Dell B130 Inspiron Laptop

Introduction
The Inspiron B130 represents Dell's latest entry into the budget laptop market. This laptop is designed to fit the needs of most users who plan to use this laptop for everyday tasks. With capabilities to run productivity software, connect wirelessly to the Internet, burn CDs, read DVDs and provide portability when you are on the go - the B130 is a solid choice for a new laptop computer.

Look & Feel
True to its intended use, the Inspiron B130 has a basic fit and finish that will not stand out in a crowd. The black / silver casing and square, block-shaped design gives this laptop a "no-frills" appearance.

Build quality on the B130 is a plus point, with sturdy screen hinges on both the left and right sides of the notebook. There is no flexing or bending in the hinges when opening the screen. The outer casing is made of a textured plastic that does a good job resisting scratches and does not easily smudge or pick up fingerprints.

Top view of the B130	Front view of the B130	B130 connection options

Typical to almost all laptops, a latch on the lid of the screen is used to close and open the display. The keyboard is a full-sized, standard 87 key that is also typical to nearly all laptops on the market today. Tactile feel of the keys is average, with only minor adjustment needed to become accustomed to the lesser resistance of the keypad as compared to a regular desktop keyboard.

The 6.7 lb. weight (with 4-cell battery) is evenly distributed and the laptop is easy to carry. The B130 certainly does not fit into the ultra-portable laptop category, but at this price point you cannot expect to find a capably equipped notebook weighing less than 6 lbs.

Out of the Box Setup
The out of the box experience was very good, with the laptop and all of the accessories packaged securely. Also included is a large foldout poster detailing step-by-step instructions on how to set up the laptop for the first time. This is very helpful for first-time laptop owners and serves as a handy reference for getting the laptop up and running.

After the initial setup, which took about 10 minutes, a set of irksome pop-ups began appearing with information and warnings about using security software. These pop-ups, along with the other trial software packages that were pre-installed, can continue to cause headaches in the future if you don t take the time to uninstall the software. It is quite annoying to need to take the time to uninstall all of this software - it took close to an hour to completely remove all of the unwanted programs.

Features
The B130, as configured, features the following:
- Intel Pentium M Processor 745 (1.80GHz, 2MB Cache, 400MHz FSB)
- Windows XP Home Edition
- 14.1in WXGA Display (1280 x 800 native resolution)
- 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 RAM (2 x 512MB)
- Integrated Intel Media Accelerator 900 Graphics
- 40GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
- Integrated Ethernet 10/100 Network Card and Internal 56K Modem
- 24X CD-RW/DVD Optical Drive
- Intel Pro 2915 Internal Wireless (802.11 a/b/g, 54Mbps)
- 4-cell Lithium Ion Battery