To put it short, this computer is excellent for development. It’s got all the RAM I need to run Visual Studio, and SQL Server and even some virtual machines.  The screen is fantastic and a great resolution for developing on.  I’m a big fan of wide screens because I can fit more code onto the screen.

The screen is also excellent for something else I like to do: watch TV.  The laptop came with three BluRay movies, including Casino Royale. HD movies look great on it, and most wide-screen shows fill the 16:9 ratio monitor.  I downloaded some 720p shows and they look awesome.  The screen is glossy though, so it’s harder to code on in a bright environment.

There is a “Full HD: 1080p” sticker on the laptop, but if I’m not mistaken full 1080p is 1920×1080, not 1600×900.  All the same, it looks fanstastic.

The processor is an Intel Centrino T5800, which is 2.0GHz with a 2MB L2 cache and 800MHz FSB.  The RAM is also DD2-800, so the RAM takes advantage of the FSB.  There are more powerful and more modern chips out there, but this one is good enough.

It has a “chiclet” keyboard like the Macbooks have with English and French layout keys.  It’s a jumble of white, pink, green and orange text on some of the buttons.  I think that is just because that is how Future Shop orders them.  I’m still getting used to it.  It should be parrot proof though, so my birds won’t bite the keys off this one like they did for my Gateway and Compaq laptops!

The mouse trackpad can’t be turned off with a button, but it does have a handy feature to disable tapping when you’re typing.  That is handy because I’m always resting my thumb on the trackpad.  It doesn’t work 100% for me though, because my hands are still resting on the mousepad even when I’m not actually typing.

In the end, this is a decent laptop that I expect will last me at least two years of development.  Probably once it is done I’ll be able to get a Windows 7 laptop!

So here goes:

Scene opens with PC and Mac standing there beside each other.

PC: I’m a PC.

Mac: And I’m a Mac.

PC: Hey Mac, you’ve got something on your face.

PC indicates a spot on his face.
Mac rubs his face. A huge scratch stretches across his face.

PC: Umm, Mac, you just scratched your face.

Mac: No I didn’t.

PC: Yes, I think you did.

PC’s leg falls off, then explodes.

Mac rolls his eyes at camera.

Mac (smug): I don’t explode, or crash.

Mac’s leg explodes, but he doesn’t notice. Mac closes eyes and lies down on the ground.

PC: Wake up Mac!

Mac opens eyes and stands up.

Mac: I wasn’t sleeping.

Steve Jobs comes on

Steve Jobs (smugly, but that is how he always talks): Macs are the best computers. Much better than PCs.

Mac starts to glow a bright orangy colour

Steve Jobs (still smugly): Macs are the best computers. Much better than PCs.

Steve Jobs’ hair catches fire.

Steve Jobs (even more smugly): I’ll bet you wish your hair was on fire.

Aaaaand Scene. Okay, that was fun. I’m not a PC zealot and I would love to own a Mac (though I’m waiting for their quality issues to pass before paying the premium prices Apple charges). I ordered a new PC the other day, and I got some really good quality parts. Windows XP is very stable, and I haven’t had a virus in the last 8 years or so. So I don’t know what the fuss is about.

I think Apple is spreading a lot of FUD with their ads, while at the same time taking a long time owning up to the problems that arise in their own hardware.

While Dell doesn’t make really awesome hardware, they at least own up to the issues in their hardware fairly quickly.