<p>Writing to NTFS is possible in Linux but it is not recommended because it might corrupt NTFS.</p>
<p>hello, i'm also an engineer at berkeley. sorry if i give some redundant information but here are some pros and cons i considered when buying the d620 over the macbook:</p>
<p>pros:
almost a pound lighter
bigger and higher res screen
quadro
standard 3 year warranty
joystick
twice as many usb ports
faster hard drive option
keyboard is more conventional (could be a con for some i guess)</p>
<p>cons:
no firewire like the mac
screen is not as bright and pretty as the mac's
optical drive not slot loading...slot loading is just dang cool.</p>
<p>other things that came to mind:
-some macbooks supposedly overheat because of a film over the vent that hasnt been removed by some factories: just take it out and problem solved.
-d620 has this cool ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the lcd backlight depending on how well lit the room is. maybe other laptops have it too? <em>shrug</em> first time ive seen it...</p>
<p>hope this helps.</p>
<p>Actually I now will be able to spend more. Im thinking maybe Sharp M4000 or Sony SZ, both of which are a lot lighter than the Dell, however be spending more I could configure the Dell with a lot more options such as 1 Gig of memory, Quad graphics card, high capacity battery.</p>
<p>i started searching for a laptop from before the macbook or d620 was released and the sz was actually my top choice. i decided otherwise for a couple of reasons:</p>
<p>-switching between integrated and dedicated cards on the sz requires a restart and only amount to 30 mins or so difference in battery life (so i hear).
-warranty is nothing compared to the latitude's
-keyboard is a bit weird: stiff and displaces less than normal keyboards
-only 2 usb ports (but it does have firewire)
-the biggest reason by far is the price. here is what i mean:</p>
<p>for around $1350,
sz:
Celeron-M 1.6 GHz
512mb ddr2-533
no bluetooth
std capacity battery
1 year warranty</p>
<p>d620:
core duo 2.0ghz
2gb ddr2-667
bluetooth
extended battery
3 year warranty</p>
<p>and keep in mind that the upgrades on the vaio are very pricey.
but if you were to get the vaio, it's a bit cheaper through the online outlet. clearance is usually 50-100 off and refurbs are up to 300 off. but even those turn out to be more expensive than the latitude...
the case sure is beautiful though.</p>
<p>I love my dell d610 (the d620 is the newer version)
Its been able to do nearly everything I needed it to, only a few CAD models have slowed it down. Its passed the droptest, and is over all a pretty dang good computer. It does everything I need it to, and more. (hey, it runs itunes while running solid works, I cant ask for more).
I would have liked a mac, mostly since I love the mac's user interface much much more, but I'll live. Also, my warrenty is amazing.</p>
<p>The only problem I have with the D620, is that it ways more than the Sony or Sharp, and thats important to me because I'll be carrying it around the big Berkeley campus everyday. Also, although it may seem stupid, but the D620 looks a lot worse asthetically than the sony or sharp.</p>
<p>the D620 has crappy speakers</p>
<p>cant argue with that. but i have to say, after getting it in person, the d620 is not bad looking at all. anyway, if you have money you can spec up the sz just fine. good luck with that.</p>
<p>The laptop is cool. I purchase a new from dell. However, The battery of running time is too low. I bought new one from Discount</a> dell latitude d620 Battery ,4400mah from <a href="http://www.batterygoshop.co.uk%5B/url%5D">www.batterygoshop.co.uk</a> . Does any have this problem?</p>
<p>Sorry to say this but, I would really hold off buying any laptops from apple until steve jobs reappear...</p>
<p>itoushiro,</p>
<p>I</a> wouldn't base the purchase on whether or not a Gizmodo rumor is true.</p>
<p>Besides, even if Jobs retires, so what? That's not going to make your Macbook self-destruct...</p>
<p>itoushiro,</p>
<p>I</a> wouldn't base the purchase on whether or not a Gizmodo rumor is true.</p>
<p>Besides, even if Jobs retires, so what? That's not going to make your Macbook self-destruct...</p>
<p>I can swear on this on my life ........</p>
<p>buy a tablet pc dude please please u wont regret it..... just research on tablet pc's like what they are and how can they be useful...trust me it will payoff</p>