The Dell Inspiron R series are probably the most excited Dell systems that have ever gotten me excited since the Studio XPS and the Alienware M11x. Starting off at your options, the Dell Inspiron R series is very back-to-school (and even more than that). All 3 units – the 14R, 15R and 17R – come in much better build materials than used in the original Inspiron line (which in this case is metal), have Core i CPUs, and supports Intel’s Wireless Display tech, which allows you to basically extend your screen to a TV or monitor without any cables. and the starter model starts at $449. Nice.
While the bezel and lids are glossy, just as I thought they might be, the magnesium alloy chassis is built to last. And believe me, I’ve owned Dells that were built of magnesium alloy, and they didn’t take drops to lightly. They took it, and kept on working. In all of the laptops, there’s options for Core i3 or Core i5 CPUs, 1GB discrete ATI graphics, up to 640GB of hard drive space, up to 6GB of RAM (max 8GB), and optional HD resolution displays; all available in the nicely named colors Mars Black, Peacock Blue, Tomato Red and Lotus Pink. A review for one of these bad guys will hopefully be scheduled sometimes this month.
Source: Dell
