700m review

The ultra-speed sticker is actually a reference to special CD-RW media that can be used with CD-RW burners..

That makes sense.

I tried out the SDcard slot with my 256MB Sandisk and at first it wouldn't seat correctly, but then after removing it and reinserting it, it seated just fine. It seats correctly every time now.

Note: When the SD card is correctly seated, the top portion sticks out of the side of the laptop about 1/8". I was expecting it to be flush with the side as it is flush with the top of my Dell Axim X3 when seated all the way. But sticking out 1/8" is cool with me. You hardly notice it and it's much easier to then remove because you don't have to stick your fingernail onto it to push in to release it.

The 700m makes a cool beep noise to notify you that the card is in. And it is read as Removable Disk drive E: You even have the option to defrag it like another drive!

Message Edited by pintos-n-cheese on 08-21-2004 02:45 AM

I am wondering about the heat issue too. Has anyone noticed any excessive heat on the left or right wrist area - as it is the case in 600m ?

Thanks,

The CNET review mentioned that the trackpad buttons were too "clicky".. what are your impressions on them?

Also, did you have any dead pixels on the display?

This being my first laptop, I cannot campare it to others greatly. I've only really looked at my friend's IBM thinkpad to comare build quality. I posted my opinion that earlier.

But I can say that I've noticed what seems to be a lot of fan/heat issues with some of Dell's laptops in the forums.

Here's what I think of the 700m: I've mostly only wirelessly surfed the net and downloaded tons of Norton updates for security. I've kept it plugged in mostly but also tried it on battery. So far, fan and heat performance seems the same plugged in or not. I've thus had the Wi-Fi radio on and the screenbrightness maxed constantly.

From my uses thus far, the fan does not seem to come on often. And I can't at this point determine if any one task or type of preocess triggers it. It's only stayed on for a while one time, but I think it was because I had it sitting on my lap and the underside vent was right on my clothes for a while. But even then and at otehr times, the fan doesn't really stay on that long. And it is not noisy at all! You can hear it, but it's pretty quiet. It bloes out pretty warm air out of the left side of the base when it is on. As for the hand rest areas, they tend to stay fairly warm, but at a normal or expected level for a compact power hungry machine. Albeit, this particular machine, IMO, mangaes it's power hunger pretty good.

At first I had it set to laptop mode under the power management area. Then I cahnged it to Desktop mode. So while it's plugged, everything stays on pretty much. When unplugged (but not on MTV), if left alone it shuts stuff off soon.

I think that this little machine is great. Seems to function well on all fronts. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

Thanks for asking!

I have hardly used the track pad buttons. But I've clicked them enough to know that compared to an IBM thinkad, they click louder. They are almost the same loudness of clicking a desktop mouse. They do not seem to be annoying at all.

I hardly use them because the track pad is so dang useful! It has tons of customizing features! I tap and drag and double-click on the pad. Plus, contrary to what the CNET review siad about there not being a space on the right of the pad to scroll windows, you can scroll at the right of the pad. You can even adjust the size of the scroll area! Right side and bottom. But that's not it either! There's a second way to scroll windows too by using the drag method. In many instances it is more precise and easier! There's also a cool option to have any corner of the pad sized how you want to tap the start button menu no matter where your pointer is on the scree, and then your pointer automatically pops to the menu! There's a lot more too.

I have encountered one problem. I wanted to instal my new wireless Microsoft Optical wheel mouse with that side scroll button and a warning box said that basically I'd have to uninstal whatever current poiting device there is in order to install the mouse. I figure that meant chunking my touch pad program and drivers. I want to find a way around that. And this warning is despite the option in the touch pad program to have it work along with an external pointing device such as a mouse.

I switched out the standard 4-cell batt with the 8-cell and charged it and it is only slightly heavier and bigger. But it lasts a long time.

I found one construction flaw that may be only be true for my particular 700m. It is an aesthetic issue really, not a functioning issue. On the base at the hinge to the right of the DELL logo, the plastic buldges up a little bit. I can press it flush but it won't stay. It is a very slight buldge and not one to be alramed about. My wife hasn't noticed it yet. But it does not seem loose or out of place. It's kinda like if you bought a slightly warped 2x4. You can still build a house with it.

Other than that the construction is better than average for a Dell laptop I'd say.

I've been installing stuff, customizing, demo'ed part of a movie etc and the fan still doesn't come on much and is not loud.

This may be no surprise, but the DVD+RW is much louder than the fan when it's going, and it vibrates pretty good. I don't know how it is compared to other laptops, but to me it isn't to a degree that sounds troublesome or worrysome at all. It may be typical. Or it could be trying to drill for oil - this laptop does it all I tell ya. I'm trying to figure out how to wirelessly mow my grass with it.

My in-laws came over recently and did a little drooling over it. They're getting the laptop fever. I recently helped my other relatives with their Pocket PC fever and they got one!

So can I order pintos-n-cheese online with this thing?

PIXELS--- Not a single dead pixel to be found. They did a good job on screen quality. If you like the shiny screen stuff, then it is simply one of the 700m's really strong points. It's so clean.

They packaged some KleanScreen stuff that has wipes-n-such in it and info to order a lot more of them. I haven't had to use them yet.

Works suite comes with Street and Trips '04 and Encarta '04 and they are preinstalled. But the preinstalls are the minimum configs. If you want to do everythig with them without having to pop in the run disc, you have to uninstall Streets and Trips by itself and reinstall the full version, and for Encarta you don't have to uninstall. It will simply ask you to insert the disc and install the extra info if you want it, otherwise it'll just run off the disc. Neat.

The speakers can be pretty loud depending on the program you run.

Windows media player 8 is installed and I tried to install version 9 through windows update and it wans't available. SO I tried it directly through the media player menus and it said that I already had the latest version 9 stuff. But I clrealy didn't. So I went to windows' web site and went to the media player page and downlaoded version 9 directly from there. Works great.

I can't get over how cool this wireless stuff is! I'm gonna go to Panera bread later and get on their free network for a try.

Feel free to ask away.

I need to review on CNET.

Thanks - cheesy pintos

Message Edited by pintos-n-cheese on 08-21-2004 03:39 PM

I posted my review at CNET. I copy pasted most what I said here. If it adheres to their guidelines it will be posted at their site the next business day. They'll prolly sat it's TOO LONG!

I'll keep my reviews updated in this forum as long as others have questions or if I find anything noteworthy for others to know.

Much obliged.

Thought this was noteworthy enough.

I was very pleased to find a difference in my 700m from the pictures I've seen on the web. The VGA out port on the left side is always blue in the online photos. On my 700m it is black to match the rest of the black on the side and let me tell you it makes it look so much better being black.

I might be able to conjure up some photos - hopefully a shot of the 700m sitting next to my friend's IBM T31 and his Dell Inspiron 8600 tomorrow. No promises though.

Sleep well.

pintos-n-cheese:

For the wireless mouse, make a second hardware profile with the mouse disabled.  I use a second profile with sound, LAN and modem disabled on my current laptop.  I use it for ultimate battery conservation.

Kev

That's an awsome deal and great idea for those who are willing to fidget with taking out their hard drive.  Do you know if there has been any kind of problems with compatibility with the drive?  I'll probably be looking into getting this now. 

Thanks

There's always this option:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=100519