The Dell is a very sharp machine; I particularly like the inclusion of an HDMI port.

But I have to wonder why Gizmodo intentionally tanked and threw their comparison - it should have looked like this: Comparison Table. ;) :D

Thought I'd post an update:

Had my M1330 for exactly one year. One day before the one year warranty expired, had a graphics problem. Machine booted up but the screen was blank. Searched the net and found that it was a common problem where the graphics card gets fried which necessitates a complete mobo replacement. Dell support came and replaced mobo. I quickly ordered a warranty extension (company paid). Now machine runs extremely hot, hotter than before the problem so don't know how long this will last.

I also had this problem last week, again dell came out and replaced mobo last week. Although new mobo had a new bios on it which makes mine run much quieter actually... Maybe you should llok what version your bios is? mines 14 i think, from memory!

I've had mine for a little more than a year and It's been great as a portable machine to carry around from class to work to home in my backpack. I have had some (major) hardware issues. Had the black screen/colored vertical lines issue happen twice. Both times Dell came out and replaced the motherboard (I did buy the 3 year on-site with accidental damage protection). The second time it happened they also replaced the LCD (though I doubt that was the problem). Best as I can tell, the graphics ram is going bad and of course since everything is on the same board, the whole MB gets replaced. They also claim that my HDD showed up as being faulty during diagnostics so they replaced that too. After the new Motherboard, one of my two RAM sticks wouldn't work so they overnighted me a new one.

Overall I'm happy with it, I just wish they would solve the hardware issues (I bought one of the first, and they've had significant teething problems with both the M1330 and M1530 from what I've heard.) Support has be GREAT. Every time I call I've been on hold for less than 20 seconds and they've sent someone out to replace the parts. If they've solved the hardware issues, I'd have no qualms about recommending it to anyone.

Another update: the fan actually was not working at all which is why mine was running extremely hot. Dell will come out again to replace fan.

Typing this on my M1330.

No DELL or otherwise hang-ups as I've had Sonys, HPs and Dell laptops recently.

Some general feedabck - I have the machine about 2 months now:-

• Cosmetically it seems to pick up lots of smudges, dirt and marks on the outer lid, and on the screen (ok, ok, not a technical issue, but just my 2c worth...)
• Keyboard seems a little loud, and needs just slightly too much keypress (key travel issue) for me.
• Battery (4 cell) is ridiculously short in life for me - I've ordered a 9-cell from eBay. Will be most useful on planes, and I'll keep the 4 cell in place when carrying and/or in situ in my hotel / home.
• The build of the machine seems pretty good physically / mechanically - not as strong / robust as some I've had, but satisfactory for me.
• Some marks developing around the webcam, from where the lid closes to meet the base - I have the LED screen. Seems to be "normal" ?
• Good reliability so far, but Vista seems to be having some issues with updates / shutdown required every 3-4 times I turn off the machine.

Hope this helps with your discussions. All-in-all I'm happy enough with it and don't regret buying it. Just need the new battery to make it more fonctional for my needs.

Just thought I'd update this thread to see if others have had the same experiences I've had.

While I'm very happy with my laptop, I have had four warranty repairs:

• April '08 - I had the LCD replaced; I managed to crack it after rough handling.
• January '09 - My video chip failed; I believe this was a widespread problem
• January '10 - I had the keyboard replaced as the "o" button was sticking. I also had to have the LCD replaced as I was getting a 2" band of vertical "static" on my screen.
• January '10 - I had to have the replacement LCD replaced again, as it appeared there was a faulty connector cable from the screen.
  

I have to say, the on-site repair is a very nice service and I am glad all of these were covered under warranty.

I haven't had any problems since my posts in Sept 08 but have used the machine sparingly.

My Dell m1330 has seen an LED screen replacement (thanks TSA!), but other than that one drop, it's been a champ for the last year and a half. I'm shocked that it's been such a trooper considering Dell's reputation for craptactular products.

All of that being said, I was THIS close to buying one of their form-over-function ADAMO xps laptops. So pretty. So useless.



BN

I've had my M1330 for close to a year now (after 2 years with an M1210), and in general I've been very happy with it.

Had the first need to contact Dell about 2 weeks ago when the screen started showing a single line of blue top-to-bottom. They had me do a few tests, and then sent a tech out to replace the LCD - not bad given that I didn't even realize I had on-site support!

By the time he arrived the problem had gone away, but he replaced the screen anyway.

The only other change is that Vista is long gone - I've been running Windows 7 on it for over 6 months without any problems.

I switched away from my M1330 ages ago. Using an HP ProBook for day to day stuff, along with a variety of netbooks.

You're so fickle! :p

I had to have my screen replaced (again) today. This time, I think it was a loose/faulty cable from the CPU to the screen.

I bought mine in Nov,'07 and went thru two mobos in the first year due the the NVIDIA chip frying, but the third, with upgraded chip, has worked perfectly since. I'm now waiting for the DVD-R to be replaced as its given up the ghost; but I'm still under a three year onsite warranty so no big deal. Usually a 48/72 turnaround from call to engineer at the door here in Ireland.

The M1330 is the first machine I've had that has required anything more than a little over the phone tech support but I still like it a lot.

Only outlay for me personally has been for a new battery whch I got last week.