- Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
5.0 stars
"Opinion from an IT Manager (after 3 years of use)"
Pros: Excellent Travel Companion
Cons: Standard Battery Life not Very Good
Summary: A little about me. I run the IT program for a large US company. I've been in the IT business for over 20 years. I love technology and am in the enviable position of being able to experiment with many of the latest technology toys including laptops, PDAs, and cellphones. Does the X300 deserve a perfect 10 score? No. However, after reading some of the reviews I felt the urge to compensate for some of the unwarranted bad publicity.
I have had the x300 since it came out about 3 years ago. My wife and two daughters liked it so much that I bought them each one as well. What did they like? The size and weight. Me? The same as well as the portability factor and relatively good performance. Around the house, I use it with the standard battery (worth only a disappointing 25-30 minutes of battery time). When traveling by plane, I use the extended battery (good for 3 or more hours of intense use, but adds some weight). However, I use this device today more like a PDA/music device on steroids and it goes with me everywhere my truck goes.
My x300 is outfitted with a Verizon broadband cellular card and a 12v charger. So, I have high speed internet connectivity just about anywhere I travel. My organization is a mobile workforce. Therefore, we are always evaluating products like the Sprint/Verizon 6700 PDA and Treo 700w smartphones, and the RIM blackberry devices like the 7100. I have pitched them all, always going back to my x300. Every try listening to music on an x300 using a pair of headphones? Rivals the ipods sound quality any day of the week.
I tend to stick with the Dell products because of their support (although with the frustration of dealing with foreign call support, I am beginning to rethink my policy of buying Dell exclusively). I have used their Xtreme, D810, D610, and X1 laptops. The first three are excellent performers, but, lugging them around is not exactly fun (and I'm a relatively big guy). The X1 performance was a surprise mistake for Dell in my opinion, I don't recommend it. So, I keep going back to the X300.
I can walk in the halls of my workplace and have this device in my hand along with papers and no one hardly knows I have this powerful device with me. In standby mode (my normal operating mode for any PC/laptop), I open the lid and we're nearly instantaneously up and running.
As for reliability, as I said, we have four units at home. Everyone one of them over three years has run flawlessly. The keyboard is second to none. The only problem with two of the units has been with the hinges becoming loose to the point where the lid almost wants to shut on its own. It irritates my wife to no end (one of the two units belongs to her). Mine; no problem. The two girls (one in college and the other in HS) still rave about it. One thing to keep in mind is that the hard drive on the x300 is apparently not replaceable as it is on most laptops. Had I known this prior to getting the X300, I likely would have shied away. But, so far it has not been a problem.
Bottom Line: The computer industry has a ways to go. The consumer wants to be able to plug it in like a TV and it just works (although with HDTV this may not be a good example). Until then, the skill required to keep computers running flawlessly is pretty intense regardless of the make and model. If you happen to have the skill level to reformat a drive and reinstall an operating system and the corresponding program files, this just may be the system for you especially if you?re looking for excellent portability with decent performance. Unfortunately, Dell no longer makes this unit. I've been waiting for Dell to come out with the successor to the x300 (maybe they thought the X1 was that answer). But, until then, the x300 is my laptop of choice even after 3 years of use (a time period that renders most similar devices obsolete).
- 1 reply to this review
-
In response to the hard-drive, they are very easily replaceable. i just installed a seagate 120 gig in about 15 minutes time!this is my first ultraportable machine. i'm absolutley amazed by its size and performance. very fast with 1 gig ram and 5400 rpm drive.
%22%20-%20user%20review%20and%20rating%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/dell-latitude-x300-notebook/4864-3121_7-30468821-4.html){kind=small}