Dell Inspiron 6400

As one of the first of the mainstream computer manufacturers to develop a laptop around the new Intel Core Duo processor, Dell has much riding on the success of the new Inspiron 9400. The 1.66GHz Core Duo processor will either sink or swim in Dells mainstream portables depending upon its reception here. Matched with 1GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 that promises to run even the thirstiest applications with aplomb, the major yardstick is not whether Core Duo can keep pace with the Pentium M (Dothan), but whether it can perform without reducing battery life to minutes rather than hours. Yet having said that, it is easy to think that the Inspirons sole point of interest is the aforementioned CPU. You see, this is Dells attempt at an all-in-one laptop: a workhorse that sits as comfortably in office attire as it does in casuals. With fast-access email buttons, ample memory and a weight of 3.6kg, its a suitable office-based and on-the-go machine. Yet with Media Center bundled in, to give the control buttons at the foot of the casing something to do, and a 17in widescreen display, the Inspiron seems built for handling movies as comfortably as Excel spreadsheets. Visually, the arctic silver and white casing is an interesting reworking from Dell. The colour scheme and layout of the keyboard and tracker pad hint at a classiness that some might dismiss as tacky trend-chasing. But it actually works rather well, giving the screen a comfortable border in gentle silver rather than harsh black.