Matthew, I didn't get the standard charger for comparison, but I don't think the enhanced charger (stand is 65 watts and enhanced is 90 I think) looks the same to me.
The one for the docking station is even more, at 130 watts (I guess so it can power a bunch of USB devices plugged into the dock as well as handle the laptop). It may look slightly bigger, but you'd have to compare side-by-side I think to really notice it. I don't like the missing applikcations key, or the four connection audio 3.5mm plug (just because its yet one more new standard that things aren't available for yet), but everything else really has been better than I had hoped. Chip -----Original Message----- From: Matthew Chao [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 4:58 PM To: Chip Orange; [email protected] Subject: RE: ot: a nice laptop Yes, you can get about 8 hours or so out of the big battery. Would recommend it. Got the standard charger with the laptop, I think. Do the chargers look any different? Will send along the biz support phone number to you. Via your customer number, Dell can tell whether it's a business or consumer. I'd say that I was a computer consultant to get the biz account.--Matthew Chao At 04:10 PM 1/21/2013, Chip Orange wrote: >Thanks Matthew; do you call a different number for business support at Dell? >I haven't needed any yet, but how could you get better support unless >at some point you get it some different way? > >Oh btw, I gave the battery life incorrectly; I see 5 hours left at its >at 56%, so I'm guessing more like 10 hours total life, especially after >speaking with Alan Paginelli who has a similar laptop and is getting 10 >hours. > >Chip > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Matthew Chao [mailto:[email protected]] >Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 4:04 PM >To: Chip Orange; [email protected] >Subject: Re: ot: a nice laptop > >Hi, Chip. Bought the same laptop, slightly differently configured, >with >Win7 64-bit. So, far, like the laptop a lot. Besides, you get better >support with business-oriented laptops. Don't buy consumer-grade; >you'll get lousy support and wait forever when you have a tech support >call.--Matthew Chao > >At 02:06 PM 1/21/2013, Chip Orange wrote: > >Hi all, > > > >I bought myself a new laptop a few weeks back, and while I know no > >one ever says "don't buy what I just bought . it's terrible!", I > >thought to share what I found in case anyone was looking for the same type of item. > > > >I wanted a powerful fast laptop with a large comfortable keyboard, > >and if possible, a numeric keypad built-in. I didn't want to spend a > >lot of money on a touch-screen or a high-resolution tablet that I > >couldn't use; and I didn't want it to be too heavy to easily carry around. > > > >I inlisted the help of some sighted relatives, and finally decided on > >a Dell E6530 (the primary reason was that their laptops were very > >configurable when you ordered one; you had an enormous number of options). > > > >To get one which had more emphasis on capabilities, and less emphasis > >on touch screens and gaming features I had to order from the Dell > >Small Business collection. This is important to know if you want the > >same type of notebook/laptop; small business usually means less > >trendy graphics options. > > > >I got a 15 inch screen, but with a large comfortable keyboard which > >has a numeric keypad, and a full set of modifier keys on both sides > >of the spacebar (the one key which is missing is the "applications > >key", usually found to the right of the space bar, it can be used to > >bring up a context menu, the same as shift-F10). > > > >It has a full set of function keys (which are configured as function > >keys and not preset to execute various programs), a set of "six pack" > >and arrow keys, and buttons for mute and volume controls. > > > >I chose the 32-bit form of Windows 7 (you had your choice of Win 7 or > >8, and 32 or 64 bit; my reading tells me the extra memory usable by > >the > >64 bit version of windows is rarely a big enhancement, while the > >troubles and incompatibilities of the 64-bit requirements can be > >quite aggravating; in any case, you can have it your way whatever you want). > > > >I chose an I7 dual-core processor (next to their best; their best > >being a quad-core, but which automatically upgraded the graphics card > >and the resolution of the monitor, throwing a lot of money into the > >graphics options). The performance numbers for the process and > >memory are all around 7.2 and 7.6. I chose a hybrid hard drive (a > >standard hard drive which has a very very large memory cache to > >enhance speed and reduce power consumption by allowing the drive to > >spin down). You also have choices for just a traditional hard drive > >of different sizes or a SD hard drive (which is small, but which is memory only). > > > >It has a bay for removable devices where I keep the CD/DVD RW device > >mostly, but if you buy other devices you can pop out the optical > >device and put in something else (another battery, I'm not sure what > >all they sell for the bay). > > > >It weighs around 5 pounds, and I got the 9-cell extended battery, > >which gives me around 5 hours (or sometimes more) of operating time. > >You need to buy a larger capacity charger when you buy the extended > >battery, because it has a feature where it can charge the battery to > >80% capacity in less than an hour. > > > > It's physically somewhat wider than my > > last 15 inch laptop due to the full-size keyboard. > >It's very cool when sitting on your lap. > > > >You can get a cell modem as an option, an SD card reader, a wireless > >link for the video to a monitor somewhere in the room, and of course > >various levels of WiFi and bluetooth. It also has several USB 2.0 > >and > >3.0 connectors. > > > >An unusual option I purchased is a docking station; it allows you to > >keep the power and any external video and USB and Ethernet devices > >plugged into the doc, and you can just lower your laptop into the > >dock and it can start using all of these without you having to fiddle > >with the connections (and the dock will accommodate the extended battery). > >The dock also comes with the larger capacity charger mentioned above. > > > >One unusual feature is the audio connector for a headset. It's a new > >standard in that it accepts a four connection 3.5 mm plug for a > >stereo headset with mike, but will also except a standard 3.5 mm > >stereo earphone connection (no mike). When I went looking on the > >internet, I had trouble finding a stereo headset with mike which had > >one of these new four connection 3.5mm plugs. > > There is no separate 3.5mm mike input, but you can buy an adapter > >from places like Radio Shack which gives you the separate mike and > >headphone jacks. I see a 2.5mm jack as well, which I think is for a > >cell type of headset connection, and another which I think is a mike > >input. > > > >The internal speakers are extremely good (and quite loud) as compared > >to my last laptop. > > > >There's also a mini-pci card slot, and an e-sata connector (for > >external disk drives I think). If you need to share with a sighted > >user they also offer this in a variety of screen sizes and > >resolutions, and a separate graphics card for anyone who wants > >"gaming level graphics". > > > >The price is so dependent on your choices for all of the options that > >it makes little sense to place any value on the number I finally paid > >(somewhere around $1400 I think); it's not going to be the cheapest > >notebook, but it can be configured to be anything you want, and it > >certainly is easy and comfortable to use. With that price I > >obviously chose every expensive option. > > > >Oh, BTW, Dell made a point of saying they gave you an option of > >having no extra software installed from third-parties by them (which > >I chose), and indeed, it came with no "shovelware" at all! Not one > >thing! > > > >Finally, I purchased a backpack carrying case from them instead of > >the traditional shoulder bag; I'm very impressed with the backpack, > >which has a lot of places for books and water-bottles and cell > >phones, not just the laptop (and is black with orange trim). > > > >Hth, > > > >Chip > > >If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original >sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your >message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your >message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. > >GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can >manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. >If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original >sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your >message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your >message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. > >GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can >manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv.
