Well, I could write about the 2nd generation intel core processors, or the 15.6" display, or the 500GB hard drive or the many other impressive technological, big word things which this machine posseses, but being someone who doesn't really care as much about the fangle dangles as I do about the fact that this laptop comes in pink and has the Internet and switches on... I won't bore you. Consider this the review for dummies.

So when my Compaq whatever it was starting taking over 20 minutes to load up, I thought it was time for a change. I had about a £500 budget (I think this was £400 or so) and wanted something basic, yet with memory enough for all of my music. I also wanted to run Microsoft Office for work purposes, and wanted something that was aesthetically pleasing. Call me an idiot but the pink and the sleek, sophisticated, sexy design really were selling points. Oh, it also had a disc drive and 3 USB ports which were useful.

So here I am with the instruction manual out having located the charger and pressed the on button. Problem number one and two and three I guess. The on button - what is wrong with it?! You have to hold it down for about 10 seconds at a funny angle and still you are lucky if it switches on. It's a bit of a random - 'do I feel like switching on today or not' scenario. Let me know if you can master this one.

The second problem of course is the battery life. 'Up to 4.5 hours of batter life' - excellent I think - I like to sit infront of the TV and use the computer where there is no free socket to plug into. Mistake. About 2 hours later I find a warning sign saying '17% left, 10 minutes battery life remaining'. And even then the charger doesn't always work - I even ended up in one of those situations where you take the product back for not charging properly and as soon as a proper person looks at it, it works perfectly. Thanks Dell. Not only a rubbish product, but full-on embarrassment also.

Thirdly was the initial setup programme. One false move and you could lose everything. It was not easy to follow and I ended up having to restart and restore to original settings several times before it worked properly which also meant I lost one of the 3 attempts at my Microsoft Office passkey things. GRRRRRR!!! Ok ok, I know they can do it instore, but as a young independent women on a budget I want to and should be able to do these things on my own right?

Next thing - loading up. So having altered my 3.5 year old Compaq for a faster running machine, I expected better. Load up time is about 4-5 minutes, but this is still too long for me. It definitely should not take this long for a computer to boot up. Although I do like the Hbernate function which halves this time. Still, not impressed really. If I need to check my emails in hurry for my highly busy job where time is essential, I do not want to wait 4 - 5 minutes to do so. Infact I'd rather use my phone now as this seems quicker.

Another problem is the keypad. The keys stick! If I didn't apply so much force or make use of the 'backspace' button so much my typin ould proably be full of missd out letters a it like this because they get stuck and do not prss down fully (and now for the proper, heavy handed translation which should be included anyways - 'my typing would probably be full of missed out letters a bit like this because they get stuck and do not press down fully' - a great way to burn calories however). Definitely a no no when you type as fast as I do and need to get a job done without any problems.

So I think the programmes all run ok and it doesn't seem to freeze a whole lot. I've only had 2 blue screen messages so far saying I'm about to die or something if I don't press any key - I never really pay much attention and am probably making the situation worse by pressing the on/off button (if it works) but still. Those moments have fortunately been few and far between.

So I guess overall it's a pretty poor model from such an esteemed brand name. I certainly won't be buying this make again. Although at least it works, which is more than the Samsung model I bought did - that one had to get sent back altogether!