Style at last…
IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a laptop that’s small, powerful and good looking, Dell’s XPS 1330 may be the answer to your prayers. Just don’t expect the word “cheap” to enter the discussion. The XPS range has been available for a while internationally but it’s only recently that these consumer-focused machines have been offered to South Africa’s notebook users.
To say the XPS 1330 isn’t your father’s Dell is an understatement. Instead of the boring greys that dominate the company’s business range, the 1330 comes in either red or black. For once it seems someone with a sense of style was in charge of its design – more than can be said for most computers.
Under the hood you have a dizzying choice of processors, hard drives, graphics cards and memory that can be configured depending on your needs or budget. Prices can range from R13 000 to close to R20 000, depending on the exact specifications chosen. However, my biggest gripe with the 1330 is its keyboard. While other companies have cut down the number of keys on their smaller machines by relegating the home, end, page up and down keys to secondary functions on other keys, Dell has persisted in giving those functions their own keys.
While that may please those who consistently use those keys, it makes the machine look cluttered. I got the feeling that after carefully engineering the rest of the computer, they looked around for a keyboard that would do the job, found one that was a little too big and shoehorned it into the chassis. The effect is that when comparing the 1330 to my Apple MacBook – which is exactly the same size – the Apple actually looks larger.
For those needing a truly portable machine, the 1330 is a great option. However, be warned that ramping up its specifications is going to hit your budget.
Finweek
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