Dell Inspiron 2200 Entry Level
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Should you be looking for a very affordable laptop that gets the job done, then look no further.

The Dell Inspiron 2200 offers unbeatable value for small businesses and students alike. Essential computing / basic business productivity applications like email, word processing, spreadsheets and Internet browsing are a breeze on this laptop. In addition to that, you can watch DVDs, rip and burn CDs and do some light gaming as well.

Released in March of this year (2005); this laptop comes equipped with a 1.50GHz Celeron processor based on the new "Dothan" core with a 1 MB cache and a 400 MHz Front Side Bus (enhanced version comes with a 1.60 GHz processor with 2MBs of cache). This boosts the Celeron's performance to levels not reachable by previous cores; in addition to lowering the power consumption which adds to the battery life. And you'll be glad to know that this laptop has a battery life of 4:08 hours provided by the 8-cell Li Ion battery included; add the optional, and identical, second battery and you have a total of above 8 hours of battery life. Quite impressive!

The standard memory on this laptop is 256 MB of DDR RAM which is upgradeable up to 1.28 GB. There are two SoDIMM slots, one of which is not reachable by the user and it holds the standard 256 MB (or higher if you've opted to go for higher RAM at the time of purchase); the other slot is easily accessible by users for simple memory upgrades in the future. The Ultra ATA Hard disk included provides a capacity of 40GB; users also have the option to go for the 80GB model.

Don't let the fact that the Inspiron 2200 is a basic entry-level notebook fool you into thinking that this would be a heavy and bulky laptop; on the contrary it is quite light and thin. With weight starting at only 5.99 pounds (2.72 kg) it will not give you a sore shoulder from carrying it around; and with a height of only 1.46" (37.2 mm) it's also thin. This laptop is also generally quiet as the fan is only activated when it's necessary and it is then turned off as soon as heat goes down to a reasonable level.

The 14.1 inch XGA display (15.0 inch model also available) is quite crisp and clear even though it might be a bit dark for DVD playback where some night-time scenes might not be very clear even at the display's highest brightness; luckily this is not a major issue as most media players nowadays offer extra brightness controls using video overlay.

But alas, nothing good is ever perfect. For one the Dell Inspiron 2200 can't be used for heavy gaming or any graphics intensive application; this is mainly due to the integrated Intel Media Accelerator 900 Graphics. This built-in chip does offer a great performance boost over previous Intel graphics offerings, especially for light to medium use. But any hard-core gamers or people who work with graphics intensive software (like 3D modeling) should look else where. It is worth mentioning that image manipulation software (like Adobe Photoshop) and any other digital camera needs work just fine here.

Other issues with Inspiron 2200 include some of its physical aspects. The keyboard for instance does feel cramped with the keys seeming rather small; this of course will only be an issue for certain users. And while on the subject of the keyboard it should be noted that the Backspace key is short here and it sits right next to the Home key which might lead to some mistakes while the user is still getting familiar with it. Another issue with the keyboard is the lack of extra control keys (like dedicated volume controls for example) but this of course is not essential even though it would've been nice to have especially that there's quite enough space for it. The touchpad however is nice with the added convenience of auto-scrolling on both the left and bottom sides.

The lack of ports is another issue here, there is no serial port so if you are planning to use an external mouse or keyboard you better make sure they have a USB connector or use a converter. Sadly there are only 3 USB ports on this laptop which could fill up fast depending on what peripherals you use; should the need arise you could always use a USB hub or opt to get Dell's optional USB port replicator. These USB ports are compliant with the USB 2.0 specifications so connection speed is not an issue here.

For connectivity you get an integrated 56k modem and an Ethernet port (10/100 Mbps) but that's about it; there is no built-in support for infrared, Bluetooth or even WiFi; however this notebook does sport a built-in WiFi antenna to be used in conjunction with the optional mini wireless card from Dell. There's also one Type I or II PCMCIA card slot.

The built-in stereo speakers are only adequate as with many laptops out there, and if you are using this laptop at home you'll be better off using external speakers. Also, there's no built-in microphone so if you need one you'll need to buy it separately.

The case might get annoying for some users as 2200 easily shows dust and finger print marks; these of course are easily cleaned but a nuisance nevertheless. Another puzzling nuisance is that Dell decided not to include a Windows recovery CD with this Inspiron; but you do get your Windows Authentic product code which means you can easily and legally use any windows installation CD should the need arise but make sure you input your own windows key when prompted for it by the setup program. Talking about software, you should probably take a look at the pre-installed programs as soon as you get this laptop and uninstall all those you don't need to free up disk space and reduce startup time.

Overall, the Inspiron 2200 is a very solid offering from Dell. Performance, functionality, a great battery life and much more a very affordable price with free delivery right to your doorstep. Well done Dell.