Dell Inspiron I14Z-8339DBK Ci5-2430M 2.4GHz 6GB 640GB DVDR/RW Win7 14" (Black)

I'll list the things I like:

1. A nice full sized keyboard, surprising for a 14" laptop

2. A fast i5 processor, actually faster than my older desktop

3. Great battery life. I usually can use the machine 6-7 hours without recharging

with a combination of surfing, e-mail and spreadsheet use. Not used for video or music

4. Display is sharp and colors are true. I set the view at 90% and still nicely readable

5. Not an ultra. The weight with the battery is about 5.5 pounds, but fits nicely in a bag

and comfortable to carry

6. Touchpad is adequate. I turn off the tap characteristic to keep programs from

inadvertently opening.

7. Price point great. $468 at my doorstep. Was a refurb but in new condition.

8. Usual Amazon service and delivery, a must for me

9. A true laptop. Does not get over 80 degrees on my lap. My previous machine went over 100

degrees

10.Win 7 and older XP programs installed with no problem. Win 7 is nice on this machine

Things I don't like

1. Total dearth of support manuals included. You must sign up with Dell. Forget that

2. Too much bloatware. I uninstalled most all.

3. Sound only adequate, but what do you expect

4. MS Office 2010 a trial version, forget that. I am still using MS Office 2000 and it

runs really well. You can get freeware conversion programs if you need to generate

DOCX documents. I've used both the 2007 and 2010 versions and in my opinion are not

worth the upgrades.

5. Thirty days of McAfee virus protection included. I like Norton and would not be

without Norton Utilities V15.

6. Never have gotten a clean install of the laptop on my home network. Server is Win XP

which is probably the problem. I mapped network drives for the folders I need to

exchange or work with on the desktop

A great value for work-a-day computing. A 640 GB HD, an i5 processor and Win 7. Also great

service from the Amazon seller, Weekly Closeouts.

December 29, 2012

I installed a new wireless hub, a Cisco E3000 and now all my computers are beautifully networked, including the laptop.

The laptop is still humming right along, with no problems so far. Battery life is the best of any laptop I have ever used and I have had several. I HATE, HATE, HATE being tied to a power cord. Since I got the system, I rarely use my tablet.

I picked up a second unit from Weekly Closeouts as a school computer present for a relative