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The focus this year has been on ultraslim “ultrabooks,” but those can be rather pricey and are out of the range of many buyers. One other option for people seeking a more portable machine is Dell’s Vostro V131 with Dell Keyboard (an upgrade to the V130 model), which I recently had the chance to test. It’s a more affordable machine, so it sacrifices in some spec areas, but you’ll be getting an overall solid machine that is sufficient for most people’s everyday business and personal tasks. In terms of looks, you get a couple of color options — Aberdeen Silver and Lucerne Red, both pretty sharp looking but far from fancy. Overall specs are 12.96 inches wide, between .63 and .83 inches thick, and 9.36 inches deep. The starting weight is a very easy to handle 4.03 pounds, including the battery and Dell Vostro Keyboard . These specs basically translate into a light machine that’s not too big but still a little larger than those fancy ultrabooks I had mentioned earlier. That’s OK, though. I don’t see the ultrabook as a must-have, and this level of thinness is just fine by me. Overall, the materials used on the Vostro V131 are sturdy, not cheap, despite the lower price of this machine. The portability will be of help to both workers on the go who always carry their laptop (I would recommend getting a bag for it, of course), and average everyday folks who just like to take their laptops with them to school or work or elsewhere. KEYBOARD The Dell Keyboard is a pretty good size considering the smaller overall size of the computer. There are some complaints I had, such as the lack of a number pad on the right and smaller function keys on top, but that’s understandable considering that there is a lot to fit into a tight space and the main point here is that the letter keys are full size and made with quality, durable materials. That’s what matters. The V131’s touchpad was quite responsive, and I did not experience much accidental brushing of it (an issue I did experience with the V130 model, so they must have done something about it in the upgrade.) The keyboard is also backlit, a very helpful feature for night typing Dell Vostro V131 (Backlight) Keyboard . SOFTWARE The Vostro V131 comes with an Office 2010 Starter program (a stripped-down version of Office with basic word processing and spreadsheets, but no PowerPoint). There is also a introductory offering of antivirus software, but that must be purchased later in full (and you should; there’s a lot of bad stuff out there that can get you if you don’t have antivirus). A full version of Office can also be purchased if you feel you need it.
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