Let me say how completely pleased I am with this little computer. This is my second laptop and was reluctant to buy it at first because of some negative experiences with the first laptop I owned. But this computer is a far cry from the other. The extras included were a (pleasant) surprise and made this a top value for the dollar spent for me. As I am pretty much confined to a chair at the moment, I practically live on this computer even though I have an old HP 1.1 Ghz desktop and a custom built high performance desktop in my office. The laptop is easy and convenient to use with a wireless LAN while in my easy chair.
The computer I purchased came with 3 Gb of RAM and a pentium dual core chip running at 2.20 Ghz. The machine screams! It also came with a 250 Gb hard drive, an on-board webcam, and a wireless connector card. The monitor is bright (adjustable), large and a pleasure to my eyes. All of this adds up to a computer which is a joy to use and will do about anything I would want it to do, where I want to do it.
Controls for screen brightness, volume control, mute, wireless on/off and CD/DVD player are conveniently located on the uppermost set of keyboard keys. All are pretty much intuitive to use. I do miss the number keypad that is on regular keyboards, but laptops do not normally have this set of keys due to space limitations.
The price was right at $478 w/ free shipping. Shipping time was only about three or four days direct from Dell. I imagine that Amazon would be about the same ... or even faster with their free super saver shipping option.
The only drawback to the computer is Windows 7, which is supplied in it's most basic form (ie, it's not even backward compatible with Windows XP) and takes a while in getting used to. This is, however, a small concession to make as I can always remove Windows 7 and put XP on the unit .. or I can upgrade Windows for about $90 to the next level which would be compatible with XP.
{The whole deal with XP vs. 7 is the software which Windows 7 will not run as it uses a 64-bit operating system. You'll have to test each of your favorite programs out to see if they work on the new operating system or not. I personally feel that when Microsoft engineered Windows 7, the backwards compatibility with XP should have been built in at the lowest level and not required an upgrade at almost $100.}
Bottom line? Great computer from a well known company at a reasonable price. There apparently is an issue concerning the battery or A/C adapter which has been said to break after a year's use. I have not seen this as I have not owned the computer that long. See the review by Kevin S. for details.
** Mar 2011 update: I've now had the computer for a year and have had no issues with the battery as mentioned by some of the other reviewers. Of course, I don't take the battery in and out, so may not be subjecting it to the wear that another might be doing. However, there is no need to remove the battery since it charges while the computer is plugged into the wall outlet. **
Cheerfully recommended.
~Paul~
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This has been a great computer. I've had it for about 6 months now and I am very pleased with the overall performance. This is about the 4th or 5th Dell I have owned and have had virtually no problems with any of them. It has fast performance, great screen, excellent sound quality, and again, no issues at all (other than with Vista and that is minor). We have (in our family) purchased 3 of these exact same computers at about the same time and the only issue we have had is a sticky keyboard. Overall ALL of us are very please with our purchase of this computer.Best Deals for Dell Inspiron 15 (1545) 15.6-Inch Laptop Notebook (Jet Black)
As it goes for the other, similar model, anyone considering buying this product owes it to themselves to look into the a/c adapter issue.Basically, Dell engineers its hardware only to "read" Dell branded adapters. After 12.5 months (just out of warranty), I received a message that Dell could not recognize my battery. The fragile pin it uses to identify it's own hardware breaks very easily, rendering the entire computer unable to charge.
The computer still works, so long as it is plugged into an outlet. But, from what I can can gather, this problem is nearly universal. For my needs, it renders the computer a sort of toy. The fix will run you about $400.
Dell is aware of the problem, but has chosen to do nothing about it. The fact that it tends to trigger just after warranty expires obviously gives them no incentive to improve.
For more information, Google the phrase: "ac power adapter type cannot be determined". This very specific query yields 14,700 results.
Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron 15 (1545) 15.6-Inch Laptop Notebook (Jet Black)
This is my newer computer, I got it because my friend couldn't find out what's wrong. the battery was no good. that is the only thing you have to worry about these 1500 series dell's. buy an extra battery when you buy this computer.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dell Inspiron 15 (1545) 15.6-Inch Laptop Notebook (Jet Black)
Have had it for a month...From a functional point of view, I like this a lot. This replaced my 2003 IBM Thinkpad A30.
PROS:
Obviously a lot faster, lots more memory and built-in wireless are just super.
Not trusting of Office 2007 (which also requires a 're-learning experience), loaded my old copy of Office 2003 Pro, which works great. Getting used to Vista (had Windows XP Pro).
CONS:
Wrote my first media (CD as well as DVD). BIG problem. Vibrates the drive, indeed the whole laptop, and makes a HORRIBLE sound. Sending it back to Dell for warranty repair.
The high-gloss surface shows every single fingerprint. The matt outside surface too picks up every single finger/hand print.
Unrelated to Dell, Windows Messenger is rather annoying. Anyone tell me how do I get it off my Start-Up programs?
Have had Dells before (Latitude) which were workhorses, as was the Thinkpad. Time will tell about the Inspiron
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