Dells update to its venerable Inspiron line has a new look and plenty of power. Aimed at the back-to-school crowd, the 14-inch Inspiron 14R includes hardware features and software meant to appeal to students (and their parents). This $819 configuration also includes ATI graphics, so users can game on the side at an affordable price. However, while this machine is a strong performer, it sacrifices battery life. Dell Laptop Battery
Design
The Inspiron 14R looks modern. Though its surfaces are made of plastic, the internal chassis is made of magnesium alloy,laptop battery gives the notebook a sturdy frame, but also results in a 5-pound system thats a bit heavier than the 14-inch competition. For example, the Lenovo IdeaPad V460 weighs 4.8 pounds, and the HP Pavilion dm4 weighs just 4.4 pounds. Still, the 13.5 x 9.7 x 1.3-inch system looks fairly sleek, complete with rounded edges and tapered sides. Dells hinge-forward design, similar to that of its updated Inspiron Mini netbooks, makes the back bulkier but allows for extra battery space.
The glossy lid shows off the notebooks colora metallic Peacock Blue, a $40 premiumbut collects fingerprints like a crime scene (other colors aside from the standard black are Tomato Red and Promise Pink). This also goes for the bezel around the glossy display under the lid, though thankfully the deckplastic painted to look like brushed metalhas a smudge-resistant coating. Dell CF623 Battery didnt clutter the deck with many lights or buttons, settling for a white, glowing power button on the upper left and three small lights on the bottom left.
Heat
To test temperatures, we played Hulu at full screen for 15 minutes, then measured the space between the G and H keys (97 degrees Fahrenheit), touchpad (101 degrees), and the center of the bottom (101 degrees). When using the Inspiron 14R in our lap we noticed that the system became uncomfortably hot on the left side near the vent, Sony Laptop Battery reached 106 degrees.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The full-size keyboard features comfortable, terraced keys that offered good tactile feedback and response. We were able to reach our normal typing speed immediately, and none of the keys were undersized or in weird places, so HP Pavilion DV8000 Battery was also easy to execute keyboard shortcuts.
