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JR Lang asked:


Here are 9 ways to prevent your laptop from theft as well as an explanation of laptop security devices that ensure your laptop and data are protected. The main attraction of laptops is their portability and mobility. It is great to be able to take your computer with you and use it anywhere. But with these benefits comes a risk of theft. Obviously theft is more likely to happen when an object can be picked up and carried away. Laptop security devices are important to prevent your laptop from being stolen as well as to prevent the data from your laptop being retrieved and used in the event that your laptop is a victim of theft.

9 WAYS TO PREVENT LAPTOP THEFT

1. Don’t use computer bags, while these maybe fashionable and comfortable they make it obvious that you are carrying a laptop. Try using a padded briefcase or suitcase instead.

2. Make sure your laptop is always with you. Do not check laptops in with your luggage while traveling. Never leave your laptop in your car in plain sight or any valuable objects for that matter. There has been a recent increase of car burglaries stemming from people leaving valuables in plain sight. Lock all valuables in the trunk.

3. Never leave access numbers or passwords in your carrying case. Keeping your password with your laptop is like keeping the keys in the car. Without your password or important access numbers it will be more difficult for a thief to access your personal and corporate information.

4. Keep your eye on your laptop. When you go through airport security don’t lose sight of your bag. Hold your bag until the person in front of you has gone through the metal detector. Many bags look alike and yours can easily be lost in the shuffle.

5. Avoid setting your laptop on the floor. Putting your laptop on the floor is an easy way to forget or lose track of it. If you have to set it down, try to place it between your feet or against your leg (so you’re always aware it’s there).

6. Use a screen guard when in public. This prevents people from looking over your shoulder and seeing sensitive information. This is especially helpful when you’re traveling or need to work in a crowded area.



7. Do not leave your laptop unsecured in your hotel room. Things sometimes tend to get “lost” in hotel rooms and are never secure. If you must leave your laptop in the room then use a security cable to attach it to a stable object, such as the desk or bedpost. Another good thing to do is leave the “do not disturb” sign on the door.

8. Make sure that everything that can be labeled is labeled with the name of the individual or organization that owns it, and ensure that these labels are conspicuous. The potential theft value of a laptop or peripheral is reduced greatly when additional work is required to remove the identifying marks. Conspicuous identity labels also significantly increase the risk of a potential thief being caught in the act of theft.

9. Buy a laptop security device. The next section details some options for laptop security devices.

LAPTOP SECURITY DEVICE:

Laptop Cable:

One of the most inexpensive and effective laptop security devices is a cable. Very much like a bicycle lock, this cable attaches to your laptop and allows you to lock it to a stationary object. The cable makes it much more difficult for someone to steal your laptop.

Laptop Tracing Programs:

These programs will report the location of a stolen laptop. They work when the laptop connects to the Internet, and can report the laptop’s exact physical location. Some tracing programs include CyberAngel and ComputracePlus.

Motion Sensors and Alarms:

Unexpected loud noises make people wake up and take notice, something that aspiring thieves find very discouraging. Laptop security companies realize this and have created alarms for portable computers.

While the signaling mechanism of an alarm system is usually the same, the triggering mechanisms are both varied and specialized. There are products available that create a “maximum separation zone” around the user and the laptop. The idea is that if the user moves out of range of the device, or the laptop is moved out of range of the user, the alarm will sound. Thus, if someone tries to steal or remove the laptop, the alarm will sound, drawing attention to the theft.

LAPTOP SECURITY DEVICES THAT PREVENT DATA ACCESS:

Security measures available in order to prevent access to data on your laptop in the event that it is taken.

Set a BIOS password:

Most laptops offer protection by allowing the owner to set a boot password. Typically most will prompt the user three times to enter a password, then refuse to boot if there are three failures.

Set a Login Password:

Set a login name/password that way in order to successfully login in to a laptop, the user must provide that information. If the login entered is incorrect, the operating system will refuse to allow entry.

Encryption:

One of the best laptop security devices are file encryption programs, which, encrypt files on your laptop. A private unlock key is provided to the user, and as long as your private key is kept safe, no one but you and your intended recipients will be able to view your data.

Biometric Fingerprint Readers:

Another great laptop security device is the Biometric Reader. The idea behind biometrics is to use the uniqueness of certain features of a user, such as retinal pattern, fingerprints, and even typing characteristics, to accurately identify and authorize persons. This type of laptop security device would provide a hardware level of authentication that would require authentication before the machine would even boot up.

Jamie Quint asked:


With coming of days, along with the soaring need for cell phones, laptops are also becoming an apparent must have. Business professionals, students, office goers, site workers are becoming growingly dependant on technology, and are always seeking mobility when it comes to their computing/entertainment needs. This is best delivered by modern day laptops.

As newer ones are very elegantly designed, users are always on the look out and are careful about not getting get a scratch on the surface of their precious laptop, whereas some users wish their laptop stands out from the others in terms of looks. Adhesive stickers are now readily available to cater to these laptop problems.

What are Laptop Adhesive Stickers?

Adhesive stickers for your laptop are a great solution to protect the surface of your laptop from dust, unwanted scratches, and accidental spills. Moreover, if you are considering giving your laptop a new appearance, a designer adhesive laptop sticker is just what you need! It helps to uplift the total look of your laptop, and gives it a unique furthermore radical makeover.

Features of Adhesive Stickers for your Laptop

Adhesive stickers for laptops are not your conventional stickers and are often referred to as ‘laptop skins’. Adhesive stickers for laptops are offered in an array of different shapes & sizes, which are carefully designed to cover the entire top surface of your laptop. Adhesive laptop stickers are the best stickers if you are looking to personalize your darling laptop, as they are available in a wide variety of styles, illustrations and even materials!

Manufacturers of Adhesive stickers for laptops ensure a perfect fit, since sizes of these adhesive stickers are based on the actual dimensions specified by laptop manufacturers. This means that you can unworriedly purchase your laptop skin appropriate for your laptop right off the shelf, and stick it on to your laptop. Adhesive stickers for your laptop can even be custom designed containing your own initials, or even your company’s name. Choose from regular plastic or even leather resin for your custom made Adhesive laptop sticker.

Advantages of Using Adhesive Stickers for your Laptop

• Adhesive stickers for laptop serve to provide a unique get up for you laptop. With thousands of designer illustrations and styles to choose from, you can go for any look your heart desires. You can even have your custom laptop skin made to order. A number of companies even offer to put a photo of your choice or your own design on your custom laptop skin

• Protection is very important when it comes to your valuable laptop. Adhesive stickers for laptops help to protect the surface of your laptop from dust and unintended spills and scratches, and keeps it looking like new.

• Adhesive stickers for your laptop are easily to buy, and are available in shops and a range of computer accessory websites. You can even order adhesive stickers for you laptop from the manufacturer’s website. All laptop skins are guaranteed to be a perfect fit. Just take some care while ordering, and specify your correct laptop model.

• Laptop Adhesive stickers are made of especially designed, and can be removed and re-used a number of times.

Shirley Stevens asked:


If you thought that mobile broadband was something to do with surfing the web on your mobile phone, you’re very wrong.

Mobile broadband allows you to have immediate web access on either your computer or laptop from wherever you are, be it at home, at the airport, on the train or halfway across the Pennine Way.

Instead of the cables or wires needed for standard broadband, mobile broadband is powered by the 3G mobile network, hence the name.

Simply, all you need is a subscription to a mobile service network and a plug-in USB modem - a dongle, if you prefer - and you’re away.

It’s not purely by chance that the present UK mobile broadband providers are also the main mobile phone providers such as Vodafone mobile broadband, T-mobile, O2, 3 mobile broadband and Orange mobile broadband.

Is it suitable for everyone?

Bear in mind though that this exciting concept is not freely available to everyone just yet, so don’t rush to cancel your current telephone or cable internet provider until you have had a closer look at it.

A mobile broadband network will only work well if the mobile telephone network it runs on is efficient.

For instance, disparities in speed are the norm and erratic reception, the curse of mobile phones, will also plague mobile internet connections in exactly the same way.

If you use the internet a lot, mobile broadband is unlikely to be suitable for you as it would not be able to compete with the unlimited usage allowances of most hardwired broadband packages.

However, if all you need is to check your email and surf sporadically, then you will find it an attractive proposition - especially if you are on the move a lot.

Depending on your specific service provider, the new mobile broadband networks offer speeds ranging from 2.8Mb to as much as 7.2Mb. However, usage limits are restrictively applied throughout.

How much can you download?

Current mobile broadband providers are offering download limits of between 1 – 15Gb per month, which means it would not suit anyone who has to regularly transfer large files.

Equally, if you spend hours on YouTube, or listening to internet radio, or can’t resist online pirated movies, mobile broadband is unlikely to suit you - unless money is no object.

For that reason, mobile broadband is unlikely to replace ADSL or cable any time soon.

But, on the other hand, the mobile broadband facility is perfect for anyone who is away from home a great deal and needs frequent and ready access to their email while on the go.

It would be absolutely brilliant for occasional users who have more than one home but don’t want to pay for two broadband connections.

It has also become increasingly popular among students living in student houses where nobody wants to pay for a landline.

What does it cost?

Mobile broadband set-up and monthly costs differ considerably from network to network.

The usage allowance affects the price, but in general, the longer the contract the less it costs.

You will probably find it very helpful to consult a broadband comparison site and compare all mobile broadband deals and current prices.

Watch out…

As mobile broadband technology is still in the early stages of development and very likely to drop substantially in price in the future, it is advisable, say the experts, that consumers avoid extended contract periods.

On the other hand, if money is no object and you are happy to pay for the many advantages of a permanently connected laptop and welcome an escape from all the wires and cables necessary for standard broadband, then go for it!

Adam Caitlin asked:


The capability of the portable sat nav devices to sniff out obscure locations has made them the hottest selling gadgets - particularly among frequent travelers and globe trotters. Road users have been more than happy with all the innovative features of many such devices, which they can use to their advantage in finding their way across different areas. They can accessorize their cars and bikes with these gadgets, a fact that is making these devices all the more useful.

The users of these devices can stay focused on the road and have some of their co-passengers take over the navigation. Satellite Navigation Systems work by retrieving exact locations and the necessary traffic information from orbiting satellites and feeding the data to in-built LCD screens. The calculated location is then presented on a detailed map so that the users can track their movement en-route to their desired destinations. Most sat nav devices come with a user selectable voice, which tells the driver when to take a turn or warns them of any known problems such as a speed camera.

In a recent survey of company car drivers covering over one million miles in the UK, it was found that drivers with a GPS safety device fitted to their vehicle were 50% less prone to have an accident and 74% less likely to have a speeding endorsement. The latest sat nav models come laden with extra performance packed features such as speed-trap locators and the ability to navigate by photos on maps. With such devices, you would no more need the bells and whistles. One fact you should keep in mind is that the camera locations can change. To keep pace with the change, you’ll need to buy updates to assist you in avoiding any unwelcome points on your license.

There’s a great range of sat nav devices in the market as of now, and the users are not limited in the choices that they can make. Competition in the auto accessory sector is fierce, which means low prices and bewildering choices. No matter how modest or swish your tastes, there is a well-priced model to suit your budget.

Adding a sat nav is the safest way of instantly upgrading your car and making journeys go more smoothly and economically. In fact, you should plan your long trips better and cut down on unnecessary ‘lost’ mileage which invariable happens when using a paper map. In addition, many of these devices are integrated with MP3 players that can make the trip, voyage or journey quite unforgettable.

Dharmendra Chaudhary asked:


The breakthrough in wireless technology has arrived with the introduction of the Mobile Phone.  The need for fast and effective communication sparing no time loss is what has brought the birth of the Mobile Phone.     The mobile phone network strives to promote the mobile into the home of every individual.  The mobile phone network reaches out to all corners of the world.  There is continuous progress to get the wireless connection in even the remotest areas for the signal is something weak or the wireless is unable to make connection with the mobile phone.  But ninety percent of the wireless network works like a charm.  The mobile phone network continues to work on providing the signals in the remote areas. 

The Mobile Phone Network and the Internet

You can browse the Internet for the various mobile phone networks available in your country.  There are many networks that provide national and international wireless connection with your mobile.  The mobile phone network offers deals and good tariff rates and plans to suit each customer.  There are mobile phone brands that have a tie-up with the mobile phone network and you can select the network and the mobile brand in accordance with the offer by the mobile phone dealers.  There are many mobile phone networks and mobile phones that interact and this could leave you confused but at the internet station you can take your time to study the various features and deal of phones and mobile phone networks before you decide on the best mobile phone network for you.

The Mobile Phone Network and the Mobile Phone

The mobile phone network works in collaboration with the mobile phone.  There are many kinds of mobile phone networks that are available in almost every country.  Some of the main networks are O2, T Mobile, 3G, Vodafone and Orange among others.  The leading mobile phone networks provide many exciting deals for the customers and likewise promote the brand of the mobile as provided by the mobile phone manufacturers.

bloom media asked:


Most people love a good bargain and there’s always a deal to be had on electrical items such as cheap laptops. Simply by shopping around, looking for special offers and asking the right questions you can get hold of cheap laptops at an even further discounted rate.

Cheap laptops need just as much thought and consideration when it comes to use, maintenance and storage as the most expensive laptops on the market. After all, it’s not really a bargain if two weeks after your purchase you drop the laptop and smash it! Below are four top tips for looking after cheap laptops (and indeed laptops of all prices!)

1)      Let your laptop breathe

Don’t be tempted to use your laptop when it’s still inside your laptop bag, even if you’re on the move and in a rush! Using a laptop in its bag (or even resting a laptop on a cushion on your knees) can cause heat to build up through poor air circulation. If you often use your laptop on the go then try to rest it on the table on trains or you could create a small platform to sit in your laptop box to help aid air circulation.

2)      Keep your laptop warm

Just like people, cheap laptops can feel the cold and chilly weather conditions and this can be potentially dangerous to your laptop. Don’t be tempted to leave your laptop in your car boot over night in winter (or any time of year as it’ll be much more secure inside) as cold conditions can actually freeze your laptop. You should also keep your laptop free from damp conditions so be especially careful in rooms where condensation can build up in cool weather.

3)      Store your laptop safely

Cheap laptops and more expensive ones both need to be stored correctly. Don’t leave your laptop on the floor, even for a minute. Warm laptops can be very enticing to pets such as cats to make a bed on and all the bright buttons can allure children to your laptop with sticky fingers and spilled drinks. Obviously leaving laptops on the floor can result in them being stood on and completely broken in one step. Make sure your laptop stays safe and store it on a desk (not the kitchen table) or keep it safe in a sturdy laptop bag.

4)      Travelling tips

If you travel with a laptop then invest in a proper laptop bag. No matter how little you pay for cheap laptops, if they’re not carried in a bag designed for laptops they are much less likely to survive being dropped. When travelling on flights, keep your laptop with you at all times as checking it in can mean it gets battered about with the rest of the luggage, or stolen or lost, which if you use your laptop for business purposes can be devastating. All laptops have varying functions and facilities, whether they’re cheap laptops or more pricy ones, so make sure you are familiar with how your laptop works before you take it on a long trip with you. Getting to a foreign country and not knowing how to turn the wireless function on or how to access your emails could be a disaster.

Always keep your eyes peeling for bargains when investing in cheap laptops but once you have yours, don’t forget to treat it with the same respect as if it was twice the price!

Schreiberistic asked:


Laptop backpacks and laptop tote bags are quite popular today, considering the need for office goers, teenagers and almost every other person to use secure laptop gear for their precious notebooks. If you happen to use a common laptop bag for storing your laptop, it might fulfill the need for laptop protection but may not be comfortable for you to carry the laptop for prolonged time. Hence, in times such as these the best alternative would be to use laptop backpacks.

Today trendy backpacks for laptops are ergonomically designed to ensure the backpack does not put any strain on your spinal cord. Laptop backpacks designers work in collaboration with specialized neck injury and spinal cord doctors, orthopedic biomechanics and sports biomechanics that ensure the laptop backpacks do not bring about any health hazards to laptop backpack users. Backpacks give you the ability to keep your hands-free and free you from the worry about shoulder ache due to carrying the laptop case on one shoulder.

 

The HandStands MPX Gear Notebook Backpack is a good choice for people from all walks of life. Whether you are a businessperson, college going student or a backpacker, laptop Backpack Carrying Case will be ideal for you and your tastes irrespective of you using it as a laptop messenger bag, laptop tote bag or laptop computer bag. Laptop accessories providers and travel accessories manufacturers know the necessity of the laptop back user to be comfortable whenever they use laptop backpacks.

Laptop backpacks are a great choice as luggage when you are on the go. If you are a businessperson, you might have noticed people carrying all types of laptop cases and laptop carriers when they come for conferences. Laptop backpacks, notebook backpack bag and laptop computer cases are some of the many laptop accessories designed for sustaining all seasons. Tailored from durable thick nylon keeps the heat and water from the laptop, while the specially padded notebook backpacks have secure interiors to cushion the laptop from jerks. So, whether it is interior or exterior, your laptop computer will be secure in either case.

Other than accommodating the laptop computer, the laptop backpack also has enough room for your iPods, MP3 players as well as headphones. Store water bottles or even cell phones in the same back, without the fear of water dripping into the interior of laptop backpacks.

 Well-tailored and designed yet cheap notebook backpack carrying case make mobile computing easier for you. However, you still need to ensure there are no severe damages to the laptop due to any extreme conditions. Avoid placing laptop backpack on hard surfaces. Rest assured, you won’t have to worry about your laptop computer and keeps your hands free… literally!

Steve Thomas asked:


Getting the right mobile phone contracts actually is not an easy task. There is high race out there and you can often feel like there is too much select from. This is also true when it comes to mobile phone contracts with free gifts for you to select from. The mobile phone marketplace in the UK has reached saturation point, there is no doubt about that and now vendors and the network providers are fighting for your business. There are some really exclusive schemes on mobile phone contracts at the moment as this market really starts to expand. You can even get a free laptop with mobile phone; if you make sure that you shop around and match some of the high monthly deposits of mobile phone contracts from UK dealers.

With people seeking to save money in all areas, the mobile phone services are beginning to provide some truly excellent mobile phone deals for the consumer. Of course it all figures on what it is that you want from your mobile phone contract plan.

In the last few years itself, we have seen a huge rise in the mushrooming mobile phone industry. Sophisticated handsets with rich features have lifted the Junoesque quality of mobile across the globe. Astonishing characteristics which were beyond one’s vision some years back are a ‘really’ now. Camera, music, gaming - in every aspect the latest mobile phones score the maximum. The best thing with the latest mobile phones is that they are now available in all styles and sizes - clamshells, candybars and sliders with free gift and mobile phone contracts.

If you surf on the web right from your home and do some search on mobile phones, you will get lots of information on latest handsets as well as mobile phone contracts. Handsets manufactured by Nokia, Blackberry, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC, LG, i-mate - all are available with these online mobile phone retailers. They will also provide you value mobile phone contracts which you can select according to your requirements. Some of the most thrilling and lucrative mobile phone contracts are contract mobile phones tariffs, 1 year free line rental, pay as you go mobile phones and clearance deals.

Taking a look at the mobile phone marketplace in the UK, you can tell that vendors are beginning to panic. The mobile phone contracts that they are offering to mobile users are reducing in price every day. Margins are being squeezed and this can only be a good thing for consumers. Fewer margins mean better deals for you. There is much good online information that offers some really great mobile phone contracts from the leading UK sellers. This is an area that is really rising swiftly on the back of reduced prices and some really great free gifts. On the internet, you will get a free gift when you take out your contract mobile phone, in this case a new laptop. Once you purchase the mobile phone and get the several offers, you will come to know why these are becoming exclusively popular among the mobile phone seekers.

Mymode Chief Mobile asked:


Many have actually doubted the suggestion of changing from their common contract-based cell phone plan while only a few understood the reward of switching to prepaid plan. These could be due to more than a few reasons and from my delicate point of view, I can say that that they just do not have the idea on how great the plan is if used correctly; especially in terms of restricting your budget on cell phone usage. We will look into some points on how prepaid mobile plan can actually helps you to organize your spending habit as well as some other advantages.

One great benefits of switching to prepaid cell phone plan is the nature of the plan itself. When you say pre-paid, it means you have in fact paid for it before you even begin to use it. Contrary to standard contract-based plan, you will only be charged for what you had used only. You will not be charged if you don’t use it at all. The cell phone service provider will never cease their service for you if you don’t use the credit allocated for the sum you have paid. Even if they shelved the account, you will still get back the unused credit balance whenever you reload or recharge you cell phone. In short, you won’t lose any money without your permission unlike using the standard plan where you will still be billed recurrently either you make calls or not.

When it comes to using pay-as-you-go cell phone plan, you don’t have to worry about being bounded to any contract. You can always switch to another provider whenever you feel like it or whenever you feel that the current one is not providing the best service for you. There’s no such thing as penalty or being fined for doing that. No cancellation fees or anything similar to that. In other words you are always the king (say yes to customers are king!) and you can terminate the prepaid service anytime you want.

As I mentioned before the prepaid cell phone plan is a plan where you have already paid for the service before you use the service and that also means that if you don’t feel like extending the service, you can just leave it to expire on its own. There is nothing to be worry about and you do not have to worry about the consequences.

Using prepaid plan is definitely a good resort to restrain your budget in cell phone usage. There’s a feeling you will get once you purchase the reload card; you will automatically know that you can only use up to that amount that you spent. For instance, if you purchased a $30 recharge card, you will know that the credit allotted for you is up to $30 and it is all up to you on how are you going to utilize it. You can use it for making calls or you can use the credit allocated to text people. If by all means you did not manage to use up all of it, the remaining balance can always be rolled over to the next month; as long as you reload the credit balance.

Most contract-based standard mobile plans require you to have a good credit background. If you don’t like the hassle of going through all these processes (if you have credit issues), then perhaps the prepaid mobile plan works well enough for you. There will be no credit records questions and you can get yourself registered for the prepaid plan in no time. At present day you can get a nice deal on prepaid plan that comes with a great choice of cell phone for your convenience.

Another fact about why prepaid plan is gaining popularity is because you can obtain the cell phone without having a credit card. That’s why it is very popular among teenagers since they are the biggest audience lack of credit card and at the same time the biggest audience that use cell phone. You can just purchase the cell phone from the market and the reload card can also be easily purchased by cash. Please keep in mind though that you have to make sure that first of all you need to have a cell phone that is compatible to be used for gaining access to prepaid plan.

I realize that prepaid cell phone plan is not that popular in the United States but I believe the trend towards it is becoming pandemic already. Moreover, the current unstable economy situation could be your primary reason to switch to using prepaid cell phone plan.

Most parents also concern about cell phone usage by their children. Resorting to prepaid plan might be a good move since you can restrict the cell phone usage and it’s easier to monitor your children’s spending habit on cell phone usage. Furthermore, if they used up all the credit allotted to them, they can always buy on their own using their own pocket money. You could just create a rule on cell phone usage and tell them upfront. That will encourage them to minimize their usage on cell phone and indirectly they learn on how to restrain the budget and the same time if they want more, they just have to find ways to make money and reload the cell phone on their own.

As far as I am concerned the cell phones offered nowadays by cell phone service providers are good enough to be used for what a phone should be able to do; make calls and send text to other people. The prices are reasonable enough and I believe that most of the time the prices are way below the budget. If you prefer to have better cell phone that can do video calls (3G), there are some cell phones that suit that need. You just have to pay extra to get that but again if money is your concern, then you can just stick with normal 2G or 2.5G cell phones.

Those are just few reasons and advantages of using a prepaid cell phone plan. There are a lot of other good reason to switch from your usual standard mobile plan. Think wisely about it as switching from standard prepaid plan to prepaid phone plan would be a good start to save your money significantly as long as you understand the concept behind it. Please understand that all these are just my two cents though I can assure that these suggestions are widely agreed by others and therefore it is up to you to compare and make your own decision on choosing the prepaid cell phone plan.

laptop asked:


Today we will look at an exciting ultra-compact portable computer optimized for today’s life and travels. The DELL Inspiron XPS system based on Intel Merom processor proved an excellent solution. Read more in our review!

The life of a truly modern man is like a train that is steadily speeding up from its station towards an unknown destination. It is getting faster and faster every moment, and there’s no stopping or even pausing this process. Living at a high speed, the modern man regards time as a great value. Some people are even dreaming about extra hours in the day that would sum up into extra days monthly. To avoid floundering in such unreal dreaming, you can put to good use those hours that you’d just waste otherwise. You only need a portable digital companion, a notebook computer.

There is, however, a list of minimum requirements this digital companion must comply with to satisfy its owner. The notebook must be light and small, yet easy to work with. It must have high-performance but economical components so that it could last long on the dell xps m1210 battery. A large selection of wireless interfaces would also be welcome in a traveling notebook. A good graphics subsystem might also come in handy so that the user could relax a little at some game.

You think it’s impossible? Not at all! The Dell Inspiron XPS M1201 is a vivid example of that. Depending on the configuration, this 12” cutie (it easily fits within the dimensions of the A4 paper format and thus into any briefcase or bag) can satisfy any person who is spending much of his life traveling. Appearances are often misleading, and a cursory glance over the Inspiron XPS M1210 won’t disclose to you the fact that this notebook has one of the most advanced of today’s mobile CPUs coupled with a rather powerful graphics subsystem. Not all notebooks marked as XPS M1210 have a discrete graphics solution on board, though. There is a version that has a tremendous computing power but is weak in 3D and gaming applications because it uses the integrated graphics core Graphics Media Accelerator 950.

It’s the latter version of the notebook that we’ve got for our tests. The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is based on a Merom-core CPU with the Core micro-architecture. The Merom differs from the previous core Yonah in a few respects. First, the Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 has a 4MB L2 cache. The execution pipeline is almost the same length in all CPUs with the Core architecture, yet it is longer by two stages in the Core 2 Duo. The most notable improvement is the support of Intel’s 64-bit extensions to the x86 architecture and the so-called Intel Wide Dynamic Execution that means that the CPU core now has more decoders and execution units. The processing of SSE and floating-point instructions has been accelerated. With all these innovations, the Merom core has a typical heat dissipation of 34W as opposed to the Yonah’s 31W. The rest of the components of the Napa platform are left unchanged and the CPU socket will remain the same until the upcoming transition to the Santa Rosa platform.

The stickers they put on the notebook case are the same too, except that the Intel Core 2 Duo Inside sticker now has the number 2 that stands for Merom. The Centrino Duo logo doesn’t allow telling which exactly CPU resides inside the notebook.

Our tests will show how such crucial parameters of notebooks as battery life and performance have been affected by the technical innovations. But first we’ll examine the Dell Inspiron XPS X1210 carefully from all the sides. We’ll also take an ASUS W5F notebook as an opponent to the Inspiron. The notebook from ASUS has a similar hardware configuration, but a different CPU with a different clock rate. The Inspiron XPS M1210 is based on a Merom-core processor with a frequency of 2.33GHz while the ASUS W5F has a Yonah-core 2.0GHz CPU (it is the highest CPU frequency among all the Intel Core Duo processors we’ve ever tested in our labs).

Design and Ergonomics

The first thing you become aware of in the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is its smooth outline. The front part is rounded off a little, giving the notebook a very neat appearance. The lid is coated with black plastic and has a silvery band with the name of the series near the display hinges. On the front panel there is a small chromium-plated ledge to make it easier for you to lift the lid up. The sides of the lid are by half painted silver to match the top part of the notebook’s body. The rest of the body is painted black.

The manufacturer put its logotype into the center of the lid.

Before opening the notebook, you can take note of the three connectors in its front part. One is a microphone input and the other two are identical headphones outputs. Not a very common solution, this allows enjoying the multimedia capabilities of the Inspiron XPS M1210 battery together with your friend while on a plane, for example.

Above those connectors there is a block of multimedia buttons highlighted in blue when the notebook is turned on. These buttons include (from left to right):

* Mute On/Off

* Volume Down

* Volume Up

* Play/Pause

* Previous Track

* Next Track

* Stop

We don’t think these buttons are really necessary for an ultra-compact model unless you are going to use it as a player. Due to the small size of the notebook, you will almost surely touch the multimedia buttons unintentionally with your wrists while you’re using the touchpad.

The display lacks a lock as is typical of notebooks of that form-factor. Mechanisms built into the hinges press the lid down to the notebook’s body, and you have to exert some strength to lift it up. The color scheme is all silvery inside, including the magnesium case, keyboard, touchpad, and the screen bezel. There are rubber pads on that bezel for softer contact between the display and the notebook’s body. Centered beneath the display is the Dell logotype.

The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 may come with an optional 1.3-megapixel web-camera that can turn around by 180 degrees. It resembles the one installed on the ASUS W5F. Our notebook didn’t have that camera, though.

Besides the manufacturer’s logo, there are two sonorous stereo speakers on the bezel, below the display. They are covered with grids and are directed right at the user. This placement is good because the speakers won’t get obstructed with anything.

The display hinges stick out of the notebook’s body, allowing you to unfold it by even more than 180 degrees as is shown in the following photograph:

The Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 is equipped with a widescreen 12.1” display with a max resolution of 1280×800 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10 (WXGA). The horizontal viewing angle seems to be large, but the vertical one is narrow even visually. The glassy coating of the display makes colors more saturated (Dell TrueLife technology), but also produces flares under improper lighting and reflects every well-lit object behind your back.

We measured the brightness and contrast of the notebook’s display using a Pantone ColorVision Spyder with OptiCAL version 3.7.8 software. We selected the highest possible brightness setting before this test but it would become much lower when the notebook switched to its battery, automatically enabling power-saving measures. The measured values of brightness are high, but the contrast ratio isn’t:

AC power source:

* 110.1cd/sq.m brightness, 27:1 contrast ratio

DC power source:

* 90.9cd/sq.m brightness, 27:1 contrast ratio

The notebook’s keyboard consists of 84 silvery-colored keys with a soft movement and a somewhat rough surface. The Arrow keys are lowered below the keyboard’s baseline to reduce the risk of your pressing them unintentionally. The Fn button is located at the bottom left of the keyboard, next to the Ctrl key, which is in the corner. This is convenient for people who are used to shortcuts like Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V. Numeric buttons and two Windows keys are available: the Context Menu key is over one key on the left of the spacebar and the Windows Logo is on the right of the spacebar. The functional buttons are smaller than others. PgUp and PgDn are placed under the Enter. Home, End, Insert and Delete are in the same row with the functional buttons (you should press them along with Fn to access their additional functions). The letters are painted in black; the functional keys are blue.

Testbed and Methods

The notebook’s hard drive was formatted in NTFS before the tests. Then we installed Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 with DirectX 9.0c, system drivers (from the included disc), and Windows Media Encoder 9.0 with Windows Media Player 9.0. We also installed Windows Media Player 10.0 for such tests as PCMark 2005 and SYSMark 2004 SE.

The following settings were used for the tests:

* Power-saving services – Off

* Audio subsystem – Off

* Network services – Off

* Maximum screen brightness

* Maximum display resolution (1440×900)

* Windows Taskbar is Unlocked

* Windows Taskbar hides automatically

* Classic Desktop theme

* No background image on the Desktop

* No screensaver

* Low security level

* Pop-ups blocking disabled

There were two exceptions: we returned to the Windows XP desktop theme for PCMark 2005 since the program required that. And for SYSMark 2004 SE to work normally, we had to roll each parameter back to its default (as they are set right after you install Windows).

Two power modes were used. First, we selected the Always On power mode for maximum performance and the shortest battery life. Then we switched to the Max Battery mode for the maximum battery run-down time.

Our tests:

1. Performance benchmarks: synthetic (SiSoftware Sandra 2005, SiSoftware Sandra 2007, PCMark 2004 1.3.0, PCMark 2005 1.2.0), office and multimedia (SYSMark 2004 SE, Business Winstone 2004, Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004), and games (3DMark 2001SE Pro, 3DMark 2003 3.6.0, 3DMark 2005 1.2.0, 3DMark 2006 1.0.2, Quake 3, Quake 4, Unreal Tournament 2003)

2. Battery life tests (Battery Eater Pro 2.60)

There are three test modes in Battery Eater:

* Classic (the system is under a high and evenly distributed load)

* Reader’s test (the pages are browsed through each 15 seconds)

* Idle mode

We used the first two modes as they are in Battery Eater, but in the Idle mode (when the test utility doesn’t put any load of its own on the notebook) we played a DVD movie.

Conclusion

Michael Dell’s team has done a good job again, coming up with an exciting ultra-compact portable computer optimized for today’s life and travels. The only significant drawback in the configuration of the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210 that we tested is the lack of a discrete graphics card that would certainly make it even more appealing. Well, the model we actually tested is quite ready for the nomadic way of life many of us have to lead. We called the ASUS W5F with its Yonah-core CPU a mobile intellectual in our earlier review, but the Dell Inspiron XPS M1210, even with its integrated graphics, is much smarter without a doubt!

This year will show us the Merom from other aspects, too. This CPU core is going to have higher frequencies and to work within the framework of the Santa Rosa platform together with an improved integrated graphics core. This sounds to us like yet another performance leap!

Highs:

* Superb ultramodern design

* Excellent performance in office applications (and not limited to them if the configuration includes a discrete graphics card)

* Abundance of wireless interfaces (including support for SIM cards)

* Exclusive TrueLife technology for better image quality

* Appealing and competitive price

* High-resolution widescreen display

* Relatively long battery life

Lows:

* Mirror-like display

* Low performance in games

* Inconvenient placement of the multimedia buttons

* Optical combo-drive

* Rather too noisy

* Dense placement of USB ports (but it’s good that there are as many as four of them here!)