Is the “ultrabook” tag getting stretched? Maybe. Dell just launched two noticeably rectangular (because of a 14″ HD widescreen) and maybe a little confident-on-the-weight-side notebooks.

• The Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook boasts of an 11-hour battery life, but there’s a trade off: it weighs 4.7 lbs. Never mind the glare, but the side-to-side viewing angles are spectacular. Still, the weight is kinda ultra in my book. SRP Php 68,990.00 (base model); Php 79,990.00 (upgraded).
• The Dell Inspiron 14z Ultrabook has an optical disk drive. Despite that, it’s surprisingly thin, and it “feels” lighter than your old chunky fan-humming-noisy laptop. But it’s the plastic-cheap feel that sticks out. Up to seven hours of battery life. SRP Php 44,990.00.

If you’re under the impression that an ultrabook should be light and disc-drive-less, I’m with you right there. Plagued by doubts I am.

Specs right under each overview-video below.

Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook

• Processor: 3rd Gen Intel i5-3317U processor with 3M cache, up to 2.6 GHz – TPM; upgradable to 4M cache, up to 3.0 GHz – TPM
• OS: Genuine Windows 7 Home, upgradable to Home Premium
• Memory: 4 GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1x4GB), upgradable to 8 GB
• Hard Drive: 500 GB 5400RPM; 32 GB SSDR Mini Card (upgradable to 128 GB SSDR Mini Card)
• Video Card: NVDIA GeForce GT 630M with 1GB GDDR5 VRAM
• Security: McAfee Security Center – 15 months
• Display: 14″ HD+ (900p) True Life Infinity Display
• Keyboard: back-lit chiclet style, spill-resistant
• Battery: 69WHr 8-Cell Li-Polymer built-in battery (non-replaceable), lasts up to 11 hours.
• SRP: Php 68,990.00 (base model); Php 79,990.00 (upgraded).

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Dell Inspiron 14z Ultrabook

• Processor: 3rd Gen Intel i5-3317U with 3M cache, up to 2.6 Ghz.
• OS: Genuine Windows 7 Home Basic
• Memory: 4 GB 1 DIMM (4 GB x 1) DDR3 1600Mhz
• Hard Drive: 500 GB 5400RPM SATA, mSATA SSD – 32 GB
• Video Card: AMD Radeon HD 7570M with 1 GB GDDR5
• Security: McAfee Security Center – 15 months
• Display: 14.0″ HD Widescreen, 200-nit (1366×768) 720p
• Audio and Speakers: 2 Skullcandy Speakers with Waves MaxxAudio 4
• Battery: 44 WHr Prismatic Battery, lasts up to 7 hours
• SRP: Php 44,990.00

Irwin Allen Rivera

Irwin Allen Rivera loves his wife's cooking so much he's now twice the man he used to be. His English essay placed 3rd at the 2012 Palanca Awards. His philosophical-horror story is included in Philippine Speculative Fiction 8 (2013). He was managing editor and lead writer of Sites and Symbols 2 (2005), a coffee-table book about buildings in UP Diliman - his alma mater (BA Philosophy; MA Creative Writing continuing). He worked at the UP Diliman Information Office before shifting to web content writing full-time. His sudden fiction, "Notwithstanding Pigs," initially a Friendster testimonial, appeared in Philippines Graphic (2006) and in Very Short Stories for Harried Readers (2007).

email: swirlingovercoffee@gmail.com