daily ...
I was also impressed with the number and kinds of options Dell offered for the
Vostro at its Web site, www.dell,com. You can up the processor speed, hard disk
type, upgrade the operating system, go to 4 GB of RAM (something I'd recommend) and
get more battery options. All these cost money, of course, but the customization
aspect of online ordering from Dell is something that'll appeal to many people. This
isn't a Model T, after all, even if, as with that car, black is the "basic"
color (others are just $25 extra).
My demo unit came with Wi-Fi built in, although Bluetooth wasn't; it's a $20 option.
I'm guessing there's some "business" reason for this, that the bean counters in
corporate offices, or the minions in IT don't like seeing Bluetooth on all their
machines for some odd reason. Unless there's a security concern — say you're the
Pentagon or the NSA — I'd guess that not having Bluetooth will be more and more of
a liability than an asset. Spend the $20, Jenkins, and keep your users happy. Trust
me.
Other than the MIA situation for Bluetooth, however, the Vostro 1310 is a solid
system, as I've said. While there doesn't seem to be a "downgrade" option to
Microsoft's Windows XP, a far less vexatious OS than Vista, I imagine that many
users can either make their peace with the newer system or grab a copy of XP
somewhere and restore greater sanity to their lives.
In testing the computer, I relied on OpenOffice.org's 3.0 release of its
productivity suite, and everything ran well. Ditto for Google Chrome, my
new-favorite Web browser for Windows machines. The computer didn't balk, it
performed its tasks well, and I could see myself traveling with and working with
this computer if the need arose.
And other than the Bluetooth conundrum, I found little to dislike here. The sound is
not stereo, but that's why there's headphones sold everywhere, I guess.
Nope, this isn't a flashy computer. It won't have people running up to you as you
walk down the street. But it'll help you get your work done, and at a reasonable
price. That's not bad at all, you know.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
Archives
© 2008, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com
|
|
Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Michael Barone
Dave Barry
Tony Blankley
Andy Borowitz
David Broder
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
John Fund
Frank J. Gaffney
Lloyd Garver
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Lewis Grossberger
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Nat Hentoff
David Horowitz
Laura Ingraham
Cheri Jacobus
Jeff Jacoby
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Dick Morris
Bill O'Reilly
Jim Mullen
Clarence Page
Kathleen Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Jonathan Rauch
Celia Rivenbark
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Culture Shlock
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Bob Tyrrell
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
Mort Zuckerman
Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
Gary Brookins
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holber
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Ranan R. Lurie
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters
How 2
Lori Borgman
The Savvy Consumer
Elder matters
Fixit
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Tech Maven
Every Monday Matters
Nutrition Myths
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
How Stuff Works
|
