If you want to stay connected to your business all the time, this is the right choice. However, holding this laptop in your hand might give you a mixed feeling. Part aluminium and part magnesium, the new Dell Vostro V131 smells of style and sturdiness. Though a little heavy for a laptop which claims to be slim, it stands out with its matte finish and is suitable for presentations and conference rooms.

The Vostro V131 supports Intel WiDi, which lets you wirelessly stream presentations and videos to an Intel WiDi-enabled digital projector or HDTV. It seems typing has never been easier on a laptop. V131 impresses with a full backlit keyboard featuring easily distinguishable big keys with wide resting space underneath the keyboard for fast and easy typing. Alongside the keyboard are shortcut buttons for Windows mobility centre, Dell support centre and Dell instant launch manager.

Connectivity and comfort too go hand in hand. The device comes with numerous ports and a cooling vent on the left side. Two speakers gracing the front yield a striking sound quality. The ports on the sides include USB power share slot to charge USB devices when the laptop is in sleep mode. This consists of a VGA slot, Ethernet port, two USB 3.0 ports, mic, SD card reader and a HDMI port. The display resolution of 1366 x 768 isn?t much and the display is a bit dull, but that?s common across most business oriented laptops. All you have to do is keep in touch from hotspots around the globe. Launch wireless multimedia presentations or other media devices with the touch of a key. After the accolades, connect back to the office with optional 3G (available in select regions).

The memory back up quite satisfactory but there might be a few drawbacks when it come to battery life. It boasts of 2GB RAM, Intel i3 processor, 500GB HDD and performs well in benchmarks. In PC Mark it scores 5081 and in 3D Mark about 3350.

It disappoints in battery Mark, lasting merely two hours and 30 minutes which is quite low for a business laptop. Also, its lack of optical drive will be missed as many professionals still use discs. On the whole, it?s a complete business laptop at a good price with minor drawbacks.

Specs

Intel core i3 processor

Intel HD graphics 3000

2 GB RAM

1.72 kg

13.3 inch 1366 x 768

500 GB HDD

USB 3.0, USB 2.0 power share

VGA, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card reader

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