News Bits: XPS M1530 Rumored, Vista SP1 Set for Q1 2008, MacBook Pro External Display Issues

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Engadget rumors Dell is readying release of XPS M1530

Image courtesy Engadget

Engadget has run across information on Dell's upcoming XPS M1530 notebook computer. It will feature a 15.4-inch display and a gaming graphics card. The uncovered specifications are as follows:

• 15.4-inch display - LED up to WXGA+ (1440x900), CCFL up to WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
• Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (T5250 1.5GHz - T7800 2.6GHz)
• Intel 965PM chipset, 4GB DDR2-667 max. capacity
• Nvidia GeForce 8400M-GS or 8600M-GS video cards with up to 256MB VRAM
• Slot-loading DVD-RW/Blu-ray optical drive
• Optional N wireless, Bluetooth
• Ports: HDMI, VGA, IEEE1394, 3x USB 2.0, Ethernet
• Built-in fingerprint reader, 2.0 megapixel webcam (CCFL display) or VGA webcam (LED)

The machine is rumored to weigh only 4 pounds but that is probably without the battery. According to the report, the machine is slated to come out on November 7.

Read More (Engadget.com)

Vista Service Pack 1 coming Q1 2008

The first service pack for Windows Vista is slated to arrive in the first quarter of next year. PCMag has a preview of  what the service pack will have. They found that it did improve the operating system's performance, add more driver support, and improve encryption. They also found that some applications like Adobe Creative Suite 2 ran faser.

via Gizmodo

Santa Rosa MacBook Pro having trouble with external displays?

There is a small group of users in the Apple Support forums complaining about problems when connecting their Santa Rosa MacBook Pros to external monitors. The users are reporting that their computer are locking up randomly while connecting or disconnecting an external display.

Read More (Engadget.com)

 

People have powerful emotions for their computers

In a recent study commissioned by SupportSoft it was found that 64% of Americans spend more time with their computer than their significant other. To add to that, people have strong emotions towards their computer. Respondents indicated that should their computer die:

• 19 percent admitted to wanting to hurl it out the nearest window
• 9 percent would feel stranded and alone
• 11 percent would use language normally reserved for special occasions
• 7 percent would vent loudly
• 3 percent would vent tearfully
• 3 percent would vent their wrath on inanimate objects.

Thankfully, 32 percent said they would just shrug and move on.

Read More (Yahoo News)

 

What intrigues me the most is the rumoured 4-lbs weight of the XPS M1530, even without the battery.

Dell is really innovating with its XPS line.

 

...8600M-GS ---

GS? why not GT? :/

 

If that is true, the 1530 will be little more than an overpriced Dell notebook that pales in comparison to the 1520 (with regards to price). Seriously, that better be a joke.

Apple...welcome to the real world...where things can and do go wrong!

Vista SP1 is definitely going to be a good thing for the computing world, and I continue to hope that the SP will make Vista the OS that it should have been a year ago when it went gold.

Oh, and I guess I'd fall into the 'want to hurl it out the window' category!

 

Exactly what I'm thinking. However, if this machine really weighs around 4-5lb then the sacrifice is worth it.

Finally, something that resembles m1330.

 

estimated, how much would the XPS M1530 cost? would it have a backlit keyboard? that would be awesome....

 

So how exactly is the xps 1530 different than the 1520 or vostro 1500? Besides the look of it, and apparent weight, there is nothing else there that would merit an undoubtedly price premium over the inspiron/vostro alternative. Heck, it's actually got less gpu power than the most likely cheaper inspirons.

I guess the big selling point of this is that it's gonna be as light as a 14" laptop, but seriously, it's only 1lb less than the normal 15" laptops.

 

I want one! I want a XPS M1530! And it probably has a Gs because they want less heat and a thinner notebook.

 

Options of LED screen an T7800 processor.

 

So TRUE and I m rather disappointed because of that. lol and why not have at least a 8400m GT either?

 

If the reports are true, this would seem to be a departure from the XPS line having more power than the Inspiron line, and instead it would be lighter and, at least with the LED display, more power-efficient. It would be about 1.5 lbs less than an Inspiron 1520 after putting in a comparable battery, but it will probably be a good deal more expensive, too, if the XPS line's history is any indication. It'll be interesting to see what the end configuration options actually are and how it compares in popularity.

In any case, it's not making me think twice about choosing a higher-powered Inspiron three months ago .

I think my reaction to my computer dying would depend on if I was doing important work on it at the time - if not, oh well, have a warranty, if so I'd be slightly more unhappy.

 

you don't buy an ultra light to game on, because they suck at removing heat from the cpu and gpu. restricted airflow, smaller fans, smaller heat sink...

dell should consider at least one configuration that uses a low power embedded graphics, no dvd drive (most software and content available by network or atleast through a usb thumb drive), and LV core 2 duo.

that should cut retail costs by 150 bucks, lighten the machine, reduce heat by 5-10W, and give it an extra 30-45 minutes of run-time per charge.

 

The XPS m1530 looks basically like an underpowered Inspiron 1520 with a larger m1330 casing. Not really a good incentive to buying it. The XPS lineup is suppose to be a high end line up and quite frankly, seeing such mediocre performance would really defeat the purpose of buying an XPS.

And cant wait for the SP1 to be delivered to the public, Vista has been an absolute pain with compatibility issues.

 

This is just a rumor they may even put in a 8700GT. Dell might not even release the thing. Engadget is usually right on when it comes to releases but they are not even close sometimes when it comes down to specs. Remember they said that the XPS M1730 would come standard with the 8600GS.

 

Well, until several upgrades later on, at first the XPS M1710 wasn't that different from the Inspiron E1705 either.

But the XPS M1530 being underpowered compared to the 1520 is pretty outrageous, yes. I would expect at least identical power, if not more.

 

shi1 et i.. should be a GT.. if they go with GS nobody would call it gaming and doesn't even want a expensive machine that can't game.

 

I agree...8600M GS in a XPS gaming notebook is not good...

 

Welllllll, its probably thin enough to make Dell worried about cooling with the GT. They aren't as innovative as Apple, and they have enough problems with their notebooks without having to deal with complaints like: "ZOMG, your notebook just set my lap on fire!!!" and the ensuing lawsuits.

Hence the 8600GS.

 

Then it shouldn't be branded as an XPS . Maybe Inspiron 1530...or something...but personally I think XPS should be reserved for true gaming machines of their class; such as the XPS M1330 and the M1730.

 

It would be interesting to see dell actually releasing the m1530. It would compete with the MBP and other 15.4'' notebooks with the 8600gt/gs gpus. However it would be disappointing if the 8600gs is the only gpu option, but that's probably going to be the baseline gpu and buyers should able to choose upgrades like the 8700gt.

I am looking forward to finally see a 15.4'' xps laptop since the m1330 is too small and underpowered for gaming but the m1710 and m1730 lack portability. The m1530 should have the right balance between portability and performance.

 

Well, it doesn't meant to compete with laptops like 1520 or G1S, it competes with the likes of MBP or Vaio FZ. Even though it has 15.4 screen, its dimension and weight is more like 1420, not 1520. If you compare it with 1420, it is pretty good.I think people need to stop thinking laptop size in term of their screen size. For example, even though both G1S and MBP has 15.4 inch screen, they aren't really at the same size...

That being said, this thing better be not overpriced - there is no way I am getting Dell over MBP, unless it is considerably cheaper than MBP.

 

That 1530 looks nice. It could use a more powerful GPU, but considering how thin and light it is, that 8600M-GS looks pretty powerful to me.

Vista SP1: No surprises here, but hopefully there will be some useful fixes and improvements to Vista.

MacBook Pro display problems: For some reason, I'm not surprised. Not trying to diss macs here, but every product has their issues, I guess.

 

Nope, the base GPU is going to be an 8400GS, with the 8600GS being the optional high end one. The M1530 might actually be available with integrated graphics as well.

 

It looks surprisingly like an HP dv6500t notebook with the touchpad moved slightly to the left, and some other detail changes.

Hmmm....related perhaps?

 

Speaking of which...I actually don't like the touchpad being moved to the left...it looks so much better centered.

 

No one said this was a gaming notebook, and XPS is not a gaming line. I mean sure, the M1730 is a gaming machine, but the other XPS notebooks, M1330 and M2010, are not particularly geared towards gamers. XPS is Dell's premium line in general. Anything more expensive than an Inspiron they put in there. What the M1530 would offer, if true, is a 15" notebook that's much thinner and lighter than Inspiron 1520, with LED-backlighting, fingerprint reader, HDMI, slot-loading drive, and some style. I think that's a notebook worth offering.

 

Its more ergonomic to have it shifted to the right, but honestly, it makes little to no difference.

And I agree completely with swarmer. XPS is their high end line, with better build quality than the Inspirons and a more innovative design.

 

I thought the XPS line originated for gamers?

Have I missed something?

Even if it's just their high-end line, and not specifically intended for gaming, I would still expect high-end components on the inside. Not something with less power than a lower end model.

C'mon, that's like a BMW M3 with less power than a 335i.

 

i definately see the xps line as a high end line rather than a gamers line.

this is finally something that can compete with a MBP. and if 4 pounds is true, that is awesome. the gamers market in notebooks is a pretty niche market too.

 

Dell has a major identity crisis. That new 1530 XPS laptop looks like it wants to be a Qosmio and a Macbook at the same time. What is it with all the XPS laptops looking so radically different from each other and being a hodge-podge of components and appearance? Dell just can't seem to figure out if they're coming or going.

And I feel "technology withdrawal" when there's a problem with my system. Thankfully that doesn't happen too often.

 

Seems to me the specs are pretty much the same as well?

 

It may have originated for gamers, but it's evolved a bit, and some of the current models (M1330 and M2010) aren't really geared toward gamers.

If it has a graphics card that's less powerful than the one in the 1520, I assume it's due to engineering challenges in getting a powerful card into a thin and light package. (A lot of people criticize the 1520 for being thick, after all.) I know Apple manages to do it (though at the expense of the case getting pretty hot)... and Lenovo with the T61p... I imagine Dell will probably figure it out at some point.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it would certainly be better if Dell offered a more powerful video card. I just think they probably have some technical reasons for not offering it yet, and even if they can't, it still looks like a really nice machine for other uses.

 

watch, dell will probably throw some mad card in there and rock. still weighing four pounds

 

It seems Dell doesn't really know yet what it wants the XPS line to be. They have created 2 models that are sleek and powerful machines designed to take on the fashionable VAIOs and MackBooks, while still offering the hard core gamers their M1730 3D monster (an ugly one). Dell's approach to notebook design makes me think of the North American Automaker's approach to design

 

If this is true, I would start consider buying a Dell.
(The M1330 is nice too but is too small)

 

Uhhhh, my friend...The M1330 and the M1530 look very similar. They share the same styling, build, etc, just stretched to different sizes. Not unlike the dv5200 and dv6500, in concept.

 

Actually the XPS M1330 is a light gaming system. That's why the 8400M GS is there. The M2010 is not really a laptop, being more a multimedia oriented machine. The XPS line should be the best DELL can do, not a cut down version of their Inspiron brothers. Why the hell would the fit a slower GPU on a more expensive laptop? It's just stupid. Who in their sane state of mind would like that? At least there should be an option to chose at least a 8600M GT or 8700M GT.

 

so M1330 and 1530 both have HDMI but M1730 old DVI ?
weird

 

Not that important but does anyone know why certain Dell systems appear to follow a naming convention derived from their size yet others don't quite manage it? It looks as though the M1330 and M2010 are so called because their screen sizes are 13.3" and 20.1" respectively, so why not call a potential XPS 15.4" the XPS M1540? The 17" models are also a bit inconsistent ie 1710/1730.

There are plenty of rumours about Apple updating the form factor of their entire notebook line over the next few months once Leopard arrives, probably @MWSF in mid-Jan at the latest so the XPS M1330/M1530 may have refreshed competition from Apple very soon.

 

Let's just hope so. A little price cut and improvements for the MacBook line will not hurt (I'd just like a dedicated video card, P965 and 1 KG less).

 

Looking at the design, it looks like the M1530 is closer in style to the M1330 than that grotesque travesty the M1730.

+1 for Dell.

 

Actually, the m1330 is meant to be a high end ultraportable system.
And from my perspective, it lived up to its purpose. For a 13.3" Notebook, it certainly presents high performance under such a small framing, albeit dwarfed performance in comparison to an Inspiron 1520.

 

Right. And likewise while only offering a 8600GS on the XPS M1530 is disappointing, its a far cry from the XPS 140, which only had the GMA950.

 

Engadget will be way off with the 4lbs and GS.

 

It looks like the M1530 gets the same bump in the keyboard as the M1330. I can see a slight rise in the center. They could have used a much better keyboard. Also, the chasis should have been a darker color. Otherwise, looks like a nice laptop!

 

My leading contenders have been the Asus V1S and Sager/Compal NP2090, leaning towards the Sager due to all the reported problems with the Asus. This Dell 1530 looks like a serious consideration. I've been bypassing Dells for years since they always have clustered the ins/del/pgup/pgdn/home/end in tiny keys at the upper right of the keyboard. I'm glad to see the column that makes touch typing those keys at least possible!

My thoughts, realizing 1530 specs may change....

• 5+lbs (with battery) would be great
• I hope they offer it without BD drive. Too much money with an uncertain future.
• I hate the white keyboard. Hopefully there will be an equivalent Vostro in black.
• I'm sure they will try to push this for release before Xmas.
• I'm not a gamer, so almost any graphics card is ok as long as it's discrete.
• Why are the audio jacks in the front!! And right under the touchpad where plugs will get pressure from the palm!

 

I actually liked the front jacks on my M1210. They are really nice for when you're travelling and just need to plug in a set of headphones. There's less cord draping, and it's all right in front of you instead of spread around the computer.

 

That would work for headphones (except for the vulnerability by the trackpad), but I am more likely to have speakers plugged in at my desks (home and work). In my case I do have route the cord around the long way.

 

November 7th... not even a hint of the M1530.. Did Engadget get this one wrong?

 

Probably. But, remember we thought that the M1730 would be released around late August?