First Look: Dell's new Vostro notebook

At first glance Dell’s slim Vostro V130 looks the part as a business ultraportable for users on the move.

It weighs just 1.59kg in its basic configuration and is hewn from aluminium, reinforced with zinc hinges and finished with a magnesium alloy palm rest. In other words, it’s light but tough enough to cope with the rigors of life on the road.

The Vostro V130 packs a lot of technology for asking price. The cheapest model is $899 and comes with a low voltage Intel Core i3 processor and a 320GB hard drive, although a just-acceptable 2GB of RAM. That's sufficient for the basics of online and Office.

Another $200 takes you to the top of the range where the processor cranks up to a Core i5, memory doubles to 4Gb and hard disk storage expands to 500Gb – a far meatier spec set for heavy-duty work.

But there are two areas where the V130 may fall short for most business users.

First, the battery life. Dell doesn’t even say how long the battery is meant to last, but early press reviews are not positive. Australian PC World found the machine ran for just over two hours at full tilt.

This wouldn’t be such a restriction if the battery was easier to get at – but it isn’t. The unit is sealed swapping out cells for longer life isn’t a practical option.

Also, while internationally the Vostro V130 ships with an integrated 3G modem, this isn't an option for Australian models.

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.