Dell Inspiron 14 – is a Dell production having the OS of Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit), lending the processor of 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, offering the working speed 3072MB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz, and with memory capacity of 128MB (shared) Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD, and HDD of 250GB Seagate 5400rpm either.
The trend of people tells us that, many laptop buyers will incline toward specialty machines--such as a tiny Netbook for travel or a massive desktop replacement for gaming or video editing--there are still plenty of people who need a traditional midsize laptop. We call these 14-, 15-, and 16in systems members of the "mainstream" category, and they are the workhorse backbones of the laptop biz.
Dell is playing remarkable role, to bring the midsize laptops, which are inexpensive, reasonably configurable systems, such as the Inspiron 1440. For less than USD 700, we got a perfectly fine 14in dual-core, widescreen laptop, with plenty of configuration options if we wanted to add or subtract features.
We are seriously interested to add a better graphics option, as we found on the similarly priced Dell s1440-022B (a retail-only model that is unfortunately no longer available). Also, be aware that usually standard features, such as a Webcam or Bluetooth, will cost extra here, so make sure to factor that into your price estimate.
Since a couple of years, Dell has expanded its options for laptop personalization, adding new colors and graphic images for lids. Our Inspiron 1440 had a glossy purple finish on the back of the lid, which adds a surprisingly stiff USD 40 to the base price.
This new series has a matte-black keyboard with a glossy gray keyboard tray. Combined with the somewhat chunky shape of the chassis, the overall effect looks and feel plasticky and vaguely toylike--this is not going to be mistaken for a high-end status symbol. That's fine for a laptop that starts under USD 500, but less so for a fully loaded USD 1,000-plus configuration.
The keys on keyboard are placed with broader spacing, which provide an amusing usability experience--the firm, quiet keys are among the most upscale-feeling features on the system. A large-enough touchpad works fine, but the diminutive mouse buttons it's paired with feel cheap and click down unconvincingly.