Sony

 

Sony apologises as PlayStation Vita complaints rise

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• PlayStation Vita goes on show
• Mobile threat to traditional gaming
• Kinect blamed for Xbox failures
• Users complained of technical problems with some of the launch units ahead of a firmware fix

Sony has issued an apology and software update after a barrage of complaints about its new handheld console.

The PlayStation Vita went on sale in Japan at the weekend. Users have described unresponsive touchscreens, crashes and freezes.

Glitches in new consoles are not unusual, but experts have been surprised by the number of related postings sent to Twitter and YouTube.

Local reports suggest over 300,000 devices were sold over two days.

The console boasts a gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass beneath its 5in (12.7cm) OLED touchscreen as well as front and rear mounted cameras.

However, complaints of technical issues have threatened to take the shine off the launch, prompting the company to issue a statement on its PlayStation site.

"Currently, our information centre regarding PlayStation Vita as well as our usual customer service centre are receiving many enquiries. We apologies if your phone isn't connected straight away," it said.

"Some issues regarding PlayStation Vita can be addressed by simple procedures at home," it added, going on to provide a list of questions and answers to tackle problems including the console refusing to start-up.

In addition the firm has released a firmware update that users must install if they wish to be able to continue going online with the device.

Experts said that other manufacturers had bounced back after facing similar early setbacks.

"One of the biggest problems Microsoft faced with its early Xbox 360 consoles were 'Red Ring of Death' failures - but the company overcame them and the system is now one of the best-selling in the world," said Christopher Dring from MCV, a video games industry magazine.

Sales survey

Japanese publisher Enterbrain suggests 321,400 devices were sold over the handheld's first two days on sale. Sony has yet to release official figures.

The PlayStation Vita will miss the festive shopping season in the US and Europe

If the estimate proves accurate it would fall short of Nintendo's 371,000 3DS tally during its launch weekend in February.

However, analysts noted that Sony had to contend with cold weather conditions which may have put off some shoppers.

They also highlighted the fact that Nintendo's sales had slumped a few weeks after the 3DS went on sale.

Sony hopes to avoid that fate by releasing its device alongside a strong line-up of 24 titles. These include the latest addition to the Unchartered series and a new version of LittleBigPlanet.

A spokesman for Sony said there would be 33 games by the time it puts the two models of the device on sale in the UK in February. One will connect to the internet via 3G and wi-fi, the other just through wi-fi.

"We are incredibly pleased with the success of the Japanese launch of PlayStation Vita in which all pre-orders were immediately sold out and that enthusiasm has continued since launch with sales well on track," said David Wilson, head of PR, UK at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

"We are confident we will continue to accelerate the momentum as we approach the European launch on February 22nd."

The handhelds will be released in the US, Canada and Latin America at the same point. Although they will miss out on this year's Christmas shopping season, experts said Sony might benefit from the staggered roll-out.

"I don't think Sony would like to describe Japan as a test-run, but it does give them an opportunity to fix problems with the consoles," said Mr Dring.

"That should be reassuring to people in the UK and Europe thinking of buying the devices."

BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900/9930

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Copyright © 2011 Research In Motion Limited, unless otherwise noted.

Iran hijack the beast;

An Iranian claim that it used cyber warfare techniques to hijack a US stealth drone, getting it to land in that country, drew deep skepticism from some US cyber warfare experts who doubt Iran's ability to carry out such an operation. In Pictures: Drones: America's unmanned Predators Related stories Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer (Video) Downed US drone: How Iran caught the 'beast' Could Iran copy the 'beast'? US aircraft have been reverse-engineered before Iran to US:

We won't return the 'beast' drone Topics Computer Technology Web Security Technology Computer Security Internet Drone Attacks War and Conflict The Christian Science Monitor Powered by In an exclusive interview, an engineer working to unlock the secrets of the captured RQ-170 Sentinel says they exploited a known vulnerability and tricked the US drone into landing in Iran. Iran gained control of the drone by overwhelming the GPS signal that was guiding the aircraft with an Iranian signal, an Iranian engineer told The Christian Science Monitor on condition of anonymity. An Iranian cyber warfare team then made the drone believe it had arrived home and should land, the source told the Monitor.

To accomplish such a cyber coup, at least three and probably many more major technical hurdles would need to be overcome, several US cyber warfare and drone experts said. While none of these steps is impossible, each is difficult, and taken together, they represent a massive technological challenge for any enemy hacker – one that the US experts suggest is beyond Iran’s capabilities.

Nokia Asha 303

Nokia Asha 303
General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
Announced 2011, October
Status Available. Released 2011, December
Size Dimensions 116.5 x 55.7 x 13.9 mm, 72 cc
Weight 99 g
Display Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
Size 320 x 240 pixels, 2.6 inches (~154 ppi pixel density)
- QWERTY keyboard
Sound Alert types Vibration, Polyphonic(64), WAV, MP3 ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Memory Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, buy memory
Phonebook Yes, Photocall
Call records Yes
Internal 170 MB (100 MB user available), 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM
Data GPRS Class 33
EDGE Class 32
Speed HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0, HS, USB On-the-go support
Camera Primary 3.2 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, fixed focus
Video Yes, VGA@15fps
Secondary No
Features CPU 1 GHz
Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, Adobe Flash Lite
Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS
Games Yes + downloadable
GPS No
Java Yes, MIDP 2.1
Colors Red, Graphite, Silver White, Aqua, Green, Purple
- SNS integration
- MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player
- MP3/WAV/WMA/AAC player
- Organizer
- Voice memo
- Predictive text input
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1300 mAh (BP-3L)
Stand-by Up to 720 h (2G) / Up to 840 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 8 h 10 min (2G) / Up to 7 h 10 min (3G)
Music play Up to 47 h
Misc Price group


Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct. Read more

 
Specifications

Clock Speed	2.66 GHz
Cache	8 MB L2
Front Side Bus	1066 MHz
Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT)	Yes

Features

With faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it's needed most, new Intel Core i7 processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in PC performance. They are the best desktop processors on the planet.
You'll multitask applications faster and unleash incredible digital media creation. And you'll experience maximum performance for everything you do, thanks to the combination of Intel Turbo Boost technology and Intel Hyper-Threading technology (Intel HT technology), which maximizes performance to match your workload.


Features and benefits

• Intel Core i7 processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in quad-core performance and feature the latest innovations in processor technologies:
• Intel Turbo Boost technology maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload�more performance when you need it the most.
• Intel Hyper-Threading technology enables highly threaded applications to get more work done in parallel. With 8 threads available to the operating system, multi-tasking becomes even easier.
• Intel Smart Cache provides a higher-performance, more efficient cache subsystem. Optimized for industry leading multi-threaded games.
• Intel QuickPath Interconnect is designed for increased bandwidth and low latency. It can achieve data transfer speeds as high as 25.6 GB/sec with the Extreme Edition processor.
• Integrated memory controller enables three channels of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, resulting in up to 25.6 GB/sec memory bandwidth. This memory controller's lower latency and higher memory bandwidth delivers amazing performance for data-intensive applications.
• Intel HD Boost significantly improves a broad range of multimedia and compute-intensive applications. The 128-bit SSE instructions are issued at a throughput rate of one per clock cycle, allowing a new level of processing efficiency with SSE4 optimized applications.

Specifications

• Intel Core i7-920 8 MB 2.66 GHz 4.8 GT/s 800/1066 MHz 3 channels, 2 DIMMs/Ch 8 processing threads

Blackberry Pearl Review

iPhone 5 Concept Features

Why iOS 5 is a big deal

by Josh Lowensohn  

commentary While most of this week's attention is going to be on Apple's newiPhone 4S and how it sells, the most important thing to come out of the company is a new version of its iOS software, which arrives tomorrow.

iOS 5, which made its debut at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, marks a turning point for the company's mobile software. Yes, it's largely a collection of tweaks, improvements, and fiddling with a tried and true formula, but it's also one that--for the first time--breaks iOS devices apart from computers running Apple's iTunes software and goes further to try to unify the devices into the same family.

That vision is miles away from where Apple's iPhone journey started and a response to the fact that iOS has long since rocketed past the company's computers in popularity, with devices like the iPad growing to compete directly. No, this isn't a "Mac OS X is dying" post, as much as now is a very good time to point out that what may seem like just another software update is something much bigger in the grand scheme of things.

The "PC Free" era
For the last four major versions of iOS, stretching all the way back to the original iPhone, Apple has demanded that users plug into a computer--be it a Mac or PC--to sync music, ferry over data, and grab software updates. Now those features are built into iOS itself.

Of course, if you have a computer, you can still plug in your device and continue to use iTunes, but Apple's big idea is that these devices now stand on their own, right out of the box. That's further augmented by a new wireless sync feature built intotoday's iTunes 10.5 software update and iOS 5 that lets users continue to sync with their computer as they always have, but without the wires.

Related stories
•A brief tour of Apple's iOS 5
•15 iOS 5 tips and tricks
•New iOS 5 features compared to Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone
•iOS 5 How To roundup
CNET TV: iOS 5's hidden features

To get to the "PC free" era, as Apple's calls it, the company's gone through each built-in application to make sure it can function fully without the need for a computer running iTunes. Apple laid the groundwork for that in previous system software updates, letting users download content from the iTunes Store directly onto devices. But where that was largely a ploy to encourage people to make more content purchases, this move takes the decoupling approach system-wide to make the hardware more appealing to those who wish it exclusively. That amounts to things like letting users delete media that's been synced over from a computer, as well as editing photos that have been snapped on the device.

In order to make what could be considered a sacrifice of decoupling it to iTunes, Apple's tied it to something else: iCloud. That's Apple's new cloud-based service that both stores and ferries files from one iOS device to another.

Launching tomorrow alongside iOS 5, iCloud does many of the same things as MobileMe (the service it's replacing), while adding new hooks like:

• A back-up service that can store near-full copies of your iOS device on Apple's servers for safe keeping
• The capability to re-download previously purchased content from any one of Apple's digital stores
• A feature called Photo Stream that transfers photos from one device to another in the background
• File storage for app developers to keep certain files, like documents or application settings

Collectively, the service acts as a safety net for some of the things consumers originally needed a computer for when using these devices, something Apple is banking on to be attractive for users with one iOS device, or many.

Giving notifications another go
Perhaps just as important as the iCloud integration is how iOS 5 changes the way users get work done on Apple's mobile devices, albeit in a subtle way.

iOS 5's notification center.

(Credit: Jason Cipriani)

Largely gone are the notifications that would pop up and completely take over the focus of whatever you were doing on the phone. You can still have those if you want, but the new default is a considerably smaller banner that folds down and gives you information from that app, then folds back away a few seconds later to reveal the portion of the application you were using when it came in.

These banners have been sized so that you can continue to use the application's menus even when they fold down, letting you continue to do whatever you're doing, or tap them to hop straight to the app you just got a ping from.

Joining the new notification banners is a new pull-down menu that lets you see a rundown of these messages in case you missed one, or want to come back to it later since you were using another application. This ends up creating a new multitasking workflow, letting users check for new updates from applications without leaving the one they're on. To Google's credit, it got here first with Android, and iOS users now get to reap the same productivity benefits that system brings.

All this may seem like a minor visual change, but it has a marked effect given that mobile apps on iOS still demand to be used on screen one at a time. For instance, if you're inside a news reading app and you get a new e-mail, you can swipe your finger down the screen and get the same kind of preview you'd get looking at your e-mail inbox. Third-party app developers also have the same opportunity as Apple to put those notifications right in front of users too.

Bringing it all together
With iOS 5, Apple's also taken additional steps in unifying the iOS platform, bringing what is largely the same version of the software to all its recent model devices at once.

If you think back to what it's been like for GSM and CDMA iPhone users with iOS 4, CDMA users have been left out of several software goodies. iOS 5 represents a different approach, with all users with recent models getting the same version of the software (minus things like Siri, which is an iPhone 4S exclusive). It remains to be seen whether that updating habit will continue in the minor software updates to come, but Apple now gets to start with a clean slate across all its devices.

iOS 5 features working on the iPod Touch, the iPad and the iPhone.

(Credit: Apple)

Further playing into the idea of one big platform is iMessage, Apple's new messaging protocol. Like Research In Motion's BlackBerry Messenger platform, iMessage is a proprietary client that uses data to let iOS users send messages to one another, just like the iPhone's SMS app always has. For the first time, this lets iPod Touch and iPad users message through a first-party application, while acting as an alternative for iPhone users who previously had to go through carrier-supplied SMS and MMS services in Apple's SMS app.

While iOS users could have picked up third-party messaging apps, and IM clients, iMessage is special in that there's the basic promise that everyone with iOS will have it. Like iCloud, it's also a reason for users to lock into Apple's system, and stick with it since they have the potential to save money on text messaging fees.

With all these things put together, iOS represents a formidable update. While it's not quite the sea change that was iOS 4's multitasking update last year, it goes just about as far in giving those with existing iOS devices new ways to use them and takes those last few steps in making iOS a stronger standalone platform, something that's going to be very important if other devices join the iOS family later on down the line.

Josh Lowensohn

Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and covers everything Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about new Web startups, video games, and remote-controlled robots that watch your house. When not attempting experimental pizza recipes, Josh is an avid photographer.

The Hottest New Technologies Of 2011

Gadgets that got the biggest buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show.

  

In Pictures: The Hottest New Technologies Of 2011

As predicted, tablet mania ensued at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. At least 75 were introduced at the annual Las Vegas gadget extravaganza. The tablet with the most buzz was Motorola Mobility's XOOM. It's the first tablet to run on Google 's ( GOOG  - news   - people  ) highly anticipated Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. XOOM, which is expected to launch in the first quarter, supports Flash for easy and fast video viewing and includes 3G wireless access that can be upgraded to 4G LTE. Motorola's tablet also has a 10.1-inch screen, front- and rear-facing cameras, a camcorder and Nvidia   Tegra dual-core processor.

In spite of the tablet avalanche, a number of other gizmos and technologies were able to rise above the din and capture attention. The Samsung SUR40 forMicrosoft 's ( MSFT  - news   -people  ) Surface, the next generation of the software giant's table-top computer, wowed the CES crowd. True, it might be the world's biggest iPad , but it's still impressive, boasting a 40-inch HD 1080p touch-screen for optimal Web surfing and info sharing, and the top is coated with Corning 's ( GLW  - news   - people  ) rugged Gorilla glass. Samsung SUR40 also has something called PixelSense, technology that gives LCD panels the power to see without the use of cameras," Microsoft says. Uh huh.

 The Hottest New Technologies Of 2011

Video: 

Samsung SUR40, however, is aimed at businesses, not consumers. Fujifilm  e  ), Red Bull,Royal Bank of Canada  and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts Worldwide are some of the companies that will take delivery of the table-top computer later this year.

Tributes for Apple visionary Steve Jobs

1984-2011

Steve

World and business leaders have paid tribute to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who has died at 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

US President Barack Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev said Mr Jobs had changed the world.
Microsoft's Bill Gates said it had been "an insanely great honour" to work with him. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg remembered his "mentor and friend".
The Twitter microblog site struggled to cope with the traffic of tributes.
Apple itself said Mr Jobs had been "the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives" and had made the world "immeasurably better".
Thousands of celebrities and ordinary people went on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to record their tributes and memories of the man behind products such as the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad.

Continue reading the main story

The death of Mr Jobs could create a record for Twitter traffic.

Thousands of people all over the world have also been attending Apple stores to leave flowers, notes, and apples with a bite taken from them to mimic the company's logo.
Apple's leading rivals such as Microsoft, Google, Sony and Samsung all chipped in with glowing tributes.
GS Choi, chief executive of Samsung, which is embroiled in a major court battle with Apple on patents, said Mr Jobs was an "innovative spirit" who "introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry".
In his statement, Bill Gates said: "The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honour."

At the scene

 

A single bunch of flowers - still in their plastic wrapper - were the only outward sign of the passing of Steve Jobs outside Apple's flagship London store in Covent Garden.

Ginnie Leatham, a brand director in the media industry, from West Sussex, hand delivered a single red Gerbera to staff inside the store.

She said: "I was really sad when I woke up this morning. I had a real lump in my throat and felt quite tearful.

"I was thinking about it on my commute into work. I always walk past the Apple store and I just thought 'I'm going to stop'.

1. Flowers and eulogies for Steve Jobs

Mr Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook: "Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you."

His comments were "liked" by more than 200,000 people within hours.
In his own tweet, Barack Obama wrote: "There may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented."
Web users in China have reportedly posted almost 35 million online tributes.
Tim Cook, who was made Apple's CEO after Mr Jobs stood down in August, said his predecessor had left behind "a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple".
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Steve Jobs transformed the way we work and play; a creative genius who will be sorely missed."
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the US had "lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein".
News Corp's Rupert Murdoch said: "Steve Jobs was simply the greatest CEO of his generation."

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak will remember Mr Jobs for "knowing what made sense in a product"

People also gathered outside Mr Jobs's home in California's Silicon Valley to lay floral wreaths, while flags were flown at half mast outside the Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California.
A statement from Mr Jobs's family said they were with him when he died peacefully on Wednesday.
"In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family," they said, requesting privacy and thanking those who had "shared their wishes and prayers" during his final year.
Face of Apple
Mr Jobs built a reputation as a forthright and demanding leader who could take niche technologies - such as the mouse and graphical user interface, using onscreen icons rather than text - and make them popular with the general public.

Life of Steve Jobs

1. Born in San Francisco in Feb 1955 to students Joanne Schieble and Syrian-born Abdulfattah Jandali - adopted by a Californian working class couple
2. Had a summer job at Hewlett-Packard while at school - later worked at Atari
3. Dropped out of college after six months and went travelling in India, where he became a Buddhist
4. Launched Apple with school friend Steve Wozniak in 1976 - first Apple computer sold the same year
5. Left Apple amid disputes in 1985 but returned in 1996 and became CEO in 1997
6. Bought Pixar animation company in 1986 for $10m
7. Married in a Buddhist ceremony in 1991 - has three children with his wife and a daughter from a previous relationship
8. Had a personal wealth estimated at $8.3bn (£5.4bn) in 2010
9. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, and after three periods of sickness leave, resigns as Apple CEO in August 2011
10. Obituary: Steve Jobs
11. Career in pictures
12. 'Remarkable' cancer fight

He introduced the colourful iMac computer, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad to the world. His death came just a day after Apple unveiled its latest iPhone 4S model.

With a market value estimated at $351bn (£227bn), Apple became the world's most valuable technology company.
More than almost any other business leader, Mr Jobs was indistinguishable from his company, which he co-founded in the 1970s.
As the face of Apple, he represented its dedication to high-end technology and fashionable design.
And inside the company he exerted a level of influence unheard of in most businesses.
Mr Jobs also provided major funding to set up Pixar Animation Studios.
In 2004, Mr Jobs announced that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. He had a liver transplant five years later.
In January, he took medical leave, before resigning as CEO in August and handing over his duties to Mr Cook.
In his resignation letter, Mr Jobs said: "I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role."
However, Mr Jobs stayed on as Apple's chairman.
Despite his high profile, he remained fiercely protective of his private life.
He married his wife Laurene in 1991, and the couple had three children.
Mr Jobs also leaves a daughter from a previous relationship, and as an adult he discovered that he had a biological sister, US novelist Mona Simpson.

 

Speech Technology

This book addresses different aspects of the research field and a wide range of topics in speech signal processing, speech recognition and language processing. The chapters are divided in three different sections: Speech Signal Modeling, Speech Recognition and Applications. The chapters in the first section cover some essential topics in speech signal processing used for building speech recognition as well as for speech synthesis systems: speech feature enhancement, speech feature vector dimensionality reduction, segmentation of speech frames into phonetic segments. The chapters of the second part cover speech recognition methods and techniques used to read speech from various speech databases and broadcast news recognition for English and non-English languages. The third section of the book presents various speech technology applications used for body conducted speech recognition, hearing impairment, multimodal interfaces and facial expression recognition.

MOBILE

What if you could have all your credit cards, gift cards, loyalty cards and mobile coupons all securely located in one place? And what if that place just so happened to be inside the one device that you carry around all the time?

Well, now you can.
Near-field communication (NFC) technology is revolutionizing the mobile commerce sector, allowing consumers to ditch their wallets and instead swipe their smartphones at checkout.
With the recent launch of mobile payment systems like Google Wallet, Isis and PayPal mobile payments, many marketers are starting to realize the effects that this payment transformation will have on mobile marketing.
The integrated mobile commerce initiative will combine mobile coupons and loyalty programs with mobile payments, giving retailers the almighty power to track customer purchasing decisions. Retailers and marketers will have the data needed to answer imperative questions about consumers: Who are they? What is their purchasing behavior? How often are they shopping? How much do they typically spend?
With this type of information at their disposal, retailers can team up with mobile marketers to create targeted, relevant offers and discounts at the point-of-sale.
The innovative technology not only engages consumers, but creates a communicative interaction between them and the brand. The mobile wallet will give marketers the opportunity to interact with consumers at the moment of the transaction, perhaps exposing the consumer to the brand’s mobile application or an instant coupon.
Innovation enriches the customer’s purchasing experience, but even more so do loyalty and engagement. Mobile marketing relies on the notion that consumers are relatively attached, if not completely addicted, to their mobile devices. The mobile wallet creates an even deeper connection between consumers and their phones, thus giving mobile commerce the potential to be a huge driver for mobile marketing.

 

Dell Inspiron 15R (N5110) Full Review

 
The latest generation of the Dell Inspiron 15R (the N5110) features Intel's "Sandy Bridge" Core processors and your choice of surprisingly powerful integrated graphics or AMD Radeon discrete graphics for gaming, all wrapped in a stylish notebook with a reasonable price tag. Keep reading to find out why the Inspiron 15R is one of Dell's best-selling laptops.
Our Dell Inspiron 15R (N5110) Specifications:

• Intel Core i5-2410M processor (2.3GHz, 3MB cache, 2.9GHz Turbo Boost)
• 15.6-inch 1366x768 display with LED backlighting
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• 6GB DDR3 memory (1333MHz)
• 500GB 5400rpm HDD
• Intel HD integrated graphics
• 8X Tray Load CD/DVD Burner
• 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11n wireless, and Bluetooth
• 6-cell Li-ion 48WHr battery and 9-cell 90WHr battery
• Dimensions: 14.7 x 9.6 x 1.2 inches
• Weight: 5.84lbs
• MSRP: $889.98

The starting price of the Inspiron 15R N5110 is only $499 at the time of this writing but that includes a slower Intel Core i3-2310M processor, less RAM, a smaller hard drive and only the standard 6-cell battery. The point here is that Dell offers a number of different configurations of the new Inspiron 15R.

The updated Inspiron 15R N5110 features a number of design changes compared to last year's Inspiron 15R. The overall look is essentially unchanged with a clean and sleek exterior, but at its core the 15R remains a budget laptop with a mostly plastic construction. The new 15R uses a hinge-forward LCD lid design that Dell first used in the premium Adamo series. I'm sure Dell designers will say it's a way of reducing the size of the screen bezel with a 16:9 ratio widescreen display. However, as far as most people are concerned, it just means the back of the notebook sticks out more behind the screen.





Build quality is generally pretty strong for a mostly plastic notebook, but you'll notice some minor flexing in the plastics if you firmly squeeze the notebook in your hands or press hard on the keyboard while typing. The main chassis, while reasonably strong, has a "hollow" feeling which makes you think there is some unused space inside this black box. Speaking of black, that's the standard color for the Inspiron 15R. You can select an optional "Fire Red" or "Peacock Blue" for an extra $35 when you order your laptop from Dell, or you can choose a more artistic lid for an extra $60. Honestly, I feel like customers should be able to pick black, red, or blue at no additional cost and the artistic lids should be half their current price ... but that's just my opinion. At least with the new "SWITCHable Lids" you can buy a fancy screen lid at a later time if you want.
One additional (and probably unintentional) benefit of the new "SWITCHable Lids" is that the screen is slightly more protected from exterior pressure. The new screen cover offers moderately more protection for the LCD than the old 15R, which means ripples don't show up as easily on this screen if you press on the back of the lid.


Anyone looking to upgrade the RAM inside the Dell Inspiron 15R will find the process is very simple.  There is only one access panel on the bottom of the notebook secured by a single Phillips head screw and some plastic retention tabs. Remove that one panel and you can add or replace to the system memory. Unfortunately, removing the hard drive requires almost a complete disassembly of the notebook chassis.


Ports and Features
When it comes to budget 15-inch laptops, Dell has a history of packing their notebooks with enough inputs and outputs to keep any tech enthusiast happy. The new N5110 is no exception. This Inspiron 15R features two USB 2.0 ports (one of which is an eSATA/USB combo port), two "Super Speed" USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and VGA-out, audio jacks, and Ethernet. It also featured a SDHC-card reader and a CD/DVD optical drive.

Front: Activity lights

Rear: Kensington lock slot, Ethernet, USB 3.0, VGA, power jack

Left: One USB 2.0, HDMI-out, USB 2.0/eSATA combo port, media card slot

Right: Optical drive, audio jacks, USB 3.0 port


Build and Design