Entered CNET Catalog: 06/20/2006
SKU: D420LO
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
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User opinions
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User Rating: 
8/10
D420 -- great corporate ultralight
Pros: Screen, weight, speed, widescreen form factor
Cons: No Core Duo (yet), fingerprint reader takes space from trackpad mouse buttons, external optical drive, Dell installed OS unstable, weird battery
Review:
I've had a couple of days to play with the D420. The first thing I noticed is how light this machine is--it's a bit lighter than the D410 it replaces. Even though it's wider than the 410, it's not as deep, and it feels smaller--rather more like a book or a portfolio than a computer. The keyboard is very comfortable, the 1280 x 800 screen is extremely readable and bright and a welcome change from the usual 1024 x 768 resolution on ultralights. Oh, and it's fast: faster than the D410 and D400, although that's not saying much since those machines were underpowered IMHO. It's a nice change from that awkward period a few months back when ultralights got a lot smaller and more battery life thanks to 1.8" HDs and low voltage Pentium M chips but were annoyingly slower than the machines they replaced. Still, it's not fast enough to replace my D610 with dedicated graphics and 2GB RAM. Maybe the D420 Core Duo, due out in mid August.
The external optical drive is annoying, but to be expected with ultralight machines. My machine came equipped with the maximum 1.5GB Ram, 80GB HD, and fingerprint reader. The fingerprint reader, unfortunately, is placed between the left and right mouse buttons below the track pad, making both buttons smaller and harder to click.
Also, when I started installing software with the Dell installed system image, the OS simply locked up after a restart and no amount of Windows repair was going to fix it. Having reinstalled the OS completely from disk fixed that and everything works great now.
The battery for this machine is quite large--it makes up almost the entire bottom third of the machine under the trackpad. It takes two latches to remove. Underneath you'll see the HD. This configuration has its advantages--they've balanced the weight of the battery so that you don't have a "heavy corner". The disadvantage is that the battery is as wide as the notebook and about 2-1/2" deep--good luck carrying a spare. The solution is the 9 cell extended battery which fits in the same battery bay but adds a 1" lip to the bottom the computer case--kind of like an extended wrist pad. It doesn't add a lot of weight (0.5lb) but it adds a lot of extra power.
I've concentrated on the weird aspects of the machine, necessary compromises in making an ultralight. The thing is that this machine never felt like it was compromised in startup time or running software. It's a solid performer.
If this machine were available in a Core Duo configuration already, I'd buy it for myself now. As it is, it reluctantly leaves my desk to replace the D400 of a colleague who does less intense computer work than I do.
The external optical drive is annoying, but to be expected with ultralight machines. My machine came equipped with the maximum 1.5GB Ram, 80GB HD, and fingerprint reader. The fingerprint reader, unfortunately, is placed between the left and right mouse buttons below the track pad, making both buttons smaller and harder to click.
Also, when I started installing software with the Dell installed system image, the OS simply locked up after a restart and no amount of Windows repair was going to fix it. Having reinstalled the OS completely from disk fixed that and everything works great now.
The battery for this machine is quite large--it makes up almost the entire bottom third of the machine under the trackpad. It takes two latches to remove. Underneath you'll see the HD. This configuration has its advantages--they've balanced the weight of the battery so that you don't have a "heavy corner". The disadvantage is that the battery is as wide as the notebook and about 2-1/2" deep--good luck carrying a spare. The solution is the 9 cell extended battery which fits in the same battery bay but adds a 1" lip to the bottom the computer case--kind of like an extended wrist pad. It doesn't add a lot of weight (0.5lb) but it adds a lot of extra power.
I've concentrated on the weird aspects of the machine, necessary compromises in making an ultralight. The thing is that this machine never felt like it was compromised in startup time or running software. It's a solid performer.
If this machine were available in a Core Duo configuration already, I'd buy it for myself now. As it is, it reluctantly leaves my desk to replace the D400 of a colleague who does less intense computer work than I do.
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