Ordered m1330 BUT then saw it in the flesh!!

Just ordered my XPS m1330 the other day. ETA 21st.

HOWEVER
I was walking through the shopping centre yesterday and there was Dell stall set up and I got to see in the flesh what I had ordered online.
OH GOD
it's aweful! It's so incredibly budget looking, so cheap!!!
The very reason I was a reluctant DELL buyer!
But I it looked ok in all the pics and reviews and I didn't read anywhere that it looks like it was made out of old ice cream bucket and then spray painted with discount silver undercoat.
It looks really terrible.
Value for money: very good. I couldn't of got the same specs in any other machine for that cheap. But is it worth it? Not sure.
Perhaps I should have spent the extra on a Lenovo or something??
Maybe there are some aftermarket keypads or covers or something??

 

I saw another post like this.

I guess it's pretty subjective. I don't have one but I've seen it and had a M1530. I personally think it's one of the nicer laptops out and built pretty well.

 

I think it doesn't look as good as a MBP but other than that I think its one of the best looking out there.

PS: For more than one reason its very helpfull if people could see where you are from. From your grammar I'd say you have some roman-language background, but why don't you edit your Profile so we could see ourselfs and not rely on guessing.

 

Would the country he / she is from reflect their view of how a laptop looks in any way what so ever? You might want to watch out saying things like that, because that is probably against forum rules to discriminate somebody due to a belief in their heritage and place of birth or dwelling.

 

Wait...so you think that Lenovos actually look better than xps1330? Readl CNET, PCMag or even the review here at NBR, and you'll see that ALL of the reviews praise the 1330 for its sleek and modern design...

Maybe you are still into lappy of the 98s, and if that's the case, by all means, get a Lenovo...they do tend to keep their designs.....classical....

PS. the one you saw at your local shop may not accurately represent all 1330s, so wait until you get your machine, and if you don't like it, you'll have ample of time(21days) to return it for a full refund....but I do HIGHLY recommend that you keep it...1330 is, after all, one of the fastest performing portable laptops on the market, beating its competitors (SONY FZ, Lenovo T, etc.) by a long shot.

 

What do you mean by Roman-language? If you mean of the Romantic languages such as French, Italian then no. I have English and Scottish heritage which makes me a member of the Western branch of Germanic languages - though of course they were heavily influenced by the Romantic languages and words from such make up a hefty proportion of our daily lexicon.

You're probably thinking what a nerd! I'm actually a linguist

As for the dell, I should wait until I get it to judge. The model they had on display however was very disappointing and has dampened my excitement somewhat.
As for the Lenovo, there is something classic in the simple black design. It's timeless. It also looks a little like what a Jason Bourne might use

 

I thought that was a very astute observation that DrPanglass was a non-native English speaker as the use of "centre" is not very common in the U.S.. That coupled with the misspelling and odd syntax (now it's clear it was just fast typing).

As for Wraith of Vern..are you kidding? There is a reason why, for example, Italian fashion looks considerably different than American or British fashion. It's all in the eye of the beholder and if you live in Seoul or Milan you will have a different view point than in St. Paul or Milwaukee.

 

I'm on the other side of the spectrum. I checked it out at the store before finally making my decision, and I think it looked pretty neat. Opposite thing happened with the new Toshiba Satellites, I was about to buy one of those, before I checked them out live (what a dissapointment, since I currently own a Toshiba, but the new ones are way to glossy for my taste). Seems that's why I ended up buying a Dell, lol.

Anyway, I don't really think the M1330 looks cheap (but better wait until I get mine!). In any case, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.. When are you expecting your new M1330? Mine should be arriving anytime soon!

 

If you want really good build quality than yes Lenovo might be your thing. But when it comes to "Awe" factor 1330 hands down dude! Here's an idea... take your 1330 to Starbucks and see what kinds of looks/comments you get from the gallery. Then send it back to Dell because you hate it. Then buy a Lenovo and do the same thing and ask yourself why no cuties are giving you the eye?

 

Yeah, Dell hooks up chicks real good.... Got 3 today just by flashing my 1530 in starbucks........Should consider writing a "XPS Hitching Guide"...lol...

However...there are those of us who still prefer the classy designs of Lenovo, with that being said, yes, I do think DELL XPSs look a LOT better, but it is rather a subjective matter and I really can't comment on that aside from my personal preference...

Dell laptops generally look ugly and damp, but the new XPS line has really brought style into DELL, and though I don't know about picking up girls in starbucks with a dell lappy, I DO believe that the XPS is far more of an eye-catcher than the Lenovo...I mean, by GOD, the looks of the ThinkPad haven't changed a BIT....quite disappointed if you ask me....

 

Does it also work the other way around? As for being a chick and hooking up guys? LOL.. yeah, bad joke but still a valid question huh? Anyway, can't wait for my M1330 to arrive, so I can take it to the nearest Starbucks and put it to the test! (j/k)

 

Now that is interesting ... we digress but anyway ...
That you say it was observed that I was a non-native English speaker is very interesting indeed! I am, of course, a native speaker of English, just not American English. You deduced that from the spelling of 'centre' (not the single quotations also) I am not a native speaker of English. There are quite possible more people in the world that would deduce exactly the opposite.

Wholly ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my new dell walked in the door!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You're entitled to your opinion......even if it's wrong.

 

Congrats! Let us know what you think now that you get to play with it and see it up front. Can't wait for mine to arrive.

 

Shawn april fools is over, edit your sig, nobody runs T9300s at 1.8v.

 

Well I must say, I've owned it for about 3 minutes now and impressions of it have improved a little. There is still the cheap silver look to it. I bought the black one and that helps a little. The one in shop was red and had worn a little and looked very poor indeed.
The build quality is not real good. I can see some lifting of the rubber where the speakers are.
The matt black underneath is the best part - too bad it'll never be seen.
Screen looks good but I haven't turned it on yet.
There are a few imperfections in the paint work.
Few scratches.

 

The M1530 is better built than the M1330 in my eyes,put both side by side ,you will then appreciate the difference.

 

Other than the Apple MacBook Pro I have not seen a PC laptop that is better looking than the XPS M1330/M1530 IMO. I've heard good things about some Asus models but I haven't seen them.

 

agreed

although the new acer gemstone blue looks fairly nice

 

I agree, that Macs in general a better looking and better quality. I've a iBook and even after years of use and being round the world a couple of times, it looks superior in quality. The black MacBook is the most handsome I think, followed by the Levovo X300. Anything all black and stealthy is gooooood ....

 

So, from reading your posts....you seem to have wanted a BLACK laptop. Why didn't you just buy a black laptop?

Isn't Dell's Vostro black?

Also, the forthcoming (summer) E-series (Latitude) from Dell will be all-black too. Maybe you should have waited until the summer to buy?

Seems a strange choice to buy a mostly silver laptop and then complain about the fact that it isn't black enough.

I have to disagree with your opinion of the Lenovo's looks. I checked some out in the local stores here in Japan and I thought they looked like a glorified kids toy. The coloured lettering on it and the touchpad buttons looked garish.

But, like all matters of taste, it's subjective.

Hope that you come to like your new m1330. I have one on order and can't wait to get my hands on it. I should add that I went to the store to check it out in the flesh, as well as extensively researching it, before making the final choice to purchase it. I did consider the Lenovo during this time, but for the points noted above, I decided against the Lenovo.

 

I went to the local BB today and played with it. I thought the keyboard could be of better quality, it felt flimsy under my fingers. I loved the screen, low resolution as it was. Not sure how mine will look (Tuxedo Black) as they only have the product red versions. The palm rest area is great, as is the touchpad.

Considering the alternatives, there were 13.3 inch Toshibas and HPs, I'd take the XPS any day. I was shocked at how ridiculously shiny the new Satellites were, surpassing even the HPs. There comes a limit where extra shine doesn't contribute to looks and those laptops all hit the limit. So much shine they look like cheap polished plastic.

 

I saw the new Toshibas yesterday at BestBuy. Those keyboards are ridiculously shiny and reflective, as a matter of fact the whole computer is shiny. The lights at BB were bouncing all over it. I like the clean look of the XPS M1330, it's the cleanest looking laptop next to the the MacBook/MacBook Pros. The Sony SZ series is nice looking as well.

 

Agree. In fact, I prefer old Toshiba's keyboards way better. Typing on those is a breeze. I think they have some of the best keyboards around. Dell's keyboards are just so-so.

Agree!! I own an old Satellite (which I love), and was considering buying a new one.. until I checked them out at the store. All the "new shine" helped me make my final decision and go with Dell instead!

 

So, it's been 24 hours living with the m1330.
First impressions:
Battery wasn't too bad, I had WiFi on the whole time, downloaded Skype, Safari, and iTunes, dumped a few gig of pics and files onto it and watched a bit of porn and it lasted 3 hours and 20 mins. Not bad at all, almost as good as the Mac.

Still getting used to the enormity of it. The other 3 laptops I have are 12" and the palm rest area on the xps seems huge to me, but I'll get used to it.
Vista: not real keen on that, pretty average, but that's well-established.

Overall fun factor: probably 1 to none. I know, I know, it's harsh but the user experience with a budget machine on Vista just isn't that good. If you flipped it over and saw Kmart sign you wouldn't be surprised I think. The whole experience is rather Kmart. Dell is the Kmart of the computer world.

Why did I buy it? Because it's the best value for money. Not a real good reason. The other reason is that I'm a gadget spendthrift and at the end of the day I can't see any real use for this computer alongside all my others. To be honest I think it'll go straight into the drawer with the myriad of other pointless devices I've purchased.

Technology-fun-factor-wise, my N95 8GB wins. It's just a sweet little device with heaps of tricks up it's sleave - can't wait for the N96 16GB!

Anyway, back to the Dell.

Remote control is cool - though ultimately I can't think of a time when I'll use or need it.
Bluetooth and WiFi are all good.
What else can you say about a computer. It functions?
I can type stuff on it. Could probably play a game if so inclined. Could do a spreadsheet one day. Surf the internet. But all this you can do on your phone of course.
Screen: LED is nice and bright and clear. But I'm not a retoucher so who cares.
Keypad: well below average. The cheapest shade of silver.
Speed: not really noticeably faster than my 8 year old laptop.
Sound: ok, but not as loud and clear as my phone.
Portability: not bad at all.
Weight: pick it up with between your fingers with staining your wrist. No problem.

Sounds like I'm in love with my phone now and am totally down on my XPS! Not true! I like it but I'm just trying to be honest and clear and critical. I'm not particularly interested in my phone anymore, it's old hat, but since it's the coolest little gadget I have that has similar capabilities I thought I'd compare it cause I remember being impressed by it when I got it.
It was all 'wow, it can do this, and this and that, and makes my life much easier'
The dell on the other hand, does everything my other old computers does but just ever so slightly faster.

You have to consider how these things make you feel. When I bought my first laptop, Mac, it was like wow, my life has changed a little.
When I bought my first motorbike or car, it was like wow, this is great and my life is affected. When I bought the dell, I thought, now I have a few extra gigabytes but it doesn't really do anything a ten year old computer doesn't do.

As for looks, from my point of view - and it is a superficial one, and one that has been known to giggle at IT geeks - it is a very very average piece of kit. A Star Trek fan might enjoy it, or a slightly overweight bespectacled indoors type who reads sci-fi and fantasy novels and is slightly pale and never liked the beach or bars too much.
You know what I mean? He/she thinks, cool! look at the futuristic font of the XPS! Chicks will love that.
Anyway, each to their own. Actually, that's not true. I believe subjective beauty is in doubt these scientific days.
Don't scald me! I too am a nerd. But I'm a different type. I used to get paid by some of the largest ad agencies to stamp cool/not cool on ads and XPS would certainly be denied. I would send it back for redesigning. Did you see the balding corpulent fellow that designed it? He is so far from cool he can't even see it from there. It's designed like a Toyota: it won't get your heart pumping but it's practical.
A Mac, for a contrary example, will get your heart pumping but won't be compatible with anything whatsoever.

Let's put it this way, anyone with anything better to do won't appreciate the subtle differences of the XPS m1330 over their old Windows 98 system.

All in all, a very practical laptop, with the best value for money but not something that'll stir you from your bed when you wake to see it on the table over yonder. You'll choose the warmth of those bedclothes every time.

 

Finally, someone who benchmarks their computer with porn. That's what I'm talking about!

 

I think I'm gonna take your review with a grain of salt then. Not many of us can really afford buying a new laptop to just use it as a drawer filler Good for you! As for me, my new M1330 is arriving today, and I must admit.. I'm extremely excited!

LOL!

 

My thoughts exactly. Buddy you already own too many toys and it sounds like you are filling a void or trying to fight boredom with toys. I doubt anything at this point is really going to impress you :\

 

I just can't take someone who calls an XPS a "budget" or "K-Mart" computer seriously... how many laptops have you used!?

"Not noticeably faster than your 8 year old laptop."

Well, uhh, you're not going to notice the speed difference in basic stuff.

"Let's put it this way, anyone with anything better to do won't appreciate the subtle differences of the XPS m1330 over their old Windows 98 system."

haha, OK, you got me

 

It's all relative. XPS compared to say a Latitude or Thinkpad (or Mac) is of lower quality as far as build/durability is concerned. It doesn't necessarily make XPS the K-mart of laptops. That distinction suits Inspiron better. But XPS can't be everything to everyone now can it. Sounds like the OP was swayed to buy mostly from the positive reviews. But yeah, Latitude e series is coming soon and sounds like a better match. For the price, actually, I don't see why more people don't choose Latitude. So close to XPS and better built.

 

Well he said he saw it at a retail store... anyone walking down the aisles there can see a plethora of laptops with build qualities that are absolute crap relative to the XPS line.