mouldy.org

Development on the notebook: I've done a bit of everything on it. Background Check Antivirus was written on it using VS2005, though the bulk of my text editing is done in Vim. My default font (Dina 8pt) is OK , but some programs leave me squinting a bit. The extra resolution is nice for CAD/electronics work. More resolution is always better for that stuff, but it's hampered by the lack of DVI (again).

In general, I find that there's enough screen space to be comfortable - as comfortable as you can be on a 'standard' resolution screen, anyway. I'm really hanging out for a Dell/Apple 30" monitor. The Belkin Expresscard Dock is due out any minute now and promises decent-performance DVI, but I suspect it's not of the dual-link variety. So I still don't get my nice monitor.

After using this notebook for a few more months, I'd say that the screen is right on the edge of being too small. The majority of the time it's fine, but I'm young and have good eyesight. Most people have to lean in very close when I point at things.

I've also found that the laptop can overheat if you try; I managed to get texture corruption a few days ago playing Battlefield 2. i8kfangui reported CPU and GPU temperatures of around 90 degrees Celcius. This probably isn't the laptop to buy if you want an ultraportable gaming machine.

I do find that it's better than my previous Inspiron 4100 for watching stuff in bed; the screen is smaller, but the speakers are better and it's doesn't get alarmingly hot on the bottom. The I4100 used the bottom surface as a heatsink, and sticking that on bedsheets made me uncomfortable - it'd ruin the machine's heat dissipation and make everything (including the bed) dangerously hot. The M1210 has no particular issues.