Our Experience We took this beauty on a two week vacation. Not only was it subjected to airport screening, squeezed into carry-on, totally different voltage systems and various other travel woes, it also had to stand up to being lugged from city to city halfway across the world.
How did it Fare? The latest generation laptop from Dell, it is incredibly light and fit easily into our carry-on luggage. It was also easy to remove for those ever present security screenings. While on the plane it worked well at entertaining us with downloaded videos and games, and because we were using the 9 hour power saving battery it lasted the entire flight. It did, however, take a long time to load the operating system. Once we arrived at our destination the laptop fared well except one day when the battery (operating with a converter) was plugged in but did not charge. We finally had to drain the battery and hard boot to revive. It was the only real snag. Mostly, we enjoyed whipping it out to make use of free wi-fi, apps and news. We also liked being able to quickly check train schedules and departure times on the device. The mouse-pad was sometimes sticky as is the swipe screen which seems to be an issue with Windows 8. The only other thing we didn’t like is the paucity of USB portals (only 2). To get a secure connection (especially important for business email) you have to use an external Ethernet USB adapter which is not included with the device.
Bottom Line It is a user friendly device that is easy to travel with and enjoy.
Coolest feature? The super long battery life is essential for the business traveller on the go!
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
