Dell XPS M2010
Notebook Reviews > Dell XPS > M2010

Review Date : 18th July' 2006

The XPS M2010 is a notebook of gigantic proportions in every sense of the word. From its 20.1" wide screen HD display, to its full sized detachable Bluetooth keyboard (complete with a number pad) and everything in between, including its gyroscopic remote controller - it all screams grand! Including (nay, especially) its price.

In its closed state, the XPS M2010 closely resembles a briefcase with its handle and leather like outer shell. As soon as you see it open, you'll be awestruck with the stylish design and the black finish with chrome highlights. The first thing to grab your attention will of course be the huge screen part. But the aforementioned HD display is not all that's there. There's also the adjustable 1.3 megapixel camera right at the top center and along with the array microphone this makes online video conferencing a breeze. To the bottom of the screen there are 8 speakers - 4 on each side; these along with the sub-woofer make for a great sound experience.

Below the screen is the main part which I guess could be called the CPU unit. The first thing you'll notice there is the slot-loading DVD burner which has a clear (see-through) window on the top enabling you to see your discs spinning in action. There's also the array of media control keys that give a very cool blue glow when pressed. The sub-woofer mentioned above is also here. Inside of course is the heart of the XPS M2010, but we'll get to that shortly.

Attached to the CPU unit is the Bluetooth keyboard which, as mentioned earlier, can be removed. The keyboard is a full sized one and it even includes the touch-pad for controlling the mouse pointer while using the keyboard remotely. While at your desk, you can use the included Bluetooth mouse for easy pointer control. And if two methods of controlling the mouse pointer aren't enough, Dell offers a third option. The remote control unit has a built-in mini-gyroscope allowing you to control the on screen mouse pointer by simply waving the remote around in mid air; now that's cool. But that's not all the remote is for, besides offering full Windows Media Center controls it also includes an LCD showing you the currently playing song much like an mp3 player's screen would. And since this is an RF controller, you can be in the next room enjoying the music coming out of your XPS M2010 and still have full control over what's playing.

Among other external features, you get two media card readers that together provide access to 13 different media card formats. There's also an ExpressCard slot, different audio-video ports and of course USB2.0 ports (four of them). Sadly the XPS M2010 does not come bundled with an integrated TV-tuner; it is however available as an option in the form of a USB add-on.

Internally, the XPS M2010 comes with top-notch components. The processor is Intel's Core Duo T2600 (running at 2.16Ghz), the RAM comes at 2GB of DDR2 memory, and the hard drive is actually two 100GB, 7,200rpm hard drives configured as a Raid 0 (striped) set for optimal performance, and last but by no means least the graphics subsystem is a dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 with its own 256MB of graphics memory.

As expected from its huge screen size, the XPS M2010 is quite big and very hard to consider as a notebook; it's more like a cross between a notebook and a desktop, a portable desktop if you will. Despite its heavy weight (almost 20 pounds) it is still, stylishly, portable.