For notebook consumers wanting a low-cost option with plenty of features, things have rarely been better. We've recently reviewed the $899 Acer Extensa 5620Z-3A1G12Mi, which includes fantastic connectivity, as well as the very stylish $1,499 BenQ Joybook S32B (BV14). Not to be outdone, Dell has come out swinging with its HDMI-enabled Inspiron 1525 costing just $1,240.
From the outside, the Inspiron 1525 is an attractive package. Thanks to a customisable lid and slim design, the notebook
looks good in a variety of environments. The review model we received was jet black with a matte finish, and certainly looked stylish.
Inside, the Inspiron greets you with a stunning silver finish. Though we found the keyboard just a tad shallow, we liked the extra-wide touch pad and its accompanying vertical and horizontal
scroll strips. It's rare that a Web page these days requires horizontal scrolling, but it's still great for zipping across spreadsheets. We also liked the Inspiron's new touch-sensitive media
control panel, which includes four playback buttons and three for volume (up, down, and mute). All the buttons light up blue when you touch them.
The keyboard is the same full-size model found on Dell's other Inspiron and XPS laptops. While the keyboard is not our favourite as its tapered keys may not offer enough surface area for chubby
fingers, it feels solid and responsive. Above the keyboard sits a row of media control buttons. These are of the touch-sensitive variety we're partial to, and the dell Inspiron 1525 battery is the cheapest laptop we've seen those on yet. An additional quick-launch button is also above
the keyboard for starting Dell's proprietary multimedia management software, but chances are you'll stick with more established programs such as Windows Media Center or iTunes.
We like:
Slimmer than Dell's 14-inch Inspiron; includes HDMI and touch-sensitive media control buttons; cheaper than other 1525 configurations and has better battery life
We don't like:
Slightly slower than other versions of the 1525 we've looked at; smaller hard drive
Ignoring our review sample's horrid lime green hue lid - you can choose from a wide selection of colours - it's clear Dell has got the design of the inspiron 1525 battery just right. The lid's matte finish feels great and the smoothly curved edges immediately make the
Inspiron look more expensive than it is. Build quality is good, too, and despite a little flex in the base, there was no sign of any undue creakiness.
Features
The Inspiron 1525, as configured, features the following:
Intel Celeron M 550 (2.00GHz, 1MB Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Windows Vista Home Basic
15.4" WXGA (1280x800) Widescreen Display
2GB RAM DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
160GB SATA 5400rpm Hard Drive
Internal 56K Modem and Integrated Ethernet 10/100 Network Card
8X Dual-layer DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
Dell Wireless 1390 (802.11b/g 54 Mbps)
Media card 8 in 1 card reader
Input and Output Ports: 4 USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, IEEE 1394a, RJ11, RJ45, 2 headphone, 1 microphone, 1 ExpressCard 54mm slot, 3 mini-card slots, consumer IR, S-Video
6-cell Lithium Ion Battery
Storage is another area where the configurations can very. For the most part, the dell battery Inspiron 1525 now
comes standard with a dual layer DVD burner, but some earlier versions and lower cost models come with a CD-RW/DVD combo drive that can't record to DVD. Hard drives also vary from 120GB up to
320GB. The most common configurations seem to feature a 160GB but 250GB was the configuration that I was able to find which is large for the budget laptop market.
The dell Inspiron 1525 battery life doesn't seem to have kept pace with newer
offerings from other companies. Users should expect less than two hours of usage on a charge and more closer to one hour with heavy usage with the Wi-Fi network enabled.
