MX Quick Review

My MX came in the mail on Tuesday and I have been VERY happy with it so I am going to give a quick review.

Reason for Buying

I wanted a quick and capable laptop with great build quality. I also wanted a >5 lb. weight and a nice display. Luckily the MX met all of these needs. It is very light and very fast, and very solid.

Buying Experience

The buying experience from PortableOne was terrific. They have great customer service, Ivan is there to answer your questions quickly and accurately no matter how petty they are. I ordered it on a Friday and it was in my hands on Tuesday. Very quick. Overall my buying experience exceeded my expectations and then some. I ordered a laptop from HP earlier this year and the whole experience was a nightmare. They ended up delaying my order almost a month, and I ended up canceling my order. Needless to say, PortableOne is a top-notch outfit when it comes to customer service.

Specs

Intel Centrino M Dothan 745 1.8GHz w/2MB L2 Cache 400Mhz
1GB(1x1GB) DDR 400 PC3200 SODIMM(2GB Max)
Vivid 14.1" SXGA+ TFT (1400x1050) Resolution
Intel 855GME Extreme Graphics
TravelStar 60GB 7200RPM HD
Modular Combo DVD & CDRW Drive
High Capcity 8-Cell Battery
4 USB 2.0 Ports & IEEE1394 FireWire
V.90 Modem & 10/100Mbps LAN
Integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 802.11 a+ b/g Wireless LAN
Carbon Fiber Alloy Encasing
Windows XP Pro
4.9 lbs w/Battery & Optical Drive

Look and Feel

This laptop has a great look and feel. I really love it. It is all black with silver accents. Very low-key but still exudes a "business" look. Not boring or dull looking like the IBM T43. It feels solid and sturdy in every way. It doesn't have the "plastic feel" of Dell or HP. The keyboard is solid and sturdy, no flex for me. Although I am not one to be picky about keyboards. My only complaint about the "look and feel" of this laptop is that the top exterior of the laptop gets your fingerprints all over it when you touch it. It is a minor complaint but it still annoys me to see fingerprints on my laptop. I just wipe it down with a wet paper towel frequently to keep it clean. I am hoping there is some kind of protectant I can apply to keep my fingerprints off the casing.


The Screen

In my opinion this is one of the best features of the laptop. My LCD came with no dead pixels which was great. The picture is sharp, clear, and bright. It really is a fantastic screen. Make sure you like a high resolution screen though, it runs at 1400 x 1050, which is great for me, but if you are used to a 1024 x 768 the icons and text will be very small compared to what you are used to looking at. I give the screen an A+

Speakers

They are laptop speakers so don't expect much. They sound tinny but that is what I expect. If you want to listen to music while you are on your laptop get some headphones.

Inputs/Outputs

The inputs and outputs on this laptop have just about everything you need. The four USB ports are especially nice for hooking up whatever devices you may have. The other feature that is nice is the Firewire 1394B 800 input. This superfast firewire input lets me hook up my external HD with a converter cable and transfer at twice the speed of a USB 2.0 input. This is great when I am transferring files between computers or backing up my HD. A nice feature. My only complaint about the input/outputs is the lack of a DVI output. When I am home and using my 19" LCD I would really like to have it hooked up through a DVI port. I would think it would be a no brainer to put a DVI out in the MX. I would much rather have a DVI out than the serial printer output that is currently in the MX. I can use USB for my printer, but not my monitor.

Wrieless Performance

So far my wireless performance has been solid. I have been able to take my MX all around my apartment and I still get a good signal. I have not tested the range other than that. I have had no problems with the wireless performance.

Touchpad

I rarely use a touchpad, I prefer a mini-mouse. Therefore, I have only used the touchpad a few times but it does seem a little "jumpy" compared to my Dell. This doesn't matter to me at all, because I hardly ever use it.

Battery Life

I have yet to make a road trip with my MX so I really haven't tested the battery life yet. I will post when I do. It is an 8-cell though, which will provide a solid 4 hours at least. It is said to last 6.5 with the main battery. I would anticipate being able to watch a full 2.5 hour DVD and then some on a long flight. The 8-cell battery is a really nice touch. Most notebooks in the sub 5 lb weight class only have a 6 cell. This extra battery life gives you the freedom to comfortably watch a DVD on a long flight and still have some left for any work you might want to get done.

OS and Bundled Software

This is another area where the MX shines. It comes with a very basic and very CLEAN set-up. It comes preloaded with the VCOM Security Suite which has been a pleasure to use. It takes up very little system resources and gets the job done. It comes with Nero which is a very capable and easy to use CD burning utility. Also included is a premium subscription to Inspice Trace and Recover for 3 Years. This is very easy to set-up and gives you some extra security. If your laptop is stolen you can log-on to your account and report it stolen. They will then trace your laptop to a specific location. You also have the ability to remotely delete your files if you choose to set it up that way. It also comes pre-loaded with Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, another nice touch. Also included is PowerDVD.

When you get your MX it will be "clean" and free of all the junk that all major companies will throw on your system. The MX has nothing of the sort, it is clean and quick. It is unfortunate that most companies will load your system down with all kinds of junk before it is even in your hands.

Warranty

PortableOne provides a 1 Year Warranty free of charge. I purchased my MX with my American Express card which automatically adds an extra year on to my warranty. A two year warranty is plenty for me.


Conclusion

I must say my MX has more than exceeded my expecatations. It runs all programs quickly and efficiently. It is built like a rock and it looks very professional and sleek. It is quiet and does not "run hot" at all. My only two complaints are it not having a DVI out and the fingerprint issue. Other than that the machine is fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the market for a thin and light laptop. It is built with premium components and it shows in looks and performance. The MX gets two thumbs up from me.

 

ams, i was going to drop you an email to see if you liked the MX, but i guess i already know the answer [ ] glad to hear you like your new toy! also glad to hear that you ended up enjoying the sxga+ resolution[8D]

 

Yeah everything worked out great, I couldn't be happier with the screen. I am very impressed with my new MX.

 

I just purchased this computer...It's exceeded expectations.