Dell m1330

I am about to order my m1330 through the phone. I am in Canada.
Has anyone payed $40 extra for the biometric finger?
Also, is the Dell wireless mini card N $20 more than the Intel 3945 G worth it? Or is Intel a lot more reliable than Dell wireless card connectively.

How many more minutes will the 9 cell give me rather than a 6 cell.

Also what do you think of this order? Should i do it? The rep is offering me a deal for all this. $1850. Should I go ahead and do it?


2.2 ghz
2 gigs
120 gig hdd 5400
120mb 8400gs
fingerreader
bluetooth
LED screen

 

I had a question regarding the 9 cell vs 6 cell as well. Is the 9 cell worth it, particularly when its only $27 more?

Also, as for the processor upgrades? Is it worth it to get the 800FSB when the RAM is only 667 MHZ? It's 157.50 more for 2x the cache, 500 more mhz, and 800fsb...

 

yes everybody pays for the fingerprint the same not worth it though unless you have business or personal info you keep on your lap top and the 9 cell is way better by a few hours more power 2nd is up to you faint34

 

What exactly can you use the fingerreader on? Can you program it so that you use the finger print reader for small things such as msn login password, and locked files?

 

Just so you know, the 9-cell, while it will extend battery life quite a bit, sticks out of the back of the machine and raises it up more. Not necessarilly bad, but just be aware of it.

 

I don't mind the sticking out part but the fact that it RAISES the machine worries me. I think it will be uncomfortable to put on my lap or put it on a desk.

 

I didn't like it either. I ordered the 6-cell and will be ordering another one when they become available online.

 

I'm not sure on the 9 vs 6 cell. The 9 cell raises the unit which helps with cooling, so would that make it more comfortable on your lap? The heat would be less of an issue I think? Tough to decide, but the 9 cell is only $27 more in my config.. The main thing I'd want the 9 cell for is plane use, but that would make it more bulky and stick up more on the tray table...

 

Potentially the fingerprint reader can be used instead of passwords. i.e. your accounts have passwords and fingerprints associated with them and most of the time you would just scan the finger (fallback to the password if your fingerprint gets damaged or a significant other calls you at work asking how to install something).
This aids security in so far as it is no longer difficult to use complex and long passwords.

Presuming you have multiple fingers this means you can log in to different accounts using different fingers. e.g. one finger for your user account and another for administrator.
Windows Vista is supposed to often prompt for Administrator approval to install software etc. - for me this fingerprint reader is the answer to this new, desirable but annoying, security feature.

With the right software and BIOS I think a fingerprint reader also means you can use a simple fingerprint scan at boot time to both unlock the BIOS (BIOS password) and login to Windows.

Furthermore, again with suitable software, I think potentially you can use the fingerprint scan to unlock passwords for websites which can be different for each site. e.g. when a website prompts you to login you can swipe your finger and the password for that particular site is looked up and sent. Again this is attractive because it makes it more likely that users will choose good and differing passwords for each site.


I started off by saying "Potentially" because I am not sure how it works in practice and what enabling software comes with the M1330. Some of the Sony SZ line have the Trusted Platform Module. My understanding of the TPM is that it stores the linkage between fingerprints and passwords on-chip in a very secure fashion. Presumably the Dell doesn't have a TPM (I didn't see it mentioned anywhere) and I guess in that case the information is stored encrypted on the hard disk. I was hoping someone could provide more information on this and confirm that lacking a TPM is not a major disadvantage.


If you are paranoid then maybe you won't want the fingerprint reader:
i.e. if you worry about the government seizing your notebook it may not keep them out as the computer is probably covered by your fingerprints... but it is not trivial to make a fake finger for modern fingerprint readers that you swipe your finger over - so I think for most of us the fingerprint is going to be secure enough.
If you have watched too many Hollywood movies you may be expecting to get murdered and have your finger cut-off - however, if for some reason a criminal really wanted to get into your laptop they would probably find it easier to threaten you - for one thing the penalty if they get caught is likely to be somewhat less.
The final thing some people might be worried about is that the government might infiltrate the machine and collect the fingerprints of the users into the national databases. I think that is pretty unlikely. Anyway, thanksk to the US when I renew my passport shortly I am going to have to provide biometrics anyway.

[When I was ordering my M1330 at the Chinese website I nearly forgot to order the fingerprint scanner. All I could read was "Dell palmrest" and it had two options. I figured this was some other unnecessary add-on like wireless mice, printers, etc. So I chose the cheapest option - not realizing that anybody would want a PC without a fingerprint reader nor that "Dell Palmrest" might mean I was ordering an intrinsic part of the body of the machine.]

 

wow, i didn't know fingerprint is that useful, i thought that it only work to log on into windows.