Newsletter Archives

• Did you install the latest Meltdown/Spectre BIOS/UEFI firmware update? Joke’s on you

  Posted on January 24, 2018 at 09:56 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  What an unbelievable mess.

  At least Dell, HP and Lenovo are withdrawing all of their firmware updates. But if you heeded their call — and ignored my warning — you’re now approximately 10 meters into deep doodoo.

  Computerworld Woody on Windows

  Windows Patches/Security Dell, Firmware, HP, Lenovo, Meltdown, Spectre

• Good prices on Dell XPS laptops in Microsoft Store

  Posted on February 8, 2016 at 12:11 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  The Dell XPS-13, Signature Edition (read: no crapware) just got a $200 price shave on the Microsoft Store:

  • $800 for the non-touch 3200 x 1800, i5-6200U (Skylake – the latest Intel processor series), 8GB memory, 128 GB SSD.
  • $1,200 for the touch screen i5, 256 GB.
  • $1,400 for the touch i7, 256 GB.
  • $1,800 for the touch, i7, 512 GB.

  I reviewed the XPS-13 in September, and came away very impressed. “The Dell XPS 13 is arguably the best 13-inch clamshell on the market and inarguably the smallest.” It has a fan, and the web camera’s at a weird angle (not enough room on the top of the bezel), but other than that it’s a stupendous machine.

  Even more amazing, the XPS-15 got a $200 price cut, too. I’m currently using one of the new XPS-15’s and it’s even more amazing:

  • $1,500 for the i5-6300HQ machine, 8 GB, 256 GB SSD
  • $1,900 for the i7, 16 GB, 512 GB SSD

  That last machine is the one I’ve been beating on as hard as I can, and it’s astounding. The 15.6 inch screen runs 3840 x 2160 (yeah, 4K), by far the best computer screen I’ve ever used. And it’s seat-of-the-pants more powerful than my production desktop.

  If you’re looking for a laptop, forget the Surface Book. This is the gold standard.

  Other Dell, XPS-13, XPS-15

• Review: Dell Venue 11 Pro is a solid, capable tablet-laptop

  Posted on October 10, 2014 at 07:03 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I really liked this machine. Can you tell?

  InfoWorld

  Other Dell, Venue 11 Pro