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Engadget gets the scoop on Dell's latest "ultra-portable" notebook

The folks over at Engadget have managed to get some leaked press materials for a new Santa Rosa-based 13.3" ultra-portable that is sure to set some tongues waggin'. The XPS m1330 will replace Dell’s existing 12.1" XPS m1210.

The Dell XPS m1330 comes with a 13.3" LED-backlit display, Core 2 Duo processors with up to 2.4GHz in speed and supports up to 4GB of memory. Also included in the package is a slot-loading DVD burner, integrated 2MP webcam, 802.11a/b/g wireless with a bevy of connectivity options (HDMI, VGA, ExpressCard, two USB 2.0 ports and an integrated 3-in-1 media reader).

On the options sheet is a NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS graphics processor, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WWAN (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T) and a 32GB solid-state drive (SSD).

The notebook weighs 4 pounds and measures 12.5" x 9.4" x 1.43".

Stay tuned for more details as they roll in. An official announcement from Dell is likely not too far away.

Updated 6/5/2007: Engadget has posted two more images of the XPS m1330.

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Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Puddleglum1 on 6/4/2007 12:41:16 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
...weighs 4 pounds and measures 12.5" x 9.4" x 1.43".
This is just a light-weight notebook, as far as specs go. The Dell Latitude X1 is under a pound, which definitely puts it into the ultra-portable.

I agree that this is designed to replace the M1210, but notice that the optional video card is 128MB, a step down from M1210's 7400 256MB.




RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By tacoburrito on 6/4/2007 12:50:35 PM , Rating: 1
Doesn't the Santa Rosa chipset comes with the new X1300 integrated graphics? Going with the integrated graphics should cut the overall weight down. There is no point in going with a discrete video since no one is thinking of gaming or serious video work on a 13" screen. You will go blind if you do that.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Thorburn on 6/4/2007 12:57:17 PM , Rating: 1
It has the GMA X3100, not the X1300 as in the ATI Radeon.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Samus on 6/4/2007 9:08:41 PM , Rating: 1
X3100, confusing name. Hopefully its DX10.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Brainonska511 on 6/4/2007 10:47:15 PM , Rating: 2
The GMA X3100 is DirectX 10 compliant. It just needs the appropriate driver from Intel.


By Mojo the Monkey on 6/8/2007 3:51:00 AM , Rating: 2
any word on what kinds of games its capable of?


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By noirsoft on 6/4/2007 12:58:52 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
There is no point in going with a discrete video since no one is thinking of gaming or serious video work on a 13" screen. You will go blind if you do that.


Not true. The 7400 option in the XPS M1210 was the biggest selling point for me in upgrading from my old Sony 14 inch laptop. Being able to play games on the go (and do my research programming, which is shader-based) is a must-have, and the 12 inch screen is great. 13 inches might be better if it has more dots.

Anyonw know what the res is on an average 13 inch screen? Is it still 1280 x 800 like on the 12 inch screens or is it bigger?


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By corduroygt on 6/4/2007 6:06:31 PM , Rating: 2
Unfortunately all the flat panels I've seen at 13.3 inches were 1280x800, I don't think there is any LCD manufacturer that makes higher resolution 13.3 widescreen screens, which is a shame. 1440x900 would be very nice for that screen size, but I doubt it.
13.3 would only be worth the extra size from 12.1 if the resolution was higher. As for myself, I had to buy a 14.1 because I wanted something higher than 1280x800 and 14.1 was the only way to get 1440x900 with minimal increase in screen size.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Puddleglum1 on 6/4/2007 1:04:28 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
There is no point in going with a discrete video since no one is thinking of gaming or serious video work on a 13" screen. You will go blind if you do that.
The http://outlet.dell.com website will show you that there are no refurbished M1210's with the discrete 256MB video card. This proves either that there were not many M1210's purchased with the discrete card originally, or that the M1210's with the 256MB card are bought up very quickly from the Outlet.

Having purchased my M1210 from the Outlet four months ago, I can tell you that I had to hit F5 every few minutes, waiting for the discrete video models to become available. It took me two weeks to be the first person to click "Add to cart" once the specific one I wanted was available. The point is that the notebook is great for portability, and it is a great gaming machine when hooked up to my 20" WS monitor. Heck, when I need to take a break, it's nice to crack open a game and play for a few minutes to relieve stress.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Oscarine on 6/4/2007 1:07:46 PM , Rating: 2
Gaming on 13 isn't bad. Screen resolution is usually 1280x800 which is perfectly viewable on a screen that size.
The graphics cards in some of the more "gaming" oriented 13s while mid-lower end are usually just fine for that resolution as well.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By B166ER on 6/7/2007 3:57:31 AM , Rating: 2
Such short-sightedness, my friend. The reason that we like smaller lappies with such capapble video prowess is the fact that WE CAN ATTACH OUR LARGER SCREENS for true gaming enjoyment. Dont think in such small boxes.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Dianoda on 6/4/2007 2:26:28 PM , Rating: 4
The Geforce Go 7400 in the Dell XPSM1210 only has 64MB of discrete memory. The 256 number came from NV's TurboCache tech, which is to say it uses system memory for graphics, similar to integrated solutions.

128MB of discrete memory for the 8400M would be a step up from the 7400.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Bink on 6/4/2007 6:32:36 PM , Rating: 2
Puddleglum1,

Don't forget that this is a "Turbocache" card, which means it uses 64MB memory on the video card and the other 192MB from main RAM. Read the details about the card on the Dell site for more details. If you go to the video card selection and go from there it is a pop up, which is why I could not link, but did a cut and paste:

"2 The total of local and shared system memory used by this graphics card is up to 256MB. Local on-board memory is 64MB. Up to 192MB of system memory is allocated to support graphics. "

So the new Dell has double the video RAM!!!!


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By Athena on 6/4/2007 7:41:31 PM , Rating: 2
No, 4lbs is not an ultra-light laptop. The X200/X300s were 3 pounds -- about as light as you could go with the materials available 3 years ago and still get a decent sized keyboard and display.

Manufacturers keep looking for ways to cut down the weight. Dell has said that its tablet will be significantly lighter than the competition; I assume they will be using similar materials on this one.


RE: Is 4lbs ultraportable?
By animedude on 6/4/2007 11:35:42 PM , Rating: 2
The 7400 is 64MB + 192MB TurboCache to 256MB. The GeForce
8400M GS is 128MB dedicated memory + 128MB TurboCache to 256MB. Also, the memory does not dictates a video card's power. The 8400M GS is definitely better than the 7400.


This seven-word sentence has seven words.
By dgouldin on 6/4/2007 12:38:54 PM , Rating: 3
Wait, how much does it weigh again?




By Brandon Hill (blog) on 6/4/2007 12:39:51 PM , Rating: 2
4 pounds... I think ;)


RE: This seven-word sentence has seven words.
By Ackbar on 6/4/2007 12:52:02 PM , Rating: 2
I didn't think 4lbs was considered ultra-portable. I thought 4-5lbs was portable, 5.5lbs+ is probably more like DTR range and anything 3.5lbs and less would be ultra-portable.

Since this laptop is 4lbs+ isn't it more like just "portable". Maybe my terminology is wrong though.


RE: This seven-word sentence has seven words.
By Oscarine on 6/4/2007 1:04:13 PM , Rating: 2
4 Lbs is skirting the edge of Ultraportable, its more like a thin and light, 5.5 lbs would be a standard laptop a 15" typically. DTR is usually over 7 lbs


By Josh7289 on 6/4/2007 1:38:56 PM , Rating: 2
I was very excited when I saw this news, then became disappointed when I saw that it weighed four pounds. I was previously leaning toward buying a Macbook, but I just realized that the Macbook weighs over five pounds! This Dell is suddenly looking a whole lot better to me, especially considering it could actually play games with a discrete video card, unlike the Macbook, with it beign integrated graphics-only.


By tacoburrito on 6/4/2007 12:53:48 PM , Rating: 2
At first I find it hard to believe this thing will weight 4 lbs since the m1210 already wieghts close to 5 lbs. Then I noticd the new thinner case than the m1210, very similar to the ones seen in Macbooks.


RE: This seven-word sentence has seven words.
By AntDX316 on 6/4/07, Rating: -1
By Oscarine on 6/4/2007 7:21:09 PM , Rating: 3
Heh its really not the point, a 17" WUXGA laptop is also going to weigh about 8+lbs emphasis on the plus since your going to have to bring the charger since at best your getting 2.5 hours of battery life....

Vs the 13.3" which is designed to offer a good compromise in battery life and portability vs performance. Anything smaller and you really start to sacrifice processing (core solos and older ULV Pentium Ms), 10-11 Inch screens, usually a lack of Internal Optical Drives, Sometimes 1.8" Hard Drives, cramped keyboards, no discreet graphcis, et al.

The 13.3" performance units typically will have 90% of the computing power, twice the battery life, of most of the DTRs at the price of screen real estate.


By supaflydaddyc on 6/4/2007 12:43:38 PM , Rating: 2
About as much as one of Sony's $2,000+ SZ Series laptops (of which I am an owner of). Except it can hold twice as much memory and the LED backlit display comes standard as opposed to only on the higher-end models (an assumption based off of information in the article above). This will most likely cost at least that much if not more.

Only advantage to the Sony is that it has the hybrid graphics mode and it has a bit more "flair" (for you Office Space fanatics) or style to it than the Dell.


RE: This seven-word sentence has seven words.
By othercents on 6/4/2007 3:14:29 PM , Rating: 2
Don't get me wrong the SZ is a nice laptop, but it isn't worth the price especially someone looking for a higher end video card. If you are just looking for a portable machine I would rather purchase a Latitude D630 (4.37lbs) or a Latitude D420 (3.0lbs). Both of which could be purchased well equiped for less than $1500.

The XPS should stay around the same price as the M1210, but anyone who purchases one of these will want the video card which should increase the price up into the $1800 range.

Other


By obeseotron on 6/5/2007 8:00:16 PM , Rating: 2
D420 tops out at 1.2Ghz Core Duo with integrated graphics, and no way is the D620/30 only 4.37 pounds. Maybe without the battery or DVD drive...


Almost
By medavid16 on 6/4/2007 1:41:24 PM , Rating: 3
So after reading everyone's comments, sounds like the conclusion is : Almost a winner.

lol




I wonder
By Brainonska511 on 6/4/2007 1:47:43 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder if this was the laptop Asus made for Dell. It has a different chassis compared to the W7J(Napa)/W7S (SantaRosa), but almost identical specs. Still pretty cool design, 4lbs is fine for the notebook, as another counterpart, the W7J/S weighs in at 4.3lbs according to Newegg. And for those wondering about screen size, 13.3" WXGA will be either 1280x768 or 1280x800. A nice resolution for that size screen - easier for a lower-end GPU to drive, and easy on the eyes.




Lattitude Version?
By TxJeepers on 6/4/2007 3:09:41 PM , Rating: 2
Dell rep tells me replacement for the D420 is right around the corner as well. Hope it is similar to this XPS version. I need Lattitudes that size and performance. The 620's little too big and the 420's too under powered and no installed CD drive.
The Sony's are nice until you need support and don't get me started on all the crapware they load up on them.




Wireless and Graphics Memory
By ubcz on 6/4/2007 11:12:38 PM , Rating: 2
First, I am surprised to see the wireless option with 802.11a/b/g wireless. Isn't Santa Rosa supposed to have 802.11n?

Second, where in the article does it state that the video memory is 128MB? On the nVidia website, the 8400M GS is listed at 256MB 'maximum' memory. Does the 256MB include any so called TurboCache?




By B166ER on 6/7/2007 4:10:34 AM , Rating: 2
A) Shipped with choice of Vista or Vista 64
B) Had an eSATA port (take a USB port away, I can always get a 4 port USB hub)
C) Option of 8400 GS or GT card!
D) 2 megapixel cam WITH the LED backlit monitor.

Other than that, I smell a winner!!!!!!
Ive been waiting for Asus W7s, was close to having it shipped from Hong Kong (@ $2100!!!) or wait for Sony to drop the new SZ series (probably @ $2500!!) but Dell will beat 'em both with price and feature sets. I hate to say it, but Im buyin another Dell Dude!




Worthy XPS
By iGo on 6/7/2007 12:37:29 PM , Rating: 2
I've XPS M1210 and very happy with it. Sometimes I did wish that 12" didn't feel so small.... 13.3 sounds like a good upgrade, a sweet spot between 12.1 and 14.1.. ultraportable or not.




By androticus on 6/8/2007 1:58:03 AM , Rating: 2
I had a Dell ultraportable for awhile -- almost everything about it was great except for one IMMENSELY AND CONSTANTLY ANNOYING THING: in order to make the keyboard look nice and square and to have the cursor keys in an inverted T, they squished the , . and / keys into the space of 2 keys -- the result, was that whenever you went to type . you hit / instead -- i've been typing for decades now, and no matter how much i tried to use that keyboard, i always made that reach -- now just think how much you type . !!! So I would urge people to try to put their hands on a Dell before buying online.




m1330
By friedchicken03 on 6/9/2007 3:08:58 AM , Rating: 2
Blah, everthing looks good except the webcam isnt flipable. 1210 sold me on that because it can be used to record lectures. man, i hope they change that




Sony Screwing the little guy....again
By xuimod on 6/4/07, Rating: -1
RE: Sony Screwing the little guy....again
By FITCamaro on 6/4/2007 1:07:05 PM , Rating: 2
Uh...this article has absolutely nothing to do with Sony. Did you even fucking read it? The word Sony is not anywhere in it. Some people were only comparing this new laptop to a comparably equipped Sony.


RE: Sony Screwing the little guy....again
By xuimod on 6/4/07, Rating: -1
By Alpha4 on 6/4/2007 7:01:06 PM , Rating: 2
LMAO

You are forgiven, my son.


By jmunjr on 6/4/2007 1:08:11 PM , Rating: 2
Uh this is a Dell dude...


RE: Sony Screwing the little guy....again
By Oscarine on 6/4/2007 1:09:00 PM , Rating: 2

Sony actually makes one of the nicer ultraportables out there, the TX now TZ? Line.


By Hulk on 6/4/2007 1:12:01 PM , Rating: 2
I wish Dell would concentrate on making thier notebooks a little thinner. If this one were closer to 1" thick it would really have nice look to it.


By MrWally on 6/4/2007 1:11:25 PM , Rating: 2
Wow, where'd that come from?


RE: Sony Screwing the little guy....again
By Alpha4 on 6/4/07, Rating: -1
"We can't expect users to use common sense. That would eliminate the need for all sorts of legislation, committees, oversight and lawyers." -- Christopher Jennings











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