10 Responses to “Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)”

1. Jared J. Callahan, on June 6th, 2010 at 2:31 pm Said:

   Review by Jared J. Callahan for Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)
   Rating:
   I have purchased three from this company in the past year — we have twins in college and each needed one — then one for personal/home use.

   Within a month after each warranty expired, the hard drive died. Nothing could be done but order a replacement – which first requires a $49 diagnostic fee….before they can even tell you what the part is that is needed and how much that will cost.

   They cannot replace items lost on the drive — so be sure to have your own external hard drive or system for back up. They are no help.

   This happened three times!! Three different laptops!! All with simple use at home and university. Each just AFTER the warranty expired — and they are in India — and make no adjustments to “policy” — and have the most effective system of blocking customers from access to attaining help.

   Never, ever again. Burned THREE times — with THREE different laptops. Never, never again.

2. Sandra Davern, on June 6th, 2010 at 2:46 pm Said:

   Review by Sandra Davern for Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)
   Rating:
   I have purchased two of these now.

   The one I bought at Best Buy lasted 5 days before having hardware failure. I returned it.

   I bought the second one at Staples. It lasted 3 hours before giving an error saying, “No hard drive detected.”

   Don’t buy this laptop!
   

3. Holly Blanc Moses, on June 6th, 2010 at 3:13 pm Said:

   Review by Holly Blanc Moses for Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)
   Rating:
   I bought my Dell Inspiron a few months back. It has become apparent that it is not what I am needing. The screen resolution – although 15.6″ large only produces a stretched 1024×768 style image that leaves me unable to see most apps.

   In addition the mouse cursor stops working periodically and Dell says they will not take a trade-in or return since it is past 21 days. Instead they asked me to buy a new one. The one-year service is a joke because they will not help with the problem.

   Seriously, I do not think I will buy Dell again. I even offered to upgrade if they just gave me 50% of the machines value in trade-credit but no they said enjoy your Dell.

4. Mike, on June 6th, 2010 at 3:44 pm Said:

   Review by Mike for Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)
   Rating:
   I’m not sure where the above bad reviews came from, but I find it hard to believe that anyone had such a bad experience with the same system that I bought from Amazon. Looks like most of the reviews are for computers bought from someone else or even directly from Dell, and the guy that bought 3 in the last year and had all of them crash within a month after the warranty expired????? well that doesn’t make since…. they all come with a 1 yr warranty, and if he bought three within the last year, then they would still be under warranty….. but I digress,,, and here is my review:

   I bought the Inspiron i1545 that is sold on Amazon.com and it has more than met my expectations. I figured that a $619 laptop would be the low end of the spectrum when looking for performance, but this has all the componants of the “high end”, as far as RAM and Hard disc. Win 7 makes it easy and has very fast start up and shut down times. It runs very effeciently when I have multiple windows open and I’m gettting close to 8 hours between charges (so far). I did a ton of research for computers before making this purchase, and even went to places like Best Buy so I could get a better feel for what the computer looks and feels like. This Inspiron has all the qualities I was looking for: Sleek, light weight, incredibly clear screen, and responsive keys. Add that together with the 4GB of RAM, 500GB of Hard disc, and I love the “Dell Dock” that allows me to put all my icons in one place, which keeps my desktop clean and professional looking.

   My opinion is that you cannot go wrong with this system. You certainly get more for your money!

5. Mahlers2nd, on June 6th, 2010 at 4:01 pm Said:

   Review by Mahlers2nd for Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK 1545 15.6-Inch Laptop (Jet Black)
   Rating:
   NOTE: After doing some research, I have found that the 2 brands with the lowest number of problems after 2 years are:

   Toshiba
   
   Asus

   HP finished last.

   – —————————————–

   I purchased this system about 9 months ago and for about 4 months, it received little to no use. However, as my IBM started acting up more and I started teaching online, I switched to the Dell as my primary system about 6 weeks ago. Yesterday, it started powering down randomly throughout the day. Since I teach online, I’m online most of the day. Tonight, it basically wouldn’t even complete the boot sequence before shutting down again. I’m VERY VERY unhappy. No — I didn’t pay a lot for the system (less than four hundred bucks) but I expect it to last longer than 2 months of daily use. Well never buy a Dell again.

   My primary computer is an Thinkpad T61 which I love. It isn’t fancy but my needs aren’t fancy, either. I’m an IT person and also teach online so alot of what I am doing is accessing work systems remotely through VPN, using Microsoft Office, using the Internet etc. I’m not into gaming but do listen to music through my computer a lot.

   When my Thinkpad started shutting down at random intervals, I knew I couldn’t afford to be without a computer… nor did I have the money to get a new Thinkpad. I wanted something pretty inexpensive that would be powerful enough to do what I needed. I went to our local Wally World to see what they had and they had this system for a price MUCH MUCH lower than listed here — basically for the cost of a netbook. The one I have has 3 GB memory and runs Vista (though I could upgrade to Windows 7 if I were so inclined)

   This is a very adequate system for what I need to do. I have been using it for about 3 months now with absolutely no reliability issues at all. I wasn’t wild about the feel of the trackpad but since I use it at home all the time, I use my handy dandy Kensington Expert Mouse Optical USB Trackball for PC or Mac 64325. The keyboard is fine to type on — not as nice and crisp as my Thinkpad but not as squishy as some I have tried. I like the fact that it does not overheat — I have had issues with HP systems that would get so hot you could barely touch them.

   The screen is gorgeous — though again, I would prefer a non-glare screen but that is becoming harder and harder to find.

   Performance is adequate. It doesn’t seem as zippy as my Thinkpad but that is probably the difference between running Vista and XP since the specs on the Dell are better than the specs on the Thinkpad.

   As shallow as this sounds, the Dell looks really nice — mine is a medium blue and I really like the styling.

   I can tell that the build quality isn’t the same as more expensive systems. However, I don’t need a rugged system since I’m just using it for home use. Battery life is respectable but again, 99 percent of the time, I have it plugged in.

   Overall, I’m very satisfied with the system and would not hesitate to buy it again — especially for what little it cost. The usability and “ergonomics” of the system are not significantly worse than more expensive systems and for basic home-office use, I believe it is a great system doing what I need it to do without being over-engineered for gaming and other system-intensive applications. Probably the most resource intensive thing I run on it is SAS Learning Edition 4.1: With the Little SAS Book for Enterprise Guide 4.1 and Mathematica and those work just fine.

   If you need a good basic system without alot of bells and whistles, I think you will be satisfied with this computer. Just don’t plan to get too attached to it because of the quality issues associated with Dell.

   After doing some research, I have found that the 2 brands with the lowest number of problems after 2 years are:

   Toshiba
   
   Asus

   HP finished last.

6. Robert Lee, on June 6th, 2010 at 4:03 pm Said:

   Review by Robert Lee for 3M Privacy Filter- 3M PF14.1W Widescreen Laptop privacy screen (16:10)
   Rating:
   I’ve owned this product for about a month now and purchased it because I was frustrated with seatmates on airplanes looking at my notebook screen for the whole flight, trying to figure out what I was doing. This screen works wonders in deterring others from taking glances at my private information. In fact, most people think I’m crazy, typing away on a computer with a blank screen, or so they think.

   There are some disadvantages with this screen though. Your seatmate directly next to you will be able to see through the filter to your screen partially, because they are within the viewing angle of the screen with the filter on. But move over any farther and the screen is not visible, nor is it visible across the aisle (if sitting in an aisle seat). About the only other place that it is visible is if someone is standing directly above you, one row back. Turning down the brightness of your screen also helps immensely in blocking people from viewing your screen through the filter at any angle.

   (Please note, having this filter installed screens out about half of the light coming out of the screen. If you have poor eyesight with dim lighting and have trouble with computer screens, this product may not be for you.)

   Additionally, the clear plastic tabs included with the filter adheres to the plastic border around the notebook LCD screen to keep the filter in place. It works, but blocks about a 1/8″ of the screen at 6 points, especially noticeable around the bottom of the screen where the start bar is located.

   You’ll also notice a large “3M PF14.1W” printed in the top right hand corner of the filter. It’s used to help in determining whether the filter is facing the right direction, but it’s quite distracting at times. The height of the lettering is equivalent in size to the window bar at the top of any program.

   This filter is also very dust, lint, debris, and smudge attracting. You’ll find yourself wiping the filter often.

   Overall, this filter does its job. Great for those who need to comply with HIPPA or other privacy regulations. But as an individual consumer, I wonder if the high price is justified for the benefits it provides.

7. Anonymous, on June 6th, 2010 at 4:26 pm Said:

   Review by for 3M Privacy Filter- 3M PF14.1W Widescreen Laptop privacy screen (16:10)
   Rating:
   I saw this at a small local computer store for dirt cheap so I decided to pick it up. The fit on my Toshiba laptop is perfect. Looking right at it, you can clearly tell that it is there as it has a dark tint and you can see the thin lines in it, but everything on screen is still readable and enjoyable, except for the annoying, non-removable “3M PF15.0″ logo near the bottom right of the filter that blocks off some of the text in the taskbar. It probably won’t hinder daily use, but just the fact that it’s there is annoying.
   For the screen to actually appear black, one would have to stand at a rather extreme angle where the screen wouldn’t even look all that clear to them in the first place. It will block somebody from reading any text, but for the most part they will still be able to tell what you are doing.
   Also, once you get dust on the back side of the filter, forget about getting it all off. I can spray it with compressed air all day and wipe it with my microfiber dust clothe as much as I want, but there is still some dust on it.
   In short, it does *NOT* make on-screen data visible only to the person directly in front of the monitor. I suggest that if you can, try one out first to see if it fits your needs. Maybe somebody at your local computer store will let you put one on a monitor and you can test out the angles to see if it is worth the price for you.

8. Michael B., on June 6th, 2010 at 4:43 pm Said:

   Review by Michael B. for 3M Privacy Filter- 3M PF14.1W Widescreen Laptop privacy screen (16:10)
   Rating:
   I’m a consultant who travels weekly. Lots of time on flights makes a privacy filter important to me. Being something of a perfectionist and the fact that I look through it for hours each week, I ordered both the ViewGuard and the 3M filters to compare them. I kept the 3M and returned the ViewGuard. Why?

   The image clarity of the 3M filter was significantly better (note that I work with small fonts, spreadsheets, etc. and wear glasses) Yes, ViewGuard, I removed the protective film before making the comparison! Two things bugged me about the ViewGuard: (1) its polarization cuts run diagonally (the 3M run vertically), which is distracting, and (2) the image through the ViewGuard is a tiny bit blurry/hazy compared to the 3M. 3M seems to have a more clear film that they use. A colleague of mine did the same side-by-side and agreed with me.

   Both products do what they claim, and both fit my notebook well, although I also prefer the optional vertical mounting strips that come with the 3M product (both come with mounting ‘dots’, but 3M supplies an alternate mounting mechanism as well).

   Let’s face it: $50 for a piece of plastic seems expensive, but there’s no alternative if you want to work on client (or your own financial) information on a plane. Thanks, 3M, for making a quality product. (And no, I don’t work for 3M!)

9. Wolfram Bosch, on June 6th, 2010 at 5:37 pm Said:

   Review by Wolfram Bosch for 3M Privacy Filter- 3M PF14.1W Widescreen Laptop privacy screen (16:10)
   Rating:
   Three big disappointments. Biggest is the viewing angle is WAY too wide. It darkens at 45 degrees, but you can still clearly see what someone’s up to, even if it’s *kind of* harder to read precise text. It doesn’t blacken until your near a 90 degree viewing angle. Pretty lame.

   Also, though it’s “matte” it’s a lot more reflective than a regular LCD flat screen. Maybe it’s less than an old glassy CRT, but the reflectivity is terrible compared to an LCD. You can actually make out your own face and highlights in the screen, even highlights coming from a side window (which I was hoping would be reduced by the microlouvre, not increased). Bright environments are 5 times harder to work in than they would be with a regular LCD screen.

   And lastly, looking at it straight in, it darkens the screen enough to be distracting and eye-straining. So it’s the worse of both worlds – it darkens too much for the user, and not enough at odd angles.

   The method for sticking the frameless kind on clutters your screen with cheesy plastic adhesive disks.

   Plus, it’s pretty expensive for a sheet of plastic.

   Wait until the tech gets better. Or decent, at least.
   

10. chaostheorem, on June 6th, 2010 at 5:39 pm Said:

    Review by chaostheorem for 3M Privacy Filter- 3M PF14.1W Widescreen Laptop privacy screen (16:10)
    Rating:
    The 3M Privacy Filter for 15.4″ screens is pricey, but does give you a measure of protection on information that could be revealed to wandering eyes (innocent or otherwise). If you are involved in high-security detail, or work for tech firms and need to keep the IP where it belongs, this screen might be just the thing you need.

    Installation is simple: you either use the double-sided tape or holding tabs (both types are included) to keep the filter attached to your monitor. The screen itself is very thin (yet rigid), and seamlessly layers over your screen. The filter itself has two sides: a glossy side to face your screen (and keep the screen in good shape) and a matte side to keep other peoples’ eyes off your screen.

    Two things I should note: 3M has taken the liberty of adding a permanent mark to their filter (with their logo and model number, with text at about 1mm high), and it sits on the upper-right side (mostly away from on-screen items). This is a bit annoying but you get used to ignoring it. Secondly, there is a small notch cut-out on the top of the filter, to allow you to pull the filter out if necessary. This is annoying as it disturbs the look of the filter, but you may also tend to ignore this after time.

    So how does it function? Not bad at all. Any angle past 90 degrees and you will start to see the screen fade to black. Sitting right next to the screen or even about 30 degrees off the center, and you still won’t see anything (this is just about the angle you might find that many snooping watchers at, such as on an airplane and just one or two rows behind you, opposite your aisle.)

    I use an HP Pavilion dv4170us notebook at the moment, and it fits like a glove. This notebook has an exceptionally bright screen though, and the brighter your screen is, the more that will show through the filter. If this is a concern for you, I suggest learning how to turn down the brightness of your monitor.

    Like I said though, this product is high-priced. But given the alternative of having thousands of dollars worth of stolen information whisked away because you failed to take precautions and shell out about $100, isn’t something you probably want on your conscience.

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