Kudos to Dell for its Inspiron 13

We hope that Dell has started a trend with its relatively new Inspiron 13 configurations that we hope carries through when new Windows 7 – equipped machines begin to arrive this fall. What caught us about the Inspiron 13 is its built-in “firewire” connection, a notable and disappointing omission (at least for coaches) on far too many of Dell’s moderately priced Windows Vista based laptops and notebooks in recent years .

With a 13 inch screen, for those who value mobility and weight over screen size, the Inspiron model has much to offer, including a fast Intel Core 2 Duo 8300 Processor, 4 GB Ram, a 320 GB Hard Drive and a “slot-load” DVD burner, and firewire (1394) for a price of $699.  Its been quite some time since we’ve seen a firewire-equipped laptop from Dell at this low a of a price point. 

Both Inspiron 13 configurations on Dell’s web site at the date of this post included Vista Home Basic - a bit puzzling for such a well - endowed laptop. We expect to see the Inspiron 13 equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium later this fall, and until then, it might be worth paying an extra $30 for Windows Vista Home Premium.  We also hope to see Dell roll out more of these types of configurations with 14 and 15 inch screens, since Microsoft has made it clear that firewire is its preferred method of connecting video camcorders to Windows based computers.