Customer Reviews

Dell Inspiron 1470 14-Inch Laptop (Cherry Red)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

So I was concerned that the ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) processor would not have enough "umph" but I was wrong. This is a nicely assembled machine and I even like Windows 7 (mostly). Background - I've worked in tech for 24+ years in a lot of different ways, but everyone who knows me says I'm a gadget freak. I've got all the toys - PNAV devices, iPods, iPhones, PCs, Macs, wireless networks - you name it. I've got the TV hooked to a cable box, iMac, and AppleTV and love them all. I'm typing this on my favorite computer of all time - a Macbook Air. So when my wife's 3+ year old 17" Dell notebook announced that it's battery was no longer doing well and we had three blue screens in a week's time - I knew we had to get her onto a new machine. We thought it would be either a 13" or 15" Macbook Pro, but she decided that spending twice as much for a Mac was too much. So I went in search of the best PC alternative. This Dell 1470 is pretty close in size and features to the 13" Macbook Pro including claimed 6 hour battery life. And it largely lives up to its promise. It's the fastest PC in the house and for the $584 we paid Amazon right before Christmas is turning out to be the bargain of the year. I did have to reformat the hard drive to get rid of multiple partitions so the Windows Easy Transfer program would work correctly, but that only served to conveniently getting rid of all of the unwanted junk that Dell feels compelled to load onto the hard disk. Positives: light weight - fast enough speed - abundant memory and hard disk space - and a cool red color. Also - the power supply is both smaller and lighter than past Dell models included, and it's compatible with all of the old Dell power supplies we have around here. I would have given this machine 5 stars if it had a backlit keyboard which you can get on the Studio 15, but not on this model. Don't forget the crappy hard drive partitioning which brings it down, AND I don't know what Microsoft is thinking - you can't back up to a network drive (I use a DROBO with Droboshare) without paying $89 to upgrade Windows 7 to the Professional version. Also - if you configure a Dell Inspiron 14Z (same model, different name) comparably on the Dell website, you'll be north of $900 so Amazon has the bargain here. Also - Best Buy stocks this machine so you can do like I did, and go test drive it for yourself before buying. Recommended! Good luck!

The I1470 is a top performing Win7 optimized thin and lite business package. Packed with DDR3 4gigs of ram and an ultra low voltage CPU for outstanding battery life. The laptop is not an ultra lite but it is a great lite weight package that does it all with few frills and all the hard working ports and output requirements. Great battery life and enough processing power to do most anything required (but not gaming) this is a hard hitting low cost package with Dell quality and reliability. The omission of wireless N is the biggest mistake here (what were you thinking Dell?).

I bought this laptop about 2 months ago. The screen is very bright and images are crisp. The computer has enough power for daily computing needs; email, web, spreadsheet, etc. I run a software company and only buy Dell computers now. I used to buy HP products until 7 years ago. Dell by far has a superior product line. I especially like the fact that most of Dell laptops, including this one, run very cool. This is in direct contrast to HP laptops which run very warm.

PROS:
- Great display.
- Fast
- Wakes up from sleep mode almost instantly (every time)
- Runs cool (keyboard stays cool)
- Great battery life (over 6 hours)
- Comes without any pre-installed trial software

CONS:
- No bluetooth so you have to use a USB mouse.
- Power plug on right side interferes with mouse (if you're right handed). I like the power plug to be on the left side so that I can have more room to move the mouse around.

I have been looking at getting a laptop (or maybe netbook) for a while, keeping an eye on specs and prices. For this price point, this was the best deal I was able to find. I've only had it like 4 days but it feels like weeks. I keep finding neat new features I would have never expected. Very happy with this laptop, well worth every penny.
My favorite specs are:
- much longer battery life than most any other laptop i was able to find under $600
- great amount of storage/memory
- can put my camera chip directly into computer on the side, w/o having to dig out the usb cable
- happy/confident with the brand, that it will last a long time
...have yet to use the dvd burner, but soon, very glad it does have dvd burner as my last computer didn't
- watched a handful of tv shows and movies, very good screen quality
- the video conferencing you can do with the cam/mic has lots of fun features, also good quality

and best of all.. i had it in my hands in less than 24 hours after i ordered it using the amazon prime next day delivery, $3.99 for shipping and no tax was what put it over the top for me. I guess the only thing i didn't like was that it doesn't come with Microsoft Office, but i deleted the program it came with and put it on there anyway, so didn't effect me.(Don't think I've seen a new computer that comes preloaded with it w/o having to pay extra anyway.) Customer reviews were very helpful to me in my search so just wanted to return the favor, thanks, and good luck in your search!

---update: over 10 months now.. very high usage.. still lovin' it!

Pros: great display, pretty fast, Win 7 is not so bad.
Cons: keyboard double typing letters - known problem with many Del XPS and now Inspirion. I had to change keyboard 3 times and now its somewhat ok. Meaning I still every once in awhile get the double letter typed.

Those folks out there who get "blue screen of death" - call Dell support, or go on Chat with them. I upgraded video drivers and that totally fixed that problem for me (also updated BIOS, but that was not the solution for blue screen").

Overall I like this laptop. I wish I did not have to do all this work to get it to the right state. Because now I think, what else is going to break?

As a full-time grad student with a full-time job and 2.5-hour round-trip commute, I needed a laptop asap for my schoolwork. After thoroughly trolling the Internet and comparing specs and prices, this system seemed to be the best compromise between specs and cost. I previously had a Dell laptop and, despite minor quirks, it was a decent system. I was willing to buy another Dell.

I placed the order, and I purchased next-day delivery.

The system arrived by noon the following day, and I immediately unpacked it and began to charge the battery and investigate features.

Pros:
-- attractive
-- quiet
-- software installation disks included (call me old-school; I want tangible backup)
-- solid feel to the keyboard
-- nifty multi-touch touchpad

Cons:
-- no latch to close system (it just seemed somehow less sturdy without the latch)
-- there was no express card/34 slot, contrary to the specs listed on Amazon
-- **speakers completely and spontaneously blew out 10 minutes after I turned on the system** (it began with static and crackling noise that escalated in volume until, finally, there was no sound and Windows would not detect any audio output hardware)**

I immediately called Amazon customer service, explained the situation, and requested a full refund. The representative was extremely sympathetic and automatically agreed to e-mail return shipping labels to me and agreed to provide a full refund, including all initial shipping charges. Amazon customer service was stellar, as all reports indicated it would be.

I realize that the problem was most likely from defective components provided to Dell, but I don't have time to hope an exchange would be trouble-free; I'm buying a Sony Vaio.

Good luck.

I am experiencing severe hardware issues. In the past week, every time I turn it on I have to select 'start windows normally'. On top of that, my touchpad is SUPER buggy and many times bounces all over the page or goes from page to page to page (or pictures...wow, they fly by). The off-center touchpad is just wrong! After three weeks, my fingers still have to search for the keys, but beginning to get used to the arrangement.

I've had Dell laptops for five years and I think this one is just a lemon in the hardware department. When I originally decided not to keep, about a week ago, I was returning for refund, but have changed my mind, and would like to try another because overall I like this package immensely. One thing I do miss tremendously though is the lighted displays for wi-fi, etc and the caps on in the toolbar. I don't want a display popping up every time I turn caps on or off, but there has to be a better way. Half the time, I'm typing away and don't realize the caps are on (I'm a typist, so not always looking directly at the screen when typing). Frustrating, especially when typing passwords and you don't know caps are on or off until it is not accepted! Being a typist, this super flat keyboard is not the greatest, but could be worse. One thing I absolutely love is the delete key on the end. After only about a day, I was on my E1505, and already was hitting the end of that row for delete! Amazing. It just makes sense. Thanks Dell. The battery life is OUTSTANDING! First day it lasted almost 9 hours. No lie. But then I changed my power settings and it typically now get around five. I'm a happy camper in that department. And the screen is nice and bright, but when I plug it in, I have to put on sunglasses. lol!

As someone else mentioned, it is inconvenient to have the power cord on the right. I often use a wireless keyboard and mouse, and the cord impairs logical mousing movements. Because of the E1505 having so many issues with power cords fraying (mine included) I'm sure that contributed to this decision, but just wish it were on the left. Of course, this minute I'm happily cord free, so that problem is temporarily eliminated. (Maybe it should be advertised as a 'lefty's laptop. Ha!)

Uhmmm. I think that's it. Love the size, weight and look of this Dell. Just wish it wasn't buggy. Hope to add a five star review for the next one (or at least four, since some of the issues I have are built-in features).

****UPDATED 4/8/11 Procrastinator me did not send it back because it started behaving. Three months ago (Jan 2011) it died...never to reboot again -- will not follow any of the 'suggested' commands...won't go into safe mode. Will run hardware diagnostics but nothing defective is found. It is not a virus...I assure you. I've yet to have it inspected but because I did not buy the extended, the cost is preventing me from doing so at the moment. Dang it. I loved this laptop.

I have had this laptop for about 3 months and am pretty happy overall. It is lightweight and compact with excellent battery life. The touch pad is in an awkward spot and it is slightly difficult to type while avoiding tapping the pad with the heel of your hand. It is a shame that the keyboard isn't lighted, and the power outlet is on the right, which seems odd. Overall, I am very happy with the laptop.

First off let me say that I have been a loyal Dell buyer, this laptop was my third Dell. Now, I hate this 1470 Dell Laptop. I only had it five mos when the hard drive went. After two hours (no exaggeration) on the phone with their nice but inept tech, he finally agreed that the hd was defective. They sent me a replacement hd to install. I called them for help installing it, as instructed. The tech I got this time was extremely difficult to understand, after numerous "what" I did as instructed. But the instructions were wrong, so he said to return the laptop and replacement hd to Dell and they would repair it. OKAY, I was in agreement.
Two weeks later I get the laptop back, it had not been shut down properly, the computer would not reboot, and another 45minutes of frustration with Dell. I finally got it working, but they insist it was not repaired. Phone calls kept coming from them (one at midnight) asking me if the replacement hd had arrived. In frustration I stopped picking up their calls. Now I am getting letters asking why I didn't send the defective hd back. I tried calling them to explain that I didn't take the hd that was defective out of the computer when I returned the laptop for repair so they have it, but the woman did not understand what I was saying. So she then told me not to worry about it. Again, in frustration I have written a letter to them explaining the whole process I went through.
Back to the laptop, it is irratic. I will be typing and the cursor will jump around causing me to lose my information. I have tried everything to no avail. I would have given it one star except the quality of the screen is good.
Would I recommend this laptop: NO NO NO. And, customer service is plain awful to deal with. Do not buy this laptop.

The Dell Inspiron Laptop is an excellent buy. It is very compact, the Windows 7 Operating System is easy to use and I am very happy with the purchase. The only thing that I would like to have on the laptop is a lighted key pad.