Dell has built up a reputation for solid, dependable computers that are generally reliable. More at the conservative end of the market, if you like, than going for something flashy with lots of bells and whistles.

But with the increasing emergence of so-called 'desktop substitutes', Dell is now making a determined effort to try to offer the laptop generation (people who like to play games and MP3s on the move as well as prepare presentations and keep up with office work) a machine that will entertain as well as handle data.

Dell's Inspiron 6000 series was designed to meet this need and to start with its design is one of cool silver, although the white plastic surround is decidedly retro. The colours on the 15.4-inch widescreen display, though, are crisp and sharp and do justice to the ATI Mobility Radeon X300 graphics card.

The keys are large and comfortable to use, although for some strange reason the 'Delete' key has been buried amongst the smaller command keys at the top of the keyboard. An optical mouse is included, although you can use the standard touch pad for scrolling and manoeuvring the cursor if you choose.

The reviewed model was powered by an Intel Pentium M 1.86GHz processor along with a 60GB hard drive and 512MB of memory, and the battery life was an impressive three hours of average usage. There are four USB 2.0 connections, TV out, a DVD writer, Ethernet and modem ports, a PC card and an SD card reader. It's also Bluetooth enabled and the wireless connection is via PRO/Wireless 2100 (802.11b).

An attempt has been made to emulate Microsoft's Media Centre, with a Media Experience application that covers music, photos and movies, and there are external controls for this. Microsoft Works is included in the bundle, as is Paint Shop Pro Studio, Paint Shop Photo Album 4 and Sonic DigitalMedia LE.

If you do want to play games while on the move, the Radeon X300 coped comfortably with Doom 3 set at medium resolution, though how popular the 6000 series will prove may depend on whether you are happy to carry a wider than usual notebook that weighs a fairly hefty 3.3kg. However, having four speakers is a definite bonus and the overall sound quality is far superior to the usual tinny stereo we've come to expect from laptops.

Verdict
Just as with Dell's desktop models, this is an efficient and impressive laptop with good gameplay performance, yet its size and weight could be an issue and it still lacks the sparkle and extra features that make some of the competition more compelling.

Company: Dell

Contact: 0870 152 4699

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