Some questions about the XPS 1210

Have been playing around with my XPS1210...it really rocks....some questions though..
1. There is a gap between the right shift key and the up arrow key which is filled up. (bad design. I think they could have increased the size of the arrow keys). Anyway,when I press that part (the extra metal/plastic), it seems to go down... was wondering if its the same case in all laptops.. Infact the down arrow key has a different sound compared to the others...
Its almost as though there is no support for the keyboard in this area...any keypress seems to move the entire keyboard on that area down...

2. They didnt partition the drive.. (duh! usual problem.. I think there should be law to partition all laptop drives)....I am planning to install Linux (Ubuntu) Just wondering if all the hardware is supported...or anything specific to look for...

3. The photos of the XPS in the sheet show some kind of a brushed alluminium finish...wondering if the older versions came with that finish....mine has the usual metal finish.

 

I wish I could help you with all three questions, but all I know is that my first M1210 (I got a replacement model) definitely had this "keyboard flex" at the lower right hand corner. Many others have complained similarly.

Apparently, I've heard you can take apart a certain component, and there's some wire or some such causing that. I'd hope others here can back up my claim and link you to a solution.

My current M1210 model doesn't have the flex, but it's new and could prop up at a moment's notice. If I remember correctly, it look some time for my previous model to develop the flex.