Dell Vostro 1700: the dark horse of notebooks
 Jan 24th, 2008
Advantages:
Built - in webcam, huge number of ports, clever function buttons, media button panel, nice screen
Disadvantages:
Basically none except that it is slightly heavy because it contains a lot !
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
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Look & Feel
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  Aquillyne
About me:
Member since:07.01.2008
Reviews:10
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Review rated by 9 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
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The new Vostro series from Dell is a dark horse. Despite not getting the attention of Dell's mega-high-spec machines such as the XPS, these laptops designed for small businesses are actually probably the best to buy for any purpose. As usual, the Vostros are customisable so that you can pay more for better components. A standard configuration will include a dual core Intel Core 2 Duo processor at 2GHz - a very fast processor indeed - alongside an nVidia GeForce separate graphics card, 1GB of RAM and 160GB of hard-disk space. They also come with Windows Vista (or XP if you prefer). Combined, what this provides is an extremely smooth Windows experience. The graphics card handles all the new visual effects in
Windows Vista effortlessly, and the large amount of RAM also speeds up programs a great deal. All of these features can be upgraded to get an even better performance.
Perhaps the best thing to upgrade on the Vostro would be the screen. Standardly you will receive a 1280x800 wide-screen display, which is probably fine for most people. However, this can go up to a 1920x1200 wide-screen display which is absolutely gorgeous. Having a large 17" screen makes the experience of using your computer a joy at this high resolution. Most builds also come with a TruLife display, which is worth paying for - this makes the picture beautifully crisp and coloured. The importance of a top-notch display cannot be understated, and the improvement of TruLife is often underestimated. However, the Vostro screens are large and bright and certainly deliver at any resolution. Also included on the screen is a built-in 2.0 megapixel webcam at the top - this is incredibly useful for Instant Messaging or general webcam use as you basically have a webcam without it taking up any physical space whatsoever. A light next to the camera shines when it is filming so you are always aware if you are being recorded! Similar lights also alert you to the use of the microphone, Caps Lock, the hard-drive, batteries, Bluetooth or wireless. Little useful features like this are all over the Vostro 1700. A function button instantly brings up Windows calculator, and larger-screened models come with a full number pad to use with this. A "home" button instantly opens Dell Media Center for playing DVDs.
A button on the side can instantly turn on or off all the wireless capabilities of the laptop - all of them come with an adequate Wireless adaptor so that you can browse the internet without any cables, but you can also add on a Bluetooth module for a small price which is definitely worth it - this lets your laptop communicate with your phone or any other Bluetooth device - and both of these features can be flicked on or off from the side. The computer has several USB ports so you can connect a large number of peripheral devices to it including iPods and printers. There are 2 at the side for easy access, and 3 at the back. There is also a modem with telephone port and a network card with ethernet port. Further connections include a video output for displaying the computer image on a separate monitor, 1394 connection, and an SD card reader. An ExpressCard slot accepts specialised laptop devices, including Dell's own remote control used with the pre-installed MediaCenter.
Perhaps the nicest placement of ports is the microphone and headphone ports immediately at the front. These go alongside a panel of 7 media buttons that control Media Players when running Windows. These include Volume Up, Down and Mute, Play/Pause, Forward, Backward and Stop. These function with Windows Media Player as well as Dell Media Center, which is an extremely useful pre-installed application useful for playing DVDs. Directly above the media panel is a responsive touchpad with integrated scrolling (brushing the edges of the touch-pad is the same as rolling a mouse-wheel) and two responsive mouse buttons. Of course, you can connect your own USB mouse. The Vostro 1700 is a beautiful laptop. It comes in smooth metallic black, with silver embellishments and blue glowing LEDs. It is packed with little features for connectivity and easy of use. Everything about the laptop is smooth, from the motion of the fold as you open and close it, to the cushioned laptop keyboard keys. The machine comes pre-installed with Windows and several useful but non-invasive programs such as McAfee Internet Security and a Media Center. It works very smoothly, has a good battery life, and is overall an exceptional machine.
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by (11%):
25.01.2008 17:42
Very detailed and well-written :)
25.01.2008 11:54
I've got a Vostro desktop, certainly they are great. Larry
25.01.2008 10:42
Great review, very informative and helpful! Amy xx