A while back I posted about my long search for the perfect laptop. After a great deal of research and indecision I had settled on a Dell Vostro. Although it didn’t meet my criteria for a slim, sexy or super cool laptop it did meet my requirements on cost and features.

Well for various reasons I delayed the actual purchase until a couple of weeks ago by which time Dell had released the much slimer, sexier, dare I say “cooler” XPS M1530, the big brother to the M1330 that I had drooled over some months ago. So I’m pleased to say I am now the proud (ok, MAC fanboys, as proud as a PC owner can be!) owner of a top of the line Tuxedo Black XPS M1530.

It arrived a couple of weeks ago, the day I was scheduled to leave for a 10 day holiday in the South Island and having just returned I am yet to really get to put it through it’s paces, but it looks pretty nice. It weighs less than it’s Insperon and Vostro cousins and has a much nicer finish. The build quality is a little suspect in places, the camera bezel above the screen is fairly flimsy and looks like it is a prime candidate for breakage and I actually had to remove some screws and refit one of the bottom panels when I first unpacked it as they hadn’t been slotted in correctly. It performs pretty well and battery life seems good for both the 6 cell and 9 cell batteries. I’m still not convinced about the glossy screen but it seems that the non-glossy versions are getting fewer and further between.

I’ll post some more thoughts as I get the laptop setup and start using it but I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve seen so far. I wouldn’t call it “Legendary Design” but hey, it’s designed and it looks pretty good amongst it’s competition so I’m not complaining.