My Dell 1501 Inspiron laptop is now 3.5 years old and still going strong after 3 years of being lugged around constantly all over the world and bashed about in cold and hot climates.

This is a terrifically hardworking and hardwearing machine that is very durable compared to other models.

One bad point is that it is also very heavy compared to newer sleeker models so you could say it is a dinosaur in terms of really practical portability.

Another bad point was that the battery died after one year's use to the point that it used to last 2 hours approx (again not fantastic) and now lasts only 30 seconds at best without AC power. BUT the battery was subjected to one year's HEAVY use and I believe 1 or 2 years life expectancy is standard on laptop batteries so I figure that is not such an issue (maybe if all the manufacturers could try and come up with a longer life battery that doesn't need replaced so often we would all be happier but I think they might decide that idea was uneconomic).

However, despite all the minor gripes about the weight of it and the useless battery there is a lot to be thankful for. On the plus side I have had to do very little to maintain it and got thousands of hours of joy from it, considering I have used it as my main source of work, communication and entertainment from day one.

Speaking in terms of entertainment - the speakers are actually very good and not tinny or pitifully weak which some laptops suffer from (my Acer netbook is not so good here in this regard) so you can play music to your heart's content. Furthermore, the screen is a good size and can more than double for a TV in terms of size and quality and often has.

Overall I would highly recommend this model to you. In terms of actual usefulness and life expectancy I found it a godsend. Not for those with bad backs however!