Dell Inspiron 710m

Sometimes, small things can pack a big punch. The Dell Inspiron 710m measures a compact 11.7 x 8.5 x 1.5 inches, but it offers snappy performance behind its 2-GHz Pentium M 755 processor, which is complemented by 512MB of memory and a 5,400-rpm 80GB hard drive. As a result, the 710m is recommended for those always on the go who refuse to sacrifice power in the quest for a thin-and-light notebook.

The 710m’s 12.1-inch screen is a widescreen model with a glossy finish that makes colors more vivid. We found this notebook to be the perfect mobile DVD player. The integrated stereo speakers sound tinny, but they’re surprisingly loud for such a small notebook. The optical drive installed in the 710m is a DVD burner, so you can create your own movies, as well.

A four-pin FireWire port located on the front panel gives you an easy way to connect your digital camcorder to the notebook and an S-Video output routes video signals to an external television.

When you need to get some work done on the 710m, you’ll be disappointed to find that the keyboard is a little cramped. To support the widescreen display, the base measures a good 11.7 inches wide, but Dell inexplicably left a gap of 0.75 inches between the edges of the keyboard and each side of the base. The 710m is more than an inch narrower, at 10.6 inches wide, than the Panasonic Toughbook W4 we also reviewed this month, but the W4 actually has a more spacious keyboard.

Another drawback to the input system is the touchpad, which doesn’t match the wide aspect ratio of the screen. On the upside, the pad’s surface is smooth and responsive and the buttons are well-positioned.

With the eight-cell (65-watt hour) Li-ion battery installed in our test system, the 710m ran the MobileMark 2005 benchmark for over five hours. Its runtime dropped only ten minutes when the integrated 802.11b/g radio was turned on. The system’s productivity score of 236 makes this one of the fastest 12-inch notebooks around.

We verified the 710m’s performance in our real-world testing of Excel, Photoshop, and Windows Media Encoder. We watched as the system cruised through each task without breaking a sweat. Just don’t expect to play any 3D games on this notebook.

In terms of wireless performance, the 710m delivered excellent range. The 12.6 Mbps of throughput is above average for its system class, which means that you shouldn’t have any problems getting a connection at hotspots or maintaining a connection on your home or office network.

Preinstalled software includes Dell Jukebox, Dell Media Experience, and a copy of WordPerfect. We consider that software package a bonus since the Inspiron 710m offers excellent performance and features. Add in three years of on-site service with 24/7 toll-free tech support and you have a solid and affordable thin-and-light notebook.