15.4" or 17" screen for Inspiron?

Hello!

I would welcome input as regards the choice of screen size for an Inspiron that I plan to order.

Basically I spend my time surfing the Web, dealing with e-mail and using Open Office. Now and again I archive, view and edit my photos. I also plan to convert our Hi-8 videos cassettes to DVD and then edit them. Occasionally I use specialist software for genealogy and for planning hiking trips with a Garmin GPS. I do not play games.

I am asking myself three questions:

First, would a 17" screen make a big difference as regards comfort and pleasure bearing in mind my use of the laptop?

Secondly, is it practical to use a 17" screen on one's lap sitting in an armchair? Having spent the day sitting upright at a desk, in the evening I like to be able to relax in an armchair to do my e-mail, correspondence, etc.. At present I do that with a 15" Acer TM 803 and apart from the heat I have no complaints.

From what I have seen in different forums, I think that the 15.4" would suit me fine, but I want to check.

Finally, am I correct in thinking that the Inspiron 1720 is basically the same machine as the 1520 except that it has a bigger case and a bigger screen?

The qualities I am looking for are: an excellent mat screen, a comfortable keyboard, an accurate mousepad and as little noise and heat as possible. If you think that a laptop other than an Inspiron would correspond better to my requirements, please let me know!

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Eamann

PS Given the nature of my last question, I am also posting my query on the "What laptop should I buy" forum.

 

I myself have had experience with both screen sizes. It is nice having the viewing are of a 17 inch, however it is quite large to have on your lap on an armchair. I currently own a 15.4 inch and I feel it is the perfect size. If i feel like having a larger screen, I just hook it up to my 22 inch LCD. IMO, the 15.4 is the best balance of screen real-estate and portability.

 

I agree that 15.4 is a great compromise. The reason I have a larger one is I do software development and need many things visible on one screen. If I mostly did email/web/OO stuff, I'd be happy with 15.4. And there's definitely a big jump in bulkiness between 15" & 17".

I do use my laptop in my armchair too though. What you can't do is *lie* in the sofa with the laptop halfway up your lap.

 

Thanks for your quick reply!

By the way, I too use Ubuntu and I would like to put a Ubuntu sticker in my signature like you have done. How should I go about that?

Eamann

 

I'd recommend the 17" notebook (like I have), if you don't have to carry it to different places many times a day.

 

Go for the 17".

 

For just web surfing, email and open office 17" is probably overkill but for photo editing it's far better especially a high resolution screen. My screen is 17" and i sit with it on my lap no problem (with a wireless mouse balancing on the chair arm!). I find when i go back to using a 15" screen it's just not big enough, especially using photoshop.

The keyboard is one of the better ones i've used but i imagine the 15" dell keyboard is the same apart from the lack of a separate number pad. The laptop is quiet and it runs cooler than my Toshiba and Samsung. I don't know what the matt screen looks like, mine's the glossy one.

If you only dabble in photo editing occasionally i'd probably go for the 15" screen but if you do it a lot then i'd definitely go for the 17" screen.