Review of the Inspiron 700m, 8-cell battery for Dell Inapiron 700m to Extend Working Time

This review of the Inspiron 700m has been fairly glowing, but to balance it out and offer a few of the downfalls as I see them, the following list serves as the "cons" for the 700m:
Small screen - The screen is only 12.1". If you're coming off of a 17" monitor from your desktop, or even a 15", you'll need some adjusting time. However, your working area may even be increased -- the display is high resolution so you can fit a lot of data on it at once. If you have vision problems, this may not be what you want -- some people say that this display kills their eyes. I find it fine, but if you suspect you might find it small, check it out at a Dell kiosque. Remember, you can't lower the resolution without some ugly effects happening.
Small keyboard - The keyboard is not full size. As I said earlier, some of the essential keys are shrunk, and if you have larger hands like I do (but no experience using smaller keyboards), you will definitely have problems with it and some adjusting time (maybe 2-3 weeks!) You wouldn't want to write a novel on it. If you're worried, just make sure you check it out first. I find it very usable, but everyone's different.
Weak battery - The standard battery is very, very weak. If there were no extended battery option, I would not have bought this laptop nor would I recommend it to anyone. The extended battery adds bulk and weight, though, so be sure to check that out to and analyze the pictures I've posted! I've also included some comparative pictures so you can see how big the machine with the extended cell is.
No Legacy ports - If you have some peripherals (such as old printers, mousse, keyboards...etc.) that require Legacy connections, you're out of luck. Most devices now are USB compliant anyways.
No integrated microphone - A lot of laptops these days have mic's in them for recording lectures and such. You'll need to get an external one. However, most onboard microphones are probably very weak, so you can't be missing out on much.
Mediocre build quality - It doesn't feel cheap, it's just that I'd prefer having the build quality of the Thinkpads.
Clunky mouse buttons - I don't use them, but they do suck. Make sure you configure your touchpad to do all the stuff the buttons would normally do.
No dedicated media buttons - I am surprised there are none since this is a media-oriented machine. You'll just have to press an extra key to have access to certain commands.
Heavier and thicker than other ultraportables - This machine is tiny and very very light, but some ultraportables are even tinier. However, they sacrifice the optical drive, and I needed one of those. I know that the Fujitsu S6231 has an integrated drive and is around the same weight, but it's significantly more expensive.
Poor technical support - We've all heard this one before. Luckily you have this amazing forum.

Cite from http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2496

8-cell Battery Dell INSPIRON 700M rated at 14.8V 4400mAh:

Dell XPS M1730 First Look Review, 9-cells li-ion laptop battery pack for Dell XPS M1730

The Dell XPS M1730 is the latest high-end gaming notebook from Dell, replacing the aging M1710. Dell has improved both the outside appearance of this gaming rig and the components inside its glossy shell. One item added to this notebook, a first for any notebook, is the AGEIA PhysX Processing Unit. Packed inside you also get dual 256MB NVIDIA 8700M GTs running in SLI alongside the Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 processor making this notebook a force to be reckoned with.

This Dell XPS M1730 has the following configuration:
System: Dell XPS M1730 (Smoke Color)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 (2.8 GHz)
Memory: 2GB @ 667MHz - 2 DIMM Slots (2 x 1GB) (Max Ram 4GB)
Hard Drive: 2x200GB 7200 RPM running RAID 0
Graphics Card: Dual NVIDIA GeForce Go 8700M GT with 512MB total memory
Physics Card: AGEIA PhysX 100M
Screen: 17" WUXGA Truelife (1920 x 1200)
Optical Drive: 8x CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW/+R) with Dual-Layer
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
Wireless Card: Intel 4965 (802.11b/g/n)
Battery: 9-cell lithium ion recharegable battery
Ports / Slots: 5-in-1 Memory Card Reader, DVI-D, S-Video, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), 4 USB 2.0, Express Card slot, Modem, Ethernet/LAN, Microphone in, 2 Headphone out
Price of this configuration: $4,499 (base model starts at $2,999)

Build and Design
From the moment you slide the notebook out of the box, you realize just how massive this notebook is. Clocking in at over 10lbs for the notebook alone (add on almost 3lbs for the ac adapter), you realize this is more of a portable desktop in terms of weight and gaming power. The body is extremely well built, on par with many rugged business notebooks, in some cases could probably destroy the business notebook in a fight.

The display cover is a mix between a glossy painted plastic finish, and a semi-transparent plastic shell that LED's illuminate to show off the Dell "XPS" logo. The materials used are fairly scratch resistant, and should hold up well with minimal scuffs over time. For a gaming rig the design is pretty tame, and not too flashy, but with the lights going full blaze it will stand out in a classroom. The color for our review model was the "Smoke Grey" design, but Bone White, Crimson Red, and Sapphire Blue are also available.

Screen
The Dell WUXGA screen included on the M1730 is gorgeous. Colors are rich and vibrant, and the backlight is fairly powerful. Black levels are very deep, and backlight bleed is minimal. Unless you are extremely picky you would consider the screen to be perfect. Viewing angles while not perfect are much better than average, meaning colors stay fairly accurate at steeper vertical viewing angles.Another screen exclusive to the M1730 is the inclusion of a LCD gaming screen, similar to those found on many gaming keyboards. This provides information such as processor and ram usage, media controls, stop watch, timers, and other capabilities.

Speakers
The speakers on the XPS M1730 are exceptional, and what you would expect from a gaming rig. Volume levels are more than adequate for intense gaming, and frequencies from all but the lower range come through clearly. Although no subwoofer was present on this model, bass reproduction seemed to be within the same range as models equipped with them.

Gaming and Performance
So what exactly did you buy a 10lb notebook for anyways? I am betting it was for the insane performance that can usually only be seen with much larger desktop gaming setups. Since this is a first look we won't go too in depth on its performance, but will give you a few hints.

wPrime is a program that forces the processor to do recursive mathematical calculations, the advantage of this program is that it is multi-threaded and can use both processor cores at once, thereby giving more accurate benchmarking measurements than Super Pi.

Heat and Noise
For a gaming notebook the XPS M1730 is incredibly tame in terms of heat and noise output. Fan noise is less than my Lenovo T60, although the M1730 is pushing more air. Heat output is higher from its vents, but it is also twice the size and 8x as powerful. Keyboard and palmrest temperatures were very low, barely above room temperature even after the notebook had been on for a while. For a notebook that you might spend hours in front of, this was pleasantly surprising.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The XPS M1730 sports a full-size keyboard with 10-key number pad. Key spacing is just about perfect, and key action is excellent. Support beneath the keyboard is good, although some flex can be felt when you press firmly onto the sides of the keyboard.

The touchpad on the XPS M1730 is very nice, with quick and accurate finger tracking. Dell touchpads I have found to be finicky in the past with lag, and this had none of it. Another element to this touchpad is the white XPS logo is illuminated from behind, allowing you to set it to a rainbow of colors.
A full array of media controls are also present on this notebook, located on the front edge of the notebook. They were far enough out of the way that you wouldn't accidentally hit them by accident, but they were also close enough to easily access.

Input and Output Ports:

Front: Infrared Port and media controls.

Left Side: DVI, Svideo, USB, Firewire, 5-in-1 Card Reader, Fixed Optical bay, microphone and 2 headphone jacks.

Right Side: Expresscard/54, Wireless On/Off, Wifi Catcher button, 2 USB, and Kensington lock slot.

Rear: Power Input, USB, and LAN.

Battery and Power
Battery life is not one of the key shopping points on many gaming notebooks. Fully charged, when unplugged from the wall the XPS M1730 reported 1 hour and 27 minutes of battery life remaining sitting idle on the desktop. In this type of setting it acts more like a UPS, protecting against power outages or brownouts.

The power adapter is equally as amusing for a portable device, being as large as some ultra portable notebooks themselves. This of course is needed to feed the power demands that a notebook with dual video cards, dual hard drives, and a super fast processor require.

Software and Operating System
Not unlike many of the standard consumer Dell notebooks, you still get a ton of added junk fresh out of the box. From antivirus software to various toolbars, you can figure at least 15 to 20 minutes just uninstalling it all to get a clean gaming platform. With all the unneeded bloatware removed, the included Vista Home Premium operating system really speeds up. My only surprise was our review system had Home Premium, and not Ultimate.

Article from http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4058 By Kevin, NotebookReview.com Editor

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Review of Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Laptop Computer (Intel ATOM N270, MB)

Last year, the world of budget notebooks was turned on its head with the introduction of the ASUS Eee PC: A 2-pound laptop with a 7-inch screen and a starting price below $300. Prior to 2008, "budget notebooks" were bulky, overweight 15-inch laptops while "ultra-portable" notebooks commanded a premium price well above $1,000. In no time at all terms like "budget ultra-portable," "subnotebook," and "netbook" became part of the techno-geek vocabulary. Every notebook manufacturer on the planet (even some that you might not know) scrambled to create their own "netbooks" ... and Dell has finally joined the party.
The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is an 8.9" netbook with a $349 (Linux) or $399 (Windows XP) starting price and some impressive features. Dell was kind enough to supply us with a pre-production copy of the Inspiron Mini 9 so that we can conduct in-depth testing and let you know if this netbook really is "your new best friend" ... or just the weird kid you try to avoid on the bus. Finally, we draw conclusions and lists pros and cons as follows:

Pros
Small and light
Easy to use
Very well built and durable
Responsive Synaptics touchpad
Easy to upgrade RAM, SSD, and wireless cards
No noisy cooling fan
Low price for an ultraportable

Cons
Gets a little hot
Glossy plastic lid is a magnet for fingerprints
No F11 or F12 keys, other function keys in strange location
4-cell battery is nice, 6-cell battery would be better

Article from http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4578

Need a hi-capacity battery for Dell inspiron mini 9?

How to Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life

Laptops tend to lose their charm quickly when you’re constantly looking for the nearest power outlet to charge up. How do you keep your battery going for as long as possible? Here are 15 easy ways to do so.
1. Defrag regularly - The faster your hard drive does its work - less demand you are going to put on the hard drive and your battery. Make your hard drive as efficient as possible by defragging it regularly. (but not while it’s on battery of course!) Mac OSX is better built to handle fragmentation so it may not be very applicable for Apple systems.
2. Dim your screen - Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen. Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance. Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.
3. Cut down on programs running in the background. Itunes, Desktop Search, etc. All these add to the CPU load and cut down battery life. Shut down everything that isn’t crucial when you’re on battery.
4. Cut down external devices - USB devices (including your mouse) & WiFi drain down your laptop battery. Remove or shut them down when not in use. It goes without saying that charging other devices (like your iPod) with your laptop when on battery is a surefire way of quickly wiping out the charge on your laptop battery.
5. Add more RAM - This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory. Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.

6. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD - As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. Even having one in the drive can be power consuming. They spin, taking power, even when they are not actively being used. Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones.
7. Keep the battery contacts clean: Clean your battery’s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.
8. Take care of your battery - Exercise the Battery. Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time. Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)
9. Hibernate not standby - Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC’s state as it is, and completely shut itself down.
10. Keep operating temperature down - Your laptop operates more efficiently when it’s cooler. Clean out your air vents with a cloth or keyboard cleaner, or refer to some extra tips by Notebook-battery.org.
11. Set up and optimize your power options - Go to ‘Power Options’ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ‘max battery’ for maximum effect).
12. Don’t multitask - Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery. Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3’s, set your mind to one thing only. If you don’t you’ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!
13. Go easy on the PC demands - The more you demand from your PC. Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD. If you’ve got a single battery charge - pick your priorities wisely.
14. Get yourself a more efficient laptop - Laptops are getting more and more efficient in nature to the point where some manufacturers are talking about all day long batteries. Picking up a newer more efficient laptop to replace an aging one is usually a quick fix. Since we have more new and efficient laptops in markets : hp pavilion dv2000, hp pavilion dv6000, dell inspiron 6400, hp pavilion dv9000, more hi-capacity replacement laptop batteries for hp dell notebooks.
15. Prevent the Memory Effect - If you’re using a very old laptop, you’ll want to prevent the ‘memory effect’ - Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.

Article from http://www.friedbeef.com/top-15-ways-to-extend-your-laptop-battery-life/