The Dell Studio 17 is one of two flagship models in the company’s new Studio line, a mid-range line positioned between the entry-level Inspiron and high-end XPS series. Studio is for people who want something more powerful than an Inspiron, but don’t want to pay the XPS price tag. We have mixed feelings about the new Studio’s design, but for $1,599, you’ll get plenty of multimedia muscle.luxury notebook
The Studio 17 doesn’t represent much of a departure from other Studio notebooks that have come before it, even the 14-inch, optical drive-less Dell Studio 14z. It has a satin lid (available in five colors; ours was Ruby Red) that feels soft to the touch and (mostly) masks fingerprints. Inside, the chassis mixes a glossy gray palm rest with a matte black keyboard and a piano black panel above the keyboard, complete with number pad. While it lacks some of the refinements of the high-end Studio XPS line, such as leather accents on the lid and flat keys, it borrows a few design elements, such as the glowing power button. The final product is handsome, but not as sophisticated as the 17-inch Apple MacBook Pro, Dell Studio XPS 16, or even the HP Envy 15.Dell Studio 17 notebook is equipped with the following specifications:luxury notebook
- Intel Core 2 Duo T9300 (2.5GHz) processor
- Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
- 17-inch WUXGA Glossy Display (1920 x 1200)
- 3GB system RAM - 2 DIMM (DDR2-667)
- 320GB 5400rpm HDD
- 256MB (GDDR2) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 graphics
- Webcam and Fingerprint reader
- Backlit keyboard
- Slot Load DVD+/-RW with Dual Layer DVD+R write capacity
- Dell Wireless 1510N
- 9-cell battery (85WHr)
- Dimensions: 1.18" to 1.69" x 15.46" x 11.36" (H x W x D)
- Weight: 7.87lbs
- Other: "Dell Dock" software; 30-day security trial; 3GB Dell DataSafe; Dell Support Center
Depending on your needs, the Dell Studio 17 ships with either 320GB or 640GB of storage space. We went with 320GB, simply because the $150 in savings can go towards a Blu-ray drive for the Dell Studio 17. To get the most out of the Blu-ray drive, you’ll have to shell out another $150 for 1920 x 1200 resolution. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 ensures that HD video looks stunning on the 17-inch widescreen display. The HDMI uplink means that you can transform your TV into a supersized monitor in a few seconds too.luxury notebook
The Studio 17 battery is a true multimedia machine. The only gripe we have concerns the video card. It’s a great card for video, but the gaming contingent would happily fork over another hundred bucks for a 512MB gaming card.
The keyboard is comfortable too. It's full-size with a separate number pad, and despite the slightly odd design - the top of each key stands slightly proud of the main body - it's a pleasure to type on. The final part of the ergonomic puzzle - the glossy 17in TFT - isn't quite as good, partially because the native resolution of 1,440 x 900 isn't up to the 1,920 x 1,200 offered by other 17in laptops we've reviewed. As with virtually every other aspect of the Studio 17, though, you can customise this - upgrading to a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution adds £102 exc VAT to the price.
With the default screen in place, we'd be wary of using the Studio 17 for anything demanding picture-perfect colour reproduction: deep blacks and bright whites lacked definition, and we detected a slight green hue. Colours in games and movies also seemed a little pale. Despite this, detail is sharp and the TFT is certainly good enough for general work or surfing the web.
The interesting flap mechanism also attracts attention by two huge hinges on the flanks. This too gives the Studio series a recognizable design. All those who also know other notebook models by Dell will quickly find that this series is similar to the XPS series, which first used this design element.
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Regarding stability of the case the Dell Studio 17 battery replacement has the same advantages and disadvantages than its 15 inch counterpart. The base unit is very resistant against applied forces and very flexural rigid. Despite its clearly bigger weight it also handles being picked up at its front edge with ease. Creaking noises when handling this notebook are nearly completely absent.
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To connect to the outside world there is 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet and, last and probably least, a good old 56Kbps modem. Both the WiFi and the Bluetooth modules are Dell products which is why our review sample didn't carry an Intel Centrino badge.
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For a notebook that weighs 3.7kg on its own, you could say that worrying about battery life is pretty pointless, as it's going to spend most of its life plugged into the national grid. But anyway, when tested with MobileMark 2007, the standard 6-cell battery produced 135 minutes for the DVD test, 170 minutes for the Productivity test and 190 minutes for the Reader test. For added life and weight there is an optional 9-cell dell studio 17 battery for an extra £99.88.
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Apart from the Vista OS there is also Microsoft Works 9.0 bundled with the Studio 17, plus you get Dell's new Dell Dock application which will be familiar to OS X and StarDock Object Dock users. Dell backs the laptop with a one-year return-to-base warranty.
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source : http://notebookpc-review.over-blog.com
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