Like Christmas morning...

Friday was a banner day here in Big Lug Land… much like Christmas morning, the FedEx man came in his big white sleigh and brought the new laptop. An Inspiron 1545, it may not seem like much to you, but for me it represents a big step up from the Frankenstein machine I’d kept alive probably 2 years longer than was humane.

Expect more posting now that it’s a) easy to do on the go and b) less likely (so far, keep your fingers crossed) to crash mid-composition!

There's an obligation with a new "toy" like this to make it work FOR me instead of just playing. There'll be a lot more writing, mark my words (pun intended).

A big purchase

Well, I did it I bought a new computer. A laptop.

After years of kvetching and pining and being wistful for one while putting up with what I have -- a jerry-rigged Frankenstein machine only still puttering through the graces of the all wise and powerful Naladahc working magic a few months ago.

I'm excited. It'll offer a lot of mobility (though I don't plan to take it on the road anytime soon). It's got a bottomless memory and 4GB of RAM, so it'll be a long time before I get too stressed out about it running slowly. I thought about buying one in red and calling it "The Flash," but I don't have THAT much faith in it...

I promise to take good care and not clutter it up and I can't wait until it arrives... in one to two weeks evidently, according to Dell and Costco. Good price, too. Was cheaper as a Costco online deal than it was through Dell's Outlet website. Regardless of how you feel about big box stores, sometimes you just have to shop with them.

Dell 1545 T4200 2.0 GHz

8x DVD±RW Dual Layer
7-in-1 Media Card Reader
Wireless 1397 802.11g Half-Mini Card

Warranty & Returns:

• Dell 1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty (with 2 year extension)
  

Operating System:

• Microsoft® Windows® Vista Home Premium 32-bit (w/ Windows 7 Upgrade included)
  

Processor & Memory:

• Intel® Dual-Core Processor T4200 at 2.0GHz
• 1MB L2 cache
• 800MHz Front Side Bus
• 4GB DDR2 SDRAM - 800MHz, 2 Dimm
  (Shared)

Drives:

• 500GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 8X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive

Graphics & Video:

• 15.6" Wide XGA Widescreen Display (1366x768)
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD (Shared)

Communications:

• Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini Card
• Integrated 10/100 LAN

Audio:

• Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0

I/O Ports & Slots:

• 3 - USB 2.0
• 7-in-1 Media Card Reader
• 15-pin VGA Connector
• RJ-45 (LAN)
• AC Adapter Connector
• Mic In
• Line Out
• 34mm ExpressCard Slot
• 1 Half Mini-Card

Productivity Software:

• Microsoft® Works 9.0

Additional Software:

• McAfee SecurityCenter 30 day trial
• Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
• Roxio Creator Basic

Power Supply:

• 4-cell Battery

Additional Information:

• Dimensions: W 14.7" x D 9.6" x H 1.02" front - 1.48" back
• Weight (Approximately): 5.8 lbs