Quick First Review of the Dell Ubuntu Notebook Computer Inspiron E1505N

One of the three Ubuntu systems Dell started to sell a few weeks ago is a notebook computer, the Inspiron E1505N. Since I was in need of a new notebook computer I decided to order one. I selected a few upgrades from the standard configuration on the Dell web site, and the unit shipped three days after I placed the order. Unpacking the computer and setting it up was remarkably painless. It has a cool design with black keys, silver and white framing and a beautifully bright and clear screen.

The packaging included a chart with very simple set up instructions: plug in the AC adapter and the network cable (unless you want to use wireless Internet access). So I did and turned the system on (the on/off button is in the middle at the back of the keyboard). After requesting consent with the Dell End User Software License Agreement, and briefly showing a GRUB boot loader screen, Ubuntu Linux started up. The first time around it asked a few questions to set up an initial user account and set the time zone. The rest of the booting took about 20 to 30 seconds.

The Internet was operational immediately without any further setup. Using Firefox, I was able to access all my favorite websites. Going to youtube.com, the Flash plug-in installation was required, which was successfully completed in a few simple steps. Along the way I plugged in a USB mouse which was immediately functional without even asking a question.

The screen resolution first used by the operating system was lower than the native resolution of the LCD screen, which is 1440 by 900 pixels. While that setting provides larger text and images, it stretched the display slightly horizontally and made it somewhat blurry. To enable the 1440x900 screen resolution setting and take full advantage of the high resolution screen, it was necessary to install the "915resolution" package using Ubuntu's Synaptic Package Manager. Simply installing this package and rebooting did the trick - no configuration file editing was required.

The system can be switched to "suspend" mode by selecting this option after clicking the on/off button on the screen, or simply by closing the lid. After sending it into "hibernation" the state of the device can be revived by pushing the physical on/off button.

The default configuration of the E1505N is priced at around $600 after a $200 discount (the corresponding MS Windows system is listed at $948 and gets a $249 discount). After upgrading the memory to 1GB, the hard drive to 120GB, the DVD drive to writable, and the screen to an UtraSharp TrueLife, the charge came to about $800.

The following warranty and services are included in the price: "1 year limited warranty and mail-in service; Dell hardware warranty plus return to depot, initial year; Type 12- mail-in service, 24x7 technical support, initial year; Warranty support, initial year." My understanding is that technical support is limited to hardware issues. For software support the user is probably best served by the online documentation and Ubuntu forums. For example, the screen resolution fix mentioned above can be quickly found with a Google search.

In summary, I have been pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness of this machine and the ease of set-up, enabling me to use it in a productive fashion right away. I will expand on this initial review shortly.