Dell XPS M1210

Dell like ASUS offers great products. Quite a few of their products have been part of our roundups and lists and have often won in their respective categories.

The XPS M1210, is an entertainment oriented ultra-portable, that offers some excellent specifications. It is built on the Core2Duo platform and like ASUS, offers the full range of C2D mobile processors. The LCD panel on the XPS M1210 is a 12.1 Inch LCD panel with a native resolution of 1280x800, which makes it HD Ready (720p). Dell unlike a lot of other manufacturers offers a healthy amount of RAM with all its laptops. This is well reflected in the fact that, Dell ships the base model of the XPS M1210 with 1 GB RAM. Most manufacturers offer 512 Mb of ram in comparison for base models. Dell unlike others also offers a lot of storage space. The XPS M1210 is currently being sold with an 80 GB model for the base version and offers a free upgrade to 120 GB.

Dell has equipped the XPS M1210 with a dedicated graphical solution. The XPS M1210 utilizes a dedicated Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 video card with 256MB of memory which allows Windows Vista to be run in all its glory. This amount of graphic memory and particular Nvidia chipset is normally utilized on more expensive laptops-- to find it on an ultra-portable is a virtually unheard of move. For peripheral connectivity, Dell has certainly not left anything. The XPS M1210 offers four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, VGA, and S-Video-out ports and two headphone jacks. There is also an Express Card slot present and a five -in-one media card reader that recognizes Secure Digital, Multimedia Card and Memory Stick Pro formats.

Dell like ASUS has adopted a multi-battery approach for the XPS M1210. The M1210 offers a variety of batteries which offer extended battery life but compromise on the weight of the laptop. At a base level, the Dell is easily able to cross 3 ½ hrs and with its extended battery it is possible to reach nearly 7 hrs.
All in all with its powerful processor, huge amount of system memory dedicated graphical solution and extensive peripheral connectivity the Dell XPS M1210 offers a VFM that is second to none. Its prices start at Rs. 59,000 and this makes it a must have for anyone looking for an ultra-portable solution.

Acer is a manufacturer, that does not often get its due when it comes to laptops. They make some very good laptops which offer excellent features and great battery life. The Travel mate 3012 WTMi is one such laptop, although being a year old still offers great VFM.

Though Acer has not yet shifted its to the Core2Duo platform, it has not crippled the 3012 either. The 3012 ships with a core-duo T2300 processor which offers plenty of power for multi-tasking and multimedia purposes. The rest of the system specifications are not too shabby as there is 1 GB of system memory and storage space of 80 GB. Similar to the other products in this roundup, the screen on this laptop is a 12.1 inch LCD panel which offers an HD ready resolution of 1280x720. For its peripheral connectivity Acer has equipped the Travelmate with three USB ports; a FireWire port, a Type II PC Card slot; a memory slot for SD and Sony Memory Stick Flash cards; and both D-Sub and DVI monitor outputs.

With concerns to battery life, this notebook is neatly in a league of its own. The 3012WTMi is able to reach over 5 ½ hours available on a single charge on the standard 6 cell battery. Acer also has another unique feature for its batteries. A standard recharge on most laptops takes around 2 ½ hrs. In comparison, Acer has implemented a quick recharge function, which is able to return the laptop to full power in under 80 mins.

Priced at Rs. 77,500 this notebook stays very competitive thanks to its strong processor system, excellent screen resolution and above par battery life.