[KLUG Hardware] Toshiba 1135-S155 Was "HP ze4220"

[Bruce Smith]

> > >>My newest Dell came in yesterday, and it may be going back too.
> > >>For different reasons than the previous one . . .
> > > Grrr, Dell....
> > This one is actually pretty nice for a Dell.  It's their new D800
> > Latitude Centrino model.  It seems very sturdy and well built, compared
> > to the C640 I returned last week.
> 
> It looked that way,  previously Dells have always seemed kind of flimsy.

Yes, the C640 had a very flimsy screen.  I was afraid I'd break it just
when closing it.  The D800 is a completely different design, and seems
very sturdy, and still doesn't weigh much.

> > I only have two complaints about it.  First the builtin NIC isn't
> > supported (yet).  It's a 1000/100/10 NIC, and older/similar models 
> > are supported, so Linux support should be coming shortly.  The builtin
> > wireless (ala Centrino) doesn't work, but I knew that going in.
> 
> Is there a project to support the builtin wireless? Seems like it will
> be pretty common soon.

I read an article that said that Intel had it working in their labs on
Linux, but they wouldn't commit to a release date for the code.

> > My 2nd complaint is the screen.  It's 15.3", supported nVidia chipset,
> > and very sharp and clear.  So, what's the problem?  It's a "WXGA"
> > display.  I had no idea what that meant when I ordered it.  Well, it
> > turns out the "W" means wide, as in wide-aspect.  It's the shape of a
> > HDTV screen.  Vertically it's shorter than a normal 14" laptop display,
> > and VERY wide.  The resolution it runs is 1280x800.  (requires a special
> > modeline in XF86Config - which took me a half day to figure out)
> > It's probably great for watching DVD's, but I'm not sure I like the
> > shape for normal computing . . .
> 
> Web sites, etc... all assume a vertical aspect so it seems like it would
> be a bit irritating.

Yes, it does take some getting used to.  It also makes the overall
dimensions much larger than a normal 15" laptop, as I found out the
first time I tried to put it in my case.

> > I'll probably bring it tonight if anyone is interested in seeing the
> > next generation of laptop displays.
> 
> Hmmm, not certain I like the direction.  I'd prefer a "page view" screen 
> that is quite a bit taller than it is wide.

I wonder if that is the way of the future, or just a fad.  
Time will tell ...

--------------------------------------------
Bruce Smith                bruce@armintl.com
System Administrator / Network Administrator
Armstrong International, Inc.
Three Rivers, Michigan  49093  USA
http://www.armstrong-intl.com/
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