Dell XPS M2010
With an ever-increasing number of look-alike notebooks hitting the market with 19-inch displays, Dell's reimagining of the laptop is genuinely refreshing. Sporting a huge 20.1-inch adjustable display, a removable Bluetooth keyboard, and a convenient carrying handle, this desktop-meets-notebook is sure to inspire "oohs and "ahs" from the neighbors and a "yikes" from your accountant. Weighing 18.3 pounds and starting at $3,500 (our configuration costs a mind-blowing $4,475), the XPS M2010 was created to appeal to a very limited audience, but it packs nearly every feature you could think of into one of the most innovative designs we've seen in a long time.
The XPS M2010's massive 20.1-inch screen extends away from the system on a hinge, more closely resembling an external flat-screen monitor than the display of a traditional notebook. Located atop the
screen is a webcam; eight speakers (four on each side) reside along the bottom of the display. The base measures 19.3 x 8.3 x 2 inches. It contains the CPU, all of the notebook's ports, a subwoofer, and a pop-up slot-loading optical DVD drive. The power and media buttons are at the top, closest to the screen.
The media buttons glow blue on contact, and the eject button extends the optical drive from the base when pressed, creating an automating buzzing sound—and a very retro-futuristic Knight Rider feel.
The monitor folds over the base and keyboard. Its hinge doubles as an extremely sturdy handle. When closed the whole unit resembles a large brief case, complete with a faux leather design.
The monitor folds over the base and keyboard. Its hinge doubles as an extremely sturdy handle. When closed the whole unit resembles a large brief case, complete with a faux leather design.
The keyboard is full-sized, with all the amenities, including a numeric keypad and dedicated media keys. The keys have a nice tactile response, leaning more towards a desktop than a notebook. The trackpad is a bit small for a notebook of this size, stuck in-between the keyboard and number pad, almost like an afterthought. The real benefit of the keyboard, however, is its Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The keyboard secures into the base via six pins, which also serve to recharge the battery. The system also comes with a full-sized Bluetooth optical mouse, compensating for the awkwardly-positioned trackpad.
Performance-wise, the XPS M2010 offers the sort of numbers one would expect from a multimedia system in this price range. The 2.16-GHz Intel Core Duo
T2600 processor combined with a whopping 2GB of RAM racked up an impressive 253 in MobileMark 2005 with Wi-Fi off. The notebook's Dual 6-cell battery managed 3 hours and 12 minutes of runtime, a remarkable score for a system of its size.
The 1680 x 1050-pixel TrueLife glossy WSXGA+ display is quite crisp and perfect for DVDs or games. The speakers also handled the tasks of movies and music admirably, and we like that the system comes with Windows XP Media Center Edition . While the webcam's picture quality was decent, it's far from the best we've seen.
Thanks to ATI's top-of-the line Mobility Radeon X1800 graphics, complete with 256MB of video memory, the XPS M2010 notched a very good but not quite stellar 3DMark03 score of 11,719, along with an unexceptional F.E.A.R. frame rate score of 28 fps at a 1024 x 768-pixel resolution on its autodetect setting. Gameplay looked just fine at this level, but keep in mind that the "cheaper" $4,215 configuration of the XPS M1710 turned in much higher 3DMark03 (18,319) and F.E.A.R. (104 fps) scores.
The included RF remote control is very cool. In addition to controlling Media Center, the remote has an LCD that displays your music in a manner similar to an MP3 player, so you can see what's playing from the next room and change tracks. It also has a gyroscopicfeature that allows the remote to serve as a wireless mouse. This feature is a bit awkward and tough to master, but it can be pretty handy, especially when you don't have enough desk real estate to use an external mouse.
If you want to use the XPS M2010 to watch and record TV, you'll need to fork over an additional $100 for an external tuner; we'd prefer it was built into the machine. The only thing that the Dell XPS M2010
doesn't have as an option (at least not yet) is a Blu-ray drive, which would allow users to watch high-definition movies and back up as much as 50GB to a single disc. This isn't a case of Dell being chintzy; Blu-ray technology simply isn't available for thinner slot-loading drives yet. Dell anticipates that a Blu-ray drive will be an option by the end of the year.
It's heavy, a little unwieldy, and obscenely expensive. But if you're searching for a transportable all-in-one PC that can double as a stereo, DVD player, and DVR/TV (if you spend a little more), the XPS M2010 is a splurge-worthy status symbol.
Thanks to ATI's top-of-the line Mobility Radeon X1800 graphics, complete with 256MB of video memory, the XPS M2010 notched a very good but not quite stellar 3DMark03 score of 11,719, along with an unexceptional F.E.A.R. frame rate score of 28 fps at a 1024 x 768-pixel resolution on its autodetect setting. Gameplay looked just fine at this level, but keep in mind that the "cheaper" $4,215 configuration of the XPS M1710 turned in much higher 3DMark03 (18,319) and F.E.A.R. (104 fps) scores.
The included RF remote control is very cool. In addition to controlling Media Center, the remote has an LCD that displays your music in a manner similar to an MP3 player, so you can see what's playing from the next room and change tracks. It also has a gyroscopicfeature that allows the remote to serve as a wireless mouse. This feature is a bit awkward and tough to master, but it can be pretty handy, especially when you don't have enough desk real estate to use an external mouse.
If you want to use the XPS M2010 to watch and record TV, you'll need to fork over an additional $100 for an external tuner; we'd prefer it was built into the machine. The only thing that the Dell XPS M2010
doesn't have as an option (at least not yet) is a Blu-ray drive, which would allow users to watch high-definition movies and back up as much as 50GB to a single disc. This isn't a case of Dell being chintzy; Blu-ray technology simply isn't available for thinner slot-loading drives yet. Dell anticipates that a Blu-ray drive will be an option by the end of the year.
It's heavy, a little unwieldy, and obscenely expensive. But if you're searching for a transportable all-in-one PC that can double as a stereo, DVD player, and DVR/TV (if you spend a little more), the XPS M2010 is a splurge-worthy status symbol.
(http://archive.laptopmag.com)
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