I guess the Dell XPS M1330’s Days are numbered if the above picture of the new Dell Studio XPS 13 is anything to go by.

Something I don’t get is the co-branding of the Dell Studio range and the XPS range.

Studio = Creative Types & XPS= Gamer/Performance why bash these brands together?

Anyway back to the Studio XPS 13… The keyboard is very Apple macbook like and unlike any current shipping Dell.

I do like the styling but anything black and shiny is a finger print magnet.

The XPS M1330 was very popular (aside from issues with Nvida based video cards) so I imagine this revision is going to sell well.

But wait….

Dell are apparently working on a consumer laptop that for thinness will rival Apple’s macbook air.

So if you’re waiting to get a new swishy laptop it may be worth waiting just that little bit longer.

Dell have announced on their Direct2Dell blog they will be offering extended warranties for those customers affected by Nvidia GPU issues.

I have previously written about these issues here and here.

From their Post

“Dell will offer a 12-month limited warranty enhancement specific to this issue. For all customers worldwide, we plan to add 12 months of coverage for this issue to the existing limited warranty up to 60 months from the date of purchase.”

The affected Dell models are the:-

Dell Inspiron 1420

Dell Vostro Notebook 1310
Dell Vostro Notebook 1400
Dell Vostro Notebook 1510
Dell Vostro Notebook 1710

Dell Precision M2300

Dell Latitude D630
Dell Latitude D630c

Dell XPS M1330
Dell XPS M1530

Considering Nvida caused this problem Dell are taking a lot of heat for it. So are HP and the other OEMs.

Reading the comments on the current announcement this is still not considered a satisfactory solution by the majority of users. A product recall/replacement is.

Link: Direct2Dell (Comments)

Another Interesting Link on this topic: Link

Visit www.support.dell.com and select "I’m Looking for Drivers and Downloads".

Select your machine type (Laptop / Desktop) Then your family model, then the specific model within that family.

Once you arrive at the main page for your hardware expand the bios section and click the link Dell – Bios

Next Download your Bios file.

Bios files are typically small so should download quickly.

Once downloaded, come out of everything and make sure your laptop is on mains power. Then run the bios file you downloaded.

It will confirm the current bios level and tell you want number it’s going to upgrade too.

The last prompt you will see is this one.

When you click ok your laptop will immediately reboot, it will then perform the bios upgrade on a DOS like white screen and then reboot.

It may take longer than usual to load the Bios the first time it’s run, So leave it. It should only be a moment or so.

Then your laptop will boot windows and the upgrade is complete.

I posted here about the Nvidia mobile graphics cards that Nvidia themselves reported as “failing in the field at higher than normal rates.”

Dell have now announced the list of possibly affected laptops and has issued Bios Upgrades that change the fan profile.

These include the

Inspiron 1420

Latitude D630 and D630c

Precision M2300

Vostro 1310, 1400, 1510 and 1710

XPS M1330 and M1530

What do end users need to do?

Well you basically download and install the Bios update. The change to the fan profile will probably mean the fan’s kick in earlier to keep the system cooler. Step by Step Instructions are here.

Some people have commented (on the direct to dell blog) that this isn’t really an acceptable solution.

Tip1: If you purchased one of the above laptops with only 1 years warranty I would definitely contact Dell and upgrade your existing warranty to 3 years to give you some additional protection. Upgrading the Bios can only do so much.

Tip2: Normally I would recommend installing this immediately but in the comments of the conversations below there have been some people with bios install problems. I would hold off for a couple of days then check for any known problems.

Link: NVIDIA GPU Update for Dell Laptop Owners

Other online Conversations about this topic.

Dell explains NVIDIA GPU issues, throws out BIOS updates to help

http://www.ideastorm.com/article/show/10090995/Replace_All_Faulty_Nvidia_Laptop_GPUs

http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2008/07/25/nvidia-gpu-update-for-dell-laptop-owners.aspx#comments

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=dell+nvidia

Jeff is a great tech blogger with a site called www.codinghorror.com I read Jeff’s blog so was interested to hear about his experiences with the Dell XPS M1330.

Overall it seems very positive. Zip on over on the link below are read his full article.

Link: Dell XPS M1330 Review

Lots of people seem to be hitting my site because I did a post about the Dell XPS M1330. I assume they are looking for more info.

Check out the above video clip.

The clip comes from: http://www.youtube.com/user/TechnologyGuide

Or read the PCMag review here
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2150810,00.asp

As an XPS user I should love the sound of this but something’s not sitting quite right with me.

The design team behind the XPS M1330 model also did the M2010 I have publicly stated I think the M2010 was a horrendous design based on a stupid concept. (see pic below).

I have see a couple of video’s of the XPS M1330 over at www.direct2dell.com but they didn’t really sell it to me. Opening and closing a laptop and saying the same thing over and over does not make for a good tech demo.

Maybe I need to see one in the flesh. The things I do like are:-

The Screen (although I want 12.1 not 13.3)

Slot loading DVD (about time if you ask me).

HDMI

I assume the SSD hard disk is going to be really expensive and having the choice of a really expensive 32gb (fast hard disk) or a 250gb normal one makes that a non decision.

I would also need to see the LED screen in the flesh, it sounds good but it’s one of those things you really need to see for yourself before you can comment.

Its not out in Europe yet. If any of my Dell buddies know the release date, drop it in the comments. I see the UK site now has the XPS 1330.

The Spec’s

13.3-inch screen, configurable with LED backlight! (300cd/m2, or 220 with CCFL backlight)