Dell Vostro V130 user reviews

Pros Thin, looks good, keyboard is a good size, available built in 3G.

Cons Battery life is dismal. Nothing like having a laptop more portable than most but one you won't take with you because you'll get maybe 3 hours out of it. Its sluggish too.

Summary I bought one for a mobility test at work. Ended up Installing an SSD drive to make it more responsive...didn't really help the battery life issue. But I issued it to someone that it's a decent solution for...plug in all day, use Office, take home and plug in, etc. Not a laptop that will work for a wide variety of users.

Pros With the Ubuntu operating system, fast, stable and infinitely available (goodbye hourglass!), the Dell Vostro is a pleasure to use. Lightweight, extremely quiet and cool, the Vostro 130 is the ultimate mobile notebook - and desktop too.

Cons Battery is good for only 2.5 hours, or so. As a combination mobile and desktop PC, the Vostro 130 should be placed on a Sparco Notebook Stand (52776) for optimal heat dissipation and preservation of the battery. With an external monitor, a desktop!

Summary Desperate to divorce my slow, loud and time consuming Windows Vista beast, I was eagerly awaiting the next generation of 10" Android tablets. Then I saw the Dell Vostro 130, available with Ubuntu and decided to make the change NOW.

For a guy who bought his first computer shortly after two guys named Steve named their company after a fruit that falls from a tree, and later paid over $5,500 for one of the first IBM PC's and an HP Laserjet printer, the $429 Dell Vostro with Ubuntu is amazing!

The Dell Vostro with its Linux-based Ubuntu OS has dramatically raised my productivity. No more do I waste precious time waiting for my computer to boot up, update, or shut down. The platform is fast, available and really easy to use.

This sleek and quiet netbook/laptop crossover fits the bill perfectly for my business needs. Opening legacy Word and Excel docs is easily and elegantly accomplished by the Ubuntu/OpenOffice suite. The user interface is refreshingly designed with real users in mind, and the integrated Ubuntu Software Center has everything else you need for download - for FREE. And the operating system will upgrade to a new version every 6 months - automatically and at no cost to you.

Printing and scanning is a breeze because Ubuntu comes with all of the necessary drivers for most printers. Wi-Fi networking is so slick that it puts Windows to shame.

Quality of the Vostro 130 build is impressive with its aluminum case. The keyboard is well laid out and has very nice touch, as well as the trackpad.

I highly recommend this machine in either flavor, Ubuntu or Windows. You won't be sorry. Enjoy.

Pros The physical design of the system is wonderful. On of the "best built" Dell Laptops ever.

Cons The performance is so slow it is barely usable. Battery life should be better for the form factor

Summary I am not sure if this jab is more at Dell or should be placed with Intel. The ULV processor in the V130 is barely capable of running Windows 7 Enterprise while trying to manage Wi-Fi or a 3G connection. Please note - I am just trying to run the office suite and some Acrobat programs - no gaming or anything like that. Just simple business applications. I also liked to listen to media player while working. The player constantly stops and waits on the processor/system to keep playing. It is unusable.

The system itself is a joy to use and carry. It feels very rugged and is a comfortable weight. Improvements for Dell - PLEASE put a full volt processor in this thing. Also, please add the option for a backlit keyboard like most of the other models. I had my system for only a month before I returned it - I simply could not do my job with it. It was a shame. I really liked the usability and design of the system.

Pros Large screen.

Cons Primarily the poor repair service. Cant locate the laptop, then when it is located they cant communicate. Repair things that dont need to be repaired and dont repair the problem!!

Summary Nothing but problems since I bought this thing. The support department is clueless. They had me send it back to be repaired. The unit would not recognize my Sprint wifi device. They replaced the mother board!! Sent it back and of course the problem continued. They then told me I would need to remove Win7 and reload all of my files. Major headache. Instead, I called my local tech guy who fixed the problem in 15 minutes. this was going on for 5 months. Dell service has become cumbersome and unreliable. Some are knowledgeable and helpful and some are not. They cant locate your equipment because their repair shops are all over the country and apparently cannot communicate. The laptop is very slow as well and Im told that is because they load software onto the computer so that they can remotely access it. Well, considering the level of help I received that wont be a problem. It was terribly inconvenient to be without my laptop for 2 full weeks as I need it for my work. Then to have nothing improved was a big eye opener for me. This is the last Dell I will ever purchase.