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Review: page 2 of 3 |
| Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M60 Prev 1 2 3 Next |
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 Well, now that we've had our socks blown off, let's step back, albeit barefooted, and behold the beauty of this notebook. Dell's engineers decided that the rigidity of its plastic notebook cases it was using on previous mobile workstations wasn't going to cut it any more. The company was getting reports of users cramming their notebooks into overstuffed suitcases, wedging them into overpacked trunks, and generally subjecting the units to some pretty rough treatment. So as a response to that, materials experts at Dell came up with the metal equivalent of Neopolitan ice cream, where instead of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, they've layered together aluminum, magnesium alloy and stainless steel into an aircraft-like design that's solid and beautiful. Its splendor is more than skin-deep, too, because even though it's much more rigid than the previous Dell M50, it's lighter, weighing in at a svelte 7.4 pounds. Its subtle design is one where it's evident the creators were actually thinking about how people would use it. For example, the built-in speakers -- which, by the way, sound better than any inboard notebook speakers I've ever heard -- are recessed in such a way that your hands won't obscure them while you're typing, but still are able to give you plenty of direct sound, including an uncanny amount of bass. I also like the way this new Intel Centrino technology works. The notebook immediately recognized our WiFi network here at the Midwest Test Facility, and reception was wider than we've ever seen, with throughput surpassing any 802.11b gear we've encountered. If you're looking for even better wireless connectivity, the dual built-in antennas can also accommodate optional faster/newer 802.11a support for a bit more money or 802.11g for no extra charge. There's also a built-in network card and a modem, letting you connect however and wherever you need to. When I first received this notebook, I tried using Internet Explorer to test its connectivity and wireless features, and I was quite disappointed with the blocky, blurry resolution of Internet Explorer Web graphics. After a quick look around Dell's excellent support Web site, I discovered that other M60 users had this same problem. The M60's default setting doesn't allow Internet Explorer to properly display graphics at 120 DPI, and Dell recommended a quick 'n' easy registry hack to fix things up pronto. After a quick dip into regedit, all was butta-smooth. By the way, in case you have an M60 and are wondering how to fix this, here's how: Go into your Start menu and select Run. Type regedit into the Open: command line window. Then navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_ USER/Software/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/MainUseHR. The default setting for this is (Hex) 1. Right-click on that USEHR entry, select Modify, and change the setting to (Hex) 0. After that, you'll notice the pesky problem of distorted images in Internet Explorer is mercifully gone. [an error occurred while processing this directive] That brings up the issue of Dell's support. Many, if not most of the problems you might encounter can be solved by searching Dell's Web-based support database. If that doesn't solve your problem, as a Workstation M60 owner a quick call to Dell's support staff gets you routed to its special workstation division, where the quality of the help is as good as I've seen. If that doesn't cure what ails you, the company can escalate your issue to the point of involving a vendor like Avid, Adobe, or many others to solve your problem. I must say that I've rarely even needed to deal with Dell's tech support, but when I have, it's been the best in the business. Even though Dell's products rarely need support, I think the quality of the company's workstation tech staff gives you the reassurance of having a reserve parachute strapped on even when the main parachute never fails to open. Another thing I noticed about this notebook is that it's exceedingly quiet. The disk makes almost no noise at all. Only once did the case fan start up, and that was after a good half-hour of intensive rendering in a room that was too warm for comfort. This quiet nature of the M60 is another reason why it will be a good citizen both in the office and anywhere else. I keep thinking that with this notebook, there are hardly any more reasons to use a bulky, noisy computer in the office any more. Heck, with a screen this good, and this unit's speed and connectivity, the term "Desktop Replacement" starts making a lot of sense, especially when you can easily take all of your work with you, and this unit can handily tackle even daunting tasks like 3D rendering, video editing, sophisticated multimedia presentations and even CAD work. Prev 1 2 3 Next  Related Forums: Related Sites: • Animation Supplement • AV Video • Broadcast Newsroom • Content Mastering • Digital Post Production • Digital Producer • Digital Video Editing • DTV Professional • DV Format • IBC News • Presentation Master • Presentation Supplement [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
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