**Official Dell Inspiron 8500 NoteBook Discussion Thread

[Trevor Schell]

Yah never noticed my Blue light....

Yes,,The fourth light..meaning Blue tooth.
What did you get??:E

Screen burn,,run 3D Mark and see if you can see you icons on the side during the flying dragon scene..this really shows on mine.

I have mine on full brightness,,could that be the problem?




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Trev:

Here is the thread on screen burn.

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_video&message.id=76469&view=by_date_ascending&page=1

[Bing Fung]

I didn't get anything Trev, I just enabled it, however it amasing what can be used with it if you have the devices...

BT Serial Port
BT Network
BT Dial-Up network
BT PIM item transfer
BT Fax
BT file transfer
BT Headset
BT Printer
BT Mouse
:blah: :blah: :blah:

Mostly I want a BT compact 4 button mouse with scroll wheel, and BT Headphones.

Jeff, I'm sure the LED's couldbe replaced and I've already thought about changing the Green HD one to red.. WTF's with the same color as the power on??

Trev, no burn here for me. I tried it at that point you mentioned and didn't see anything. I then played around in various desktop settings, still nothing. My screen is at max brightness, so I don't think that is your problem. Time to use the On-site Service.. Give those guys a call and tell them to come over and make you happy.

Here is a tidbit on the i8500. Did you know it has a built in micophone? It does as I discovered while I was trying to set up that Logitec headset with mic that I bought. I don't know where it is located and checking the manual it makes no mention of it, but it's there as it was recording my voice with out a microphone plugged in. 8)




Bing

[Trevor Schell]

Thanks Jeff,,I will check out the link.
I may have a DeLL rep here to look at my Notebook..
Make em work for there money ..right!!

Bing,,That is incredible,,
I Love BLUE TOOTH stuff.
I wonder if I can get that install now.??
Or is it just too late?

However ,,if this one has to go back,,I'll have it reconfigured.. 8O




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Trevor Schell]

DeLL is now offering a DVD burner..:E
$200 option over the CD burner.




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Bing Fung]

Trev, you could phone Dell and see if they will send you a bluetooth card. That's what I did and it worked out to be cheaper than the add-on price at the time of purchase. Just be sure to order the connecting cable at the same time, and don't let then tell you "It's wireless, you don't need a cord..."

Bummer about your LCD panel, I hope it gets sorted out for you.

I seen the DVD+RWs now being offered. I wanted one as well, however the more I think about it, the more I know I will probably buy an external USB 2.0 /Firewire one. That way I can use it on my desktop system, notebook, or for backing up anyones else's PC. I have always wanted an external burner just because I think they are the ultimate in cool utility tools.




Bing

[Trevor Schell]

Gee Bing!!
I thought your 8500 came installed with it.
BTW,,What is the cable for? Not sure,,
Also, Where does the card install to?
IS it PCI?




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Bing Fung]

Trev, the card slides in to a slot beside the hard drive. It is not a PCI card rather it is just a small card.

The cable is to connect the card to the mobo header.

The Techzone has a review of the i8500.




Bing

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Well my 8500 finally arrived today. Haven't had more than 20 minutes with it. Initial impressions...

That keyboard is CRAP!!!!!!!!! 10,000 times worse than I imagined it. It is an embarrassment that they ship those things like that. I have to apply Bing's fix ASAP. Absolute garbage.

Screen is nice but boy is everything small. Hopefully I get used to it.

[Bing Fung]

:rofl:

Small text Jeff??? But I thought you agreed to it after seeing the toshibas?




Bing

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

LOL Bing. Actually it is getting better now. I guess it was just the instant reaction. But holy crap is this screen sweet!!!! Wow!!!! 8O

I am hearing rumblings on the Dell forums that their might be an official fix for the keyboard very soon. Sure would be nice. But I don't know if I can wait for it!!!

[Andrew Pratt]

So how would you compare the screens on the 5100 to the 8500 jeff?

[Bing Fung]

Glad to hear your getting use to it Jeff... It is one sweet screen to be sure.

I just got back from the U of S Campus Computer store, I was looking at the 17" Ti- iBook, although it's one sweet machine, the LCD monitor on it is nowhere near the quality of the i8500 Dell. Total screen door uker: Stuff just looks so coarse and Lego like on those now. I use to think the Mac screens where the best, but nomore

I looked at a IBM Think pad that had a max resolution of 1400x1050 (SXGA) and it looked to have a nice fine pitch as well, not quite as fine as the Dell WUXGA, but it looked pretty good with only slight screen door.

I hope Dell's keyboard fix is something that is offered to all i8500 users. It is pathetic that they would have even remotley thought that was passable.

If the fix is soon you could wait, however if it was me I would do something about it untill the fix came out.. Wait a minute, that's exactly what I did




Bing

[Bing Fung]

Actually Jeff, I would sell my 21" Sony CRT soul, preaching ways for a 19-20" version of the 0.17 pitch Dell screen ops: (That took a lot out of me to say)

But they would have to take away the CRT entirely from me, other wise I would waffle :LOL:




Bing

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Bing and Trev...question...how warm does your 8500 run? I am sitting here running on the battery (at 1.2Ghz) and the fan is kicking into to its medium setting. The bottom chassis is quite warm. Is this normal? Our 5100 fan does not crank up unless its running a game - and it is always running full out at 2.4 Ghz.

Grrrr...better not be anything wrong with this thing. :evil:

[Bing Fung]

Jeff, the 8500 gets quite warm if you have it on your lap. Most times I have it sitting on a couch pillow (partway as to not obstruct air flow) when I'm on the couch.

As for the fan, it kicks in from time to time, however it doesn't run full time. Even during games I think it takes a break




Bing

[Bing Fung]

Heh, another flip....

So what's the deal, Jeff gets his i8500 and dissapears, no parlay, no what for? :huh:

Maybe he can't make out the small text on it, as such he doesn't know what he's typing? :wedgie:




Bing

[Trevor Schell]

HaHa! Bing!..

Congrats Jeff!!
I would fix the Keyboard ASAP..
You will really appreciate the Notebook alot more than what you do right now. I went through the same torture last week.
If DeLL comes out with a fix,,I will jump on it,,just remove the stuff I already put under my board and install what ever DeLL comes out with.
However, that's only if DeLL's fix is better than what Bing came up with..It just might not be..I love this keyboard.

The Screen is sweet.
Try out the SAGX and SUAGX , then revert back to the UGAUX and you will realize that the 1920x1200 is definately the Biz!!

My 8500 doesn't seem to get hot.
I usually use it on the kitchen table with a window open beside me, so that may play a role in me not experiencing any heat.
The top left doesn't get very warm, just a little bit. Where some guys have reported that it is so hot in that area that it is impossisble to rest their wrists there.
That heat is generated from the HardDrive which is located under in that corner..
I have the 60 gig Drive, No problems.




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

hahaha...sorry guys.

Actually, just finished reformatting, that is why I haven't posted much yet. A full review will be forthcoming.

Overall I really like it. The UXGA is beautiful. I quickly ran Morrowind...OMG does that game look good at 1600x1200. Simply gorgeous. I am pretty much used to the small text sizes. Boo to web sites that do not allow user adjustment though - I found a site with text so small I could not read it and it was hardcoded - couldn't bring it up with the Text option in IE.

I think the heat is ok, still a bit worried about it. In normal use, the unit seems to cycle somewhat - fan off, then up to its medium setting then down again - so on and so forth. That is even when I am just browsing the net, not taxing it at all. Also, not on my lap but on the table. I've got the 5400RPM 40Gb though, so that may be contributing as it gets warmer than the 4200RPM models.

Besides the keyboard, which sucks even more with every passing minute, I really like it.

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Oh, one thing...the touchpad. I must say right now I am not impressed with it. It is much more solid than the 5100's - when you tap the 8500 touchpad it sounds and feels like there is brick under it it.

BUT it doesn't perform as well as the 5100's. What is really bugging me is I can't get the Back/Forward button thing to work properly. I enabled this option, which shows white back/forward arrows at the top middle section of the pad. I assume these are 'tap zones' for Back/Forward in the browser? But they do not work for me. I have tapped everywhere and it doesn't work. Have I missed something? And what is with the Inertia settings? A helpfile would be nice.

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Good news guys. Sounds like some new 8500 keyboards are showing up and they are improved.

[Trevor Schell]

Jeff!!
Can you expand on the Keyboard news??
Is there a Recall?
What is the fix?

Thanks,!




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Trev:

No recall yet. Some people have been very persistent and apparently Dell is working on a solution. Some people received new keyboards and they are of a different design. They are not 100% fixed, but apparently they are much improved. Sounds like they are working on it and hopefully there will be an official replacement soon.

[Bing Fung]

Trev, the keyboard fix is said to have a firmer base with less holes in it. As well it has longer (deeper?) mounting tabs that make the keyboard sit tighter in the nacel. Recent feed back indicates, that while it does make it better, it still not a solid solution.



Larger Pictures

Thanks to Greg G on the Dell forums for posting this


I'm loving my fix to the board as it is quiet and solid. I have read somewhere that the keyboard was meant to disapate heat as well. Not sure how true this is, but the gasket fix would certainly stop that from happening. Jeff, if you have not applied the gasket fix as of yet, let me know how much heat you feel comming up through the keys... I haven't had any crashes or instabilities so I would say it's not a problem so far.

Maybe I could try cutting a sheet of aluminum that is the same size of the tray for support, just as i mentioned before I got the notebook or knew how it was mounted.

Jeff, generally I find the touch pad usable to good. the one thing i don't like about it is it tends to accidently select or drag much to often for me. I have disabled tap/drag/lock and decreased the senitivity, it helps somewhat. Most times I find I just plug in my USB Intellimouse Explorer. I really want/need a wireless mouse.

The back and forward zones work very well for me. Maybe you have the wrong type of body resistance/impedance to make one of these glide pads effective :rofl: Your skins characteristics is screwing with it

I partitoned my drive with Partition Magic 8, so now I have 2x20GB partitions, it feels a bit better to have that even though I didn't think I would need it for the notebook.




Bing

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Bing:

What do you have to do to enable to back/forward zones? I checked the box that said 'Use Back/Forward Buttons' and two white arrows popped up on the touchpad diagram. They were at the top middle part.

I assumed this meant that all I had to do was tap the upper left for back, upper right for forward. Is this true? Is there something else I need to do? Because it is DEFINITELY not working at all.

[Bing Fung]

HA, Ha..... :rofl:

There is your problem Jeff.... Your in the zone, but the action is all wrong. The Back and forward is activated by sliding your finger to the left or to the right in the top middle zone. Tapping won't do it.

Have fun :wedgie:




Bing

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

ROFL Bing...

I won't tell you how much time my friend and I spent trying to get it to work. It worked every once in awhile but I'll be damned if I could figure it out.

Bring back BINGTECH!!! We need you!!!

[Bing Fung]

Hey Jeff, one of these days I may bring it back, but for now I think she's dead in the water.




Bing

[Trevor Schell]

Looking at the new keyboard scares me..
I think I will just keep my sheet of whatever it was I put under the board and leave it as it is.
Just because it works just fine and I am not having any problems..

Don't fix what's not broken after its been fixed when it was broken!!
Right??!!!




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Bing Fung]

Ha, ha... ! Funny play on the words Trev :rofl:

I suspect the fix isn't nearly as solid a fix as the gasket fix... Still, if they offer, I would take one as a spare :smackbutt:




Bing

[Andrew Pratt]

Bing this has you written all over it!

http://www.dell.com/us/en/gen/topics/segtopic_italianjob.htm

[Bing Fung]

Ha, Ha, Andrew :LOL:

WTF, howcome they didn't offer a Titanium i8500?? I would have been on that like ugly is to the Pontiac Aztec :twisted:

Looking forward to the that show!




Bing

[Andrew Pratt]

looks like Dell's coming out with a 9100 as well with the newest NVidia video card 8O

[Bing Fung]

I have read about the rumored 9100... I hope a person can buy the Radeon 9600 or Nvidia N30 graphics card for the 8500.




Bing

[Andrew Pratt]

And the 5100

[Trevor Schell]

Here is what the screen burn looks like.
I pulled this from the DeLL Forum thread that Jeff had posted.

Mine is identical.

DeLL i9100??
Where is this?




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Bing Fung]

As far as i know it the 9100 is only rumored.... Though I could be wrong.

As long as Dell offers the 51oo and 8500 with faster graphics cards, the glimmer of upgrading is alive




Bing

[Bing Fung]

Cool Trev h: Actually, that totally bites... Have you phoned you next day service guy yet to have a look at it? I would call just to test the service.




Bing

[Andrew Pratt]

I believe the i9100 technically is still a rumour but with some weight since apparently many of the downloads for drivers/documentation etc make reference to that model.

[Bing Fung]

Yeah, if it comes with the rumored 17" widescreen, that is going to be one "Huge Bitch". I find the i8500 is near the end of what we call a portable laptop, however a 17" widescreen would make it a fixtured desktop :LOL: Even those 17" Power Books are too big, albeit they are thin, still it's just getting out there. I fine that Apple comercial with Mni-Me and the 17" funny as hell. :rofl:




Bing

[Trevor Schell]

I got a kick out those Mini Me commercial's too!!
Too Funny!! :rofl:


I hate screen burn.
So I will be calling the Next day service people over..
I should have gotten the complete Care package.
I could then drop it down the stairs or something and get a brand new one.

The 17" screen design would be absolutely killer!!
I would love that for sure!!

How's Jeff enjoying his i8500??




Trevor
My HomeTheater S.E.
Sonically Enhanced
C5

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

Trev, I LOVE my 8500. The screen is wonderful. Just finished working on an essay today. SO nice to have two pages side by side in Word. Aside from the keyboard, no complaints at all. and I will be fixing the keyboard this weekend.

[Bing Fung]

Jeff, here is a funny thought I will share with you.... I have never met you personally so I don't know what you look like. However I have been getting so use to the Dell DUde in your Avatar that if and when I do get the pleasure of meeting you in person, I will be totally dissapointed if you did not look like the picture in your Avatar :rofl:

*I'm not quite sure why I had to get that out... I know realistically you could not look like Steven, and it's just an avatar. Maybe it's just nice to see that avatar in a post, much like seeing a good friend


Whats weird for me when a document like Word has 2 pages side by side is that instinctively I read the page below as if it's the next page, which it isn't for the next page is beside the first page, the page below it is the 3rd page :rollhead:

Most times I never run in full screen for anything unless it a photo editing program. I always run my applications in a sized window, don't know why, but I have always worked like that.




Bing

[Jeff Kowerchuk]

LOL Bing...well I don't know that I look like Steven, though hopefully I am as jovial and friendly (in a non-grating way, if that is how dear Steven is taken) DUDE.

I had the same problem as you with Word. But I am used to it now. Word is the only exception. Otherwise I run two Windows side by side. My email on the left, and whatever else on the right. One thing that does drive me nuts - I managed to get IE and Outlook to open where I want them. And IE always remembers the position of the last closed window and opens like that one next time it is run. But, if I open another instance of IE after the first, it always opens on top of my Outlook. One time it opened in the right spot, but I have no idea how or why.

Otherwise the 8500 is awesome. I hooked up the digital output to my system. WOW. I have never heard my games on proper speakers. Morrowind ROCKS!!!! It also looks stunning.

[Bing Fung]

Jeff, I find Ghost Recon looks excellent on the i8500 for it has so much detail in the trees and buildings. Games like Splinter Cell look good, but they sure lack the contrast of the CRT. It actually doesn't look realistic for the deep dark black levels just aren't there in the LCD monitor, most times the images just have this pale washed out look, which sort of takes away from the feel of SplinterCell. The shadows and lighting is what makes the game so awesome.

If Word didn't stack the page so close to the upper page I would be OK. I guess it's a matter of getting use to it, but as I said, it's no bigge for I run most times in windowed view anyway.




Bing