Anyweb--Your Thoughts?
Ann Meffert
bought open box laptops with disappointing results and took them back.
So, this time I want a top of the line (within reason) notebook and I
like the dual pointers on Dell and its configuration options and price..
However, Mike Chan and I have been discussing the problem with the
screen being marred by the space bar. Not good. Yes, there are ways to
protect it, but why should one have to work around this problem. Mike
has said I can post his replies to me. So, do you, after perusing all of
this, have any better solution for I8000 buyers?
(pasted comments from Mike Chan)
hello!
yes i do - the lower left corner of the spacebar and lower right corner
of the space bar hit the screen. i now put a cloth in between the
screen and keyboard to prevent this, and i created some velcro "risers"
which help move the lcd screen farther away from the keyboard.
mike
hi ann.
...when i first heard about it i was really
troubled, almost considering returning it. however, knowing the price
of the i8k, and how nice (otherwise) it is, i decided to keep it, and do
the modifications i mentioned. and to be honest, i'm totally fine now
with everything, still think i got a good deal, i am very much enjoying
this machine. anyways putting a nice square cloth into my laptop before
i close a case has been very handy - now i always have a nice piece of
cloth to wipe my screen with in case some fingerprints get on it =)
i may have gotten the ibm too, but the dell plain kills it, if you
measure the laptop in terms of price for functionality. and its more
configurable also. and although the techsupp is bad, its not as bad as
IBM... in fact dell is probably the best of the bad =)
and if you do get the i8k with that issue, don't feel too bad about it.
my friend with his new titanium g4 computer has the same issue. the
keys don't mark up the screen, but the oils from the keyboard gets on
his lcd screen, so other notebooks, even good ones, CAN have this
problem also.
plus i get nice comments "wow, what a good idea" when they see that
purple cloth i have in my laptop - even though they have no idea why its
there =)
take care,
mike
To: Michael Chan
Bummer. Maybe I need to rethink buying a Dell, although that's what I
want. My other choice would be an IBM Thinkpad, but they cost more. I
think your plan will work to protect your screen, but it doesn't make
sense that customers should have to do this, does it?
Do you know if Anyweb on the Dell newsgroup has investigated this from
his workbench at Dell? I thought about forwarding your e-mails to the
newsgroup attention Anyweb, but didn't want to without your permission.
From: Mike Chan
I do not know if he has investigated it. I'm almost positive he knows
about the issue however. However you
might get a response from Jeffry
Bruss [mailto:jbr...@csus.edu], who I've written to a bit concerning
this matter. He claims that he spoke to the/one of the engineers who
designed the Inspiron, and says that the engineers knew about the issue,
in fact made the keyboard "raised" so that touch-typists would find it
easier to press. Of course as a side-note it causes rubbing on the
screen, but Dell seems to be ignoring this fact. I think more I8K's
than not are probably likely to have this problem, especially if you put
the laptop into a bag (like me) and have some occasional pressure
applied. My coworker's Lattitude C800 (almost same machine, except for
business) doesn't have this problem, however he doesn't subject it to
tossing-in-the-carseat treament as I do. Other similar computers from
Dell such as I5000e's have also had this issue.
feel free to forward this email to anyone you wish, I just hope that you
find what you like.
good luck,
mike
Carter Coberley" <c...@ufl.edu> wrote in message
news:<99mcpp$sgo8$1...@spnode25.nerdc.ufl.edu>...
I had the same problem on 3 different dell systems. On one system dell
also promptly agreed to replace the keyboard AND the screen, and to
their
credit I had a on site technician at my house the very next morning at
9am
replacing both screen and keyboard. But guess what -- same exact
problem. Luckily I was within my 30 day return period and the piece of
shit
went back.
Yep, I have been saying all along that this is a "feature" -- or
rather I consider it a "design flaw"
Maybe someday Dell will design a machine that does not have this
problem. In the mean time I suggest you (and anyone else looking at
Dell) consider
Toshiba, IBM, or anyone else besides Dell.
"Jeffrey Bruss" <jbr...@csus.edu> wrote in message
news:B9Pt6.17589$qv3.7...@nnrp5-w.sbc.net...
Howdy, all,
Just had a very enlightening experience. As you may or may not
know, I received my I8000 about a month ago. Everything was fine, with
a
single exception: the keyboard rubbed the screen when the laptop was
closed. The rubbing was not excessive, IMHO, but it left annoying marks
on the
LCD. I could see how this might cause long-term damage to the LCD. So,
I
phoned Dell and asked them to ship me a replacement keyboard.
Of course, since my machine is under warranty, I was not able to
swap the keyboards myself; they sent a very nice and quite competent
technician to do the job. The replacement keyboard he brought with him
had the same
problem, though (the space bar is set about 1-2 mm higher than the rest
of
the keys; this is where the rubbing happens). So the technician called
Dell
from my apartment to inquire about a second replacement keyboard. They
put
him on hold, but he had another appointment and could not wait on hold.
"I'll talk to these guys," I said, so he handed the phone to me and took
off.
Within minutes, to my utter shock, I found myself speaking to the
*engineer who designed the keyboard(!).* At least, according to him. I
have
no real reason to doubt it, and what he told me was fascinating. In a
nutshell: "We purposefully offset the spacebar to assist touch typists.
We
know it will occasionally rub against the screen. It doesn't put enough
pressure on the screen to damage it, and if it *does* damage it, we'll
replace
it under warranty."
THE KEYBOARD RUBBING PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO DELL, IS A
"FEATURE."
!!!
a ***FEATURE***!!!
Can I emphasize that enough? Am I the only one who finds this a bit
screwy?
It is apparent that they are NOT attempting to stick me on the
warranty, because the technician who came to my apartment had a
brand-new
keyboard with him. They honestly and truly call this abomination a
"feature."
Now I have no recourse at all, because my 30-day money-back
guarantee ended a couple of days ago.
Look, don't get me wrong. This laptop is a marvel of engineering,
and packs a huge number of features. It is the top of the
top-of-the-line.
But this stance on what I consider an OBVIOUS PROBLEM is something with
which
I am having difficulty.
Jeff
Ann Meffert
may present with a similar problem. There were 5000 and 8000 owners'
comments posted over there under General Hardware.
If it comes down to having to place a cloth over the keyboard, any
suggestions so I won't be having a lint build up and contamination
problem? Maybe Dell should offer a keyboard cover. It would be cheaper
than replacing lcd's with scratches.
anyweb
in
other words it wont occur unless force is applied possibly to the bag the
machine is being carried in which presses the lcd against the spacebar
id recommend you call dell tech support in your area and discuss this with
them, however, the lcd never gets damaged, but do bear in mind that
as Mike says 'My coworker's Lattitude C800 (almost same machine, except for
>business) doesn't have this problem, however he doesn't subject it to
>tossing-in-the-carseat treament as I do'
may seem to explain the problem. at least as far as Im concerned
hth
cheers
anyweb
Original Message From Ann Meffert <lame...@worldnet.att.net> =====
anyweb at hotmail dot com
http://www.geocities.com/hotsprings/2389
anyweb
than clothy
it sometimes ships with new/eval units from our factories and you often see
it
in camera cases (i think,,,)
but if you know what im talking about then thats what I'd recommend
hth
cheers
anyweb
>===== Original Message From Ann Meffert <lame...@worldnet.att.net> =====
>Just spent some time on the DellTalk newsgroup. Apparently, the I5000
>may present with a similar problem. There were 5000 and 8000 owners'
>comments posted over there under General Hardware.
>If it comes down to having to place a cloth over the keyboard, any
>suggestions so I won't be having a lint build up and contamination
>problem? Maybe Dell should offer a keyboard cover. It would be cheaper
>than replacing lcd's with scratches.
>
>Ann Meffert wrote:
>>
Ann Meffert
obsessive about my belongings and do not "plan" to throw my laptop
around. Since I'm paying out of my own pocket, I have to be careful. The
I8000 remains my first choice. Once again, it's great knowing you're
here to provide insider insight.
Jonathan Ronk
says it all.
"anyweb" <any...@MailAndNews.com> wrote in message
news:3AD0...@MailAndNews.com...