Great Workhorse (But Outclassed)

Dell's XPI CD is my favorite laptop of all times. However it's not as nimble as it would like to be any more. So unfortunately there's only reason to keep this baby around: if you want the easiest typing experience available in a laptop.



== The Good ==

The trackball in this machine is by far the best pointing device I've ever used. You can drag/click and drag/right-click across the whole screen without contorting your hands or wrists into carpal tunnel syndrome candidates.



The keyboard is good very good - good action on the keys tactile feedback and relatively easy to clean.



It's wonderfully solid. I dropped mine any number of times without suffering screen keyboard or other problems.



== The Bad ==

At 166 MHz and 64 MB max RAM it's not suitable for anything past Win98 (I recommend the most recent Win95 if you have disks).



The optical drive is read only (no burning) and is painfully slow compared ot more recent versions.



2.1 GB of storage doesn't leave room for much (this will not be your MP3 storage device).



For modern internet you'll also need some type of PC Card ($40-100) and there's no USB built-in.



== The Ugly ==

As much as I love this machine it's not worth more than $50 in my opinion. You can get a 30 gig iPod for $250 which will allow you to store more pictures music and even software files. If you're willing to part with $400 you can get a Vista-ready laptop that's lighter speedier and more versatile.



== Conclusion ==

There is one overwhelming reason to buy the XPI: for the trackball. If you can't deal with trackpads this is the machine for you. If you only need the machine to write the great American novel while you're at the beach... and you don't need to logon to the net you'll be fine with the anemic features. (Make sure you have a home computer that you can synch up with often to keep this machine from being too cluttered.)



== [A note about Dell] ==

I have bought about 8 Dell machines over the years (for myself or as gifts). I've never experienced significant problems except for the first machine which was a nightmare (the Texas-based tech support misdiagnosed the problem on the first call and it took a half-dozen calls and about 30 hours of my time to get it right). However the company recognized they had sold me a lemon and eventually replaced the machine with a faster version with more memory upgraded the hard- and optical-drives.More detail ...

NC6000

Clean and no scratches for refurbished unit. Operates as expected however battery life was less than one hour.It would be helpful if unit came with a little written literature a manual or something. Overall I feel it was a good value for the price paid.More detail ...

VERY SATISFIED

Purchasing a used laptop was a risk and we weren't sure if it was worth taking....until we used this Dell for over a month. We couldn't be happier with our purchase! The only downside to this product is that Microsoft Office did not come installed on this notebook. However the seller was prompt and the computer arrived intact and in just a few days. The battery lasts about two hours and the wireless is invaluable. I don't know how we lived without a laptop for all this time-we hardly ever turn on our PC anymore!More detail ...

I'm writing this review from it...

HIGHLY SATISFIED!!! I bought my refurbished from MawishInc for about 5 months ago and it has been amaizing. I'm surprised that the price on this item just keeps on getting lower and lower. I got mine with 1gb of ram but I upgrade it to 2gb and it's a super fast computer. Much faster then any of my vista computers with more ram and ghz. The monitor is small on today's HD stuff but the graphics card is amazing. Mine can go up to 1920x1200 with no lag on any monitor. With my shipment I got this item with the charger and all the slots in this item worked and still works... (thank you MawishInc). I recommend this product. (maybe not used but professionally refurbished).More detail ...

Motion Tablet

Awesome! Easy to learn tremendous capacity mobile light weight. I can't say enough good things. More detail ...

Let the buyer beware

Don't throw caution to the wind as I did. There's a reason why this product is "remanufactured". And by the way... it DID NOT COME WITH WINDOWS SOFTWARE installed or otherwise. This is a BAD DEAL!More detail ...

Way Better than Carpal Tunnel!

I have been using pen-based input since Windows 3.11 for Pen Computing mostly to avoid wracking my hands wrists and fingers with typing.



I have also used a variety of the latest generation of tablets. All of them have their strong points but what I like best about the Compaq is that it runs in silence. Except for the fan popping on every once in a while you don't even know there's a computer behind the screen. Also the feel of the pen on the glass is very nice; like writing with an expensive ceramic-ball pen.



The image on the screen is crystal clear. Even a bifocalled old geezer like me has no trouble sitting in a chair tablet in lap and working the afternoon away. The battery really does last 3 and a half to 4 hours depending on what you're doing.



The machine is fast and powerful enough for most needs but it is not a gamer. My advice is to buy as much memory as you can afford. Be aware that punctuation-intensive tasks like huge bibliographies or lengthy coding can get pretty frustrating with a pen. Doing lots of spreadsheet input can be a drag too.



For you first timers it'll take a little practice getting used to using the pen to the best advantage but most folks are smart enough to figure things out on their own. I find the pen relaxing to use.



The 1100 will use a passive (no battery) or active (battery) pen. I find the passive pen less sensitive to my gentle touch but less likely to glitch out. The active pen gives faster response but it can go nutsy on me especially when the hard to find quadruple-A battery starts to die.



I suggest disabling the pen's button.



It is a great machine to haul to the library or to use in meeting not only because it's light and easy to carry but because there is no keyboard clatter. Be warned it will attract attention.



I have the dock and use both an external and the attached small but adequate keyboard. Really though the machine only shines when used as it's designed to be used; with a pen as a tablet. 98% of the time I use it with no keyboard at all.



I've tried a variety of cases and covers but don't like any of them since they detract from the immediate nature of the pen interface. Plus the 1100 is so pretty that I hate to cover it up.



It's a blast - like Star Trek.

It is the Etch-a-Sketch I dreamed of when I was 10 years old! More detail ...

love my Dell!

AWESOME DELL LATITUDE D600 CENTRINO LAPTOP 512MB 30GB WIFI XP PRO 14" LCD LAPTOP

I am very pleased with this laptop. It was affordable and suits my puposes well.More detail ...