Blog posts in Computer hardware

TOTW: what to do if your mobile phone gets dropped in water

Smart phone, meet glass of water / pint of Guinness / insert damp environment as applicable. Being dropped in water or another liquid is a common way for a mobile phone to meet its end.

Someone should probably tell that to the 75% of owners who use their expensive smart phone while on the toilet.

For this tip of the week (TOTW), we explain what to do if your mobile phone gets dropped in water.

Recovery is by no means guaranteed, but swift action can often save a smart phone from a watery grave.

1. Move fast and pop the battery out

Are your reactions good? Let's hope so, because the first crucial step to saving your mobile phone when it's been dropped in water is to fish it out and pop the battery off the back.

If the phone appears to still be functioning, don't try and turn it off first. Pressing buttons could let more water inside or fry the circuits.

Once it's powered down the chance of damage is lower, so the quicker you can do this the better. If your handset is an iPhone, or another model without a removable battery, you'll have to switch it off instead and hope for the best.

Whatever you do, don't be tempted to try and turn it on after a few minutes just to 'check if it's ok'. You could do irreversible damage.

2. Dry the water from your phone

Assuming you've already removed the battery, take out the SIM card and remove any other accessories, like memory cards or headphones.

Then grab some kitchen towel (or whatever you have to hand) and dry the outside of your mobile phone as thoroughly as possible. Your aim is to stop water leeching in through gaps in the case.

It can take real effort to remove all traces of water from handset keypads, headphone connections and so on.

You may be tempted to use a hairdryer, but don't. The air can actually push water further into your device. Instead, try using a vacuum cleaner to suck water from nooks and crannies.

3. Leave it to recover

Even if your mobile phone looks bone dry, there's likely to still be water where you can't see it. Before you take the risk of switching it back on, give it a decent chance to dry out.

A good option is to leave your handset in a bowl of rice for a few days. This may draw the moisture out for you. Alternatively, you can buy special bags to draw out any damp lurking in your smart phone. Try this Bheestie bag (£14.99) or this kit (£14.20).

The key here is to be patient. Don't leave your phone in an overly-warm place or be tempted to heat it up, as this may do more harm than good.

After a few days, check your handset and give it a good shake to see if any water droplets emerge. If there are no signs of damp, you can put it back together and risk turning it on. If you're lucky, it'll spring back to life. If not, you'll need to take a trip to a repair shop.

• How to remove comments from a Word document
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When does a big smart phone become a phablet?

Smart phones are getting bigger. Clearly unhappy with the already-really-rather-large size of its new Galaxy S4 (whch has a 5" screen), Samsung recently announced a new even-more-ginormous phone.

Yes, the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Mega (check out the name) has a massive 6.3" screen. It's a phone that is, frankly, ginormous.

To illustrate just how big it is, we've knocked up this diagram comparing it to an iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4. The image isn't actual size, but it is to scale:

The trend towards larger displays on smart phones isn't a new one. It seems to reflect our desire to do much more with these devices than just make phone calls.

Larger screens are better-suited to watching video and playing games, as well as less-exciting functions like viewing and editing documents or making video calls.

But how big is too big? And at what point does a smart phone stop being a phone, and start being a tablet?

Introducing the phablet

Well, some tech firms have pre-empted that question by creating an entirely new product category. I give you: the phablet. 

Yes, really. Online seller Expansys even has a whole phablet category on its website. Phablets are a bit bigger than a typical smart phone but a bit smaller than your average tablet.

Tell friends or colleagues that you have a new phablet and they'll have no idea what you're on about, of course. But at least you'll know your new gadget has a name.

Phones, phablets, tablets ... who cares?

At the end of the day, as long as your phone / phablet / tablet does what you need it to, it doesn't matter what you call it.

But if you are shopping for a new smart phone, the diversity of screens available means it's important to check yours is right for the job. For instance:

• Is it big enough to easily read text on the screen?
• Is it small enough to fit in your pocket or bag?
• Can you use the phone comfortably with one hand?

If 6.3" isn't enough for you, there's no word yet on whether Samsung has any larger handsets planned. But it does seem unlikely, as there's already a wide range of 7" tablets on the market. These include the firm's own Galaxy Tab, the Amazon Kindle Fire and the cheap-as-chips BlackBerry PlayBook.

• Protecting your smart phone from theft
• Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S4
• The new BlackBerry aims to bring balance to your business

Dell XPS 10 review: a great business tablet with one Achilles' heel

Light and slender, Dell's XPS 10 tablet computer looks like a small laptop, except the optional keyboard (not pictured) can be removed, transforming it into a pure 10.1" touch screen tablet.

We spent a couple of days using the XPS 10. Here are our first impressions.

Solid and weighty

The XPS 10 is an attractive, understated piece of kit. It feels solid and - when you choose to use it - the keyboard is pleasant and quiet, if a little undersized.

It would be nice if the keyboard had a backlight, but the large trackpad works nicely without feeling at all cramped.

Because the keyboard contains extra batteries, when you use the XPS 10 in its 'laptop' configuration, the battery life is fantastic. It'll keep going for 16+ hours, which is great if you're on a long flight or simply don't want to recharge so often.

However, the flipside of this staying power is the significant weight of the keyboard. In pure tablet mode, the Dell XPS 10 weighs in at 635g, which is slightly less than an iPad. But adding the keyboard more than doubles this to 1.3kg.

A well-connected tablet

The XPS 10 impresses with its connectivity too. The screen includes a micro-USB port and micro-SD memory card slot, as well as the dock connector for the keyboard. When the keyboard isn't attached, this doubles as an HDMI output via an adaptor, allowing you to connect an external screen when in tablet mode.

There are extra ports on the keyboard, including two USB connections and a mini-HDMI port, for hooking up screens and projectors.

The touch screen is clear and bright - even in sunlight - and allows multi-touch gestures just like a decent tablet should. It responds well when you tap and swipe, comparing favourably with other tablets in this bracket.

Adequate storage, good performance

The XPS 10 includes either 32GB or 64GB (gigabytes) of storage space. That's not a huge amount, particularly when you realise the pre-loaded software can leave as little as 16GB of usable space on the smaller-capacity model.

It is still room for lots of text documents or thousands of images. However, it would be wise to avoid downloading large video or music files, as these could eat up that space quickly.

Overall, the XPS 10's performance certainly feels snappy. Chuck in the enormous battery life and this Dell tablet starts to look like a real winner.

Is Windows RT enough?

The XPS 10's Achilles' heel is that it comes with Microsoft Windows RT, a special version of Windows designed for tablets.

The problem with Windows RT is that it can't run most standard Windows software. That means some of the programs you use in your business are unlikely to work on the XPS 10.

The tablet does come with a web browser, email software and other tools which mean it's fine for browsing the internet and using many cloud services. There's also an app store where you can download apps that will work on the tablet, although it's sparsely populated compared with competing app stores from Apple and Android.

Most usefully, the XPS 10 includes a special version of Microsoft Office, meaning you can work on Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.

However, when you buy the tablet you'll get the Home & Student Edition of Office, which is not licensed by Microsoft for commercial use. As ZDNet has revealed, you'll need to buy an additional commercial license to legally use this version of Office in your business.

It's worth noting this isn't really Dell's fault. Microsoft hasn't made other versions of Office available with Windows RT. But it still seems bizarre that a tablet specifically marketed as being 'great for work and play' comes with key software that you can't legally use for work.

• Should you buy a Microsoft Surface?
• Does your business need Windows 8?
• Microsoft wants every computer to have a touch screen

Accepting cards is going to get easier this year

The PayPal Here card reader and app

If 2012 was the year contactless payments finally crawled vaguely into the mainstream, 2013 is shaping up to be the year when it gets much easier for small companies to accept card payments.

There are a whole slew of competing products emerging, all of which enable you to take card payments with your smart phone. They include:

• iZettle, which we covered previously but has since been updated to allow chip and PIN payments.  
• PayPal Here, coming soon from the payments giant PayPal. This will also allow chip and PIN payments.
• Intuit Pay, a similar service which is currently being piloted with a chip and PIN card reader.
• mPowa, which currently uses a signature-based system but is in the process of switching to chip and PIN.
• SumUp, another signature-based system which is available now with a free card reader.

With so many companies entering the market, the next few months are likely to see aggressive competition. If you are looking to start taking card payments, you should be in a good position to get a decent deal.

Mobile payments with a smart phone

Most of these new mobile payment services function in the same basic way. When you sign up you get a card reader which connects to your smart phone. You also get an app which you must install onto your mobile.

Together your phone, the app and the card reader do the same job as the traditional card terminals currently used by retailers.

When someone wants to pay you, you open the app, enter the payment amount and process their card through the card reader. Some services use chip and PIN. but others only offer verification via signature, which is less secure. Over time, it seems likely that chip and PIN will become the standard method of taking payment. 

The cost of a merchant account

What all these mobile payment services have in common is that they promise to simplify the business of accepting credit and debit cards.

At present, most companies need a merchant account to accept cards. Getting one can be time-consuming and expensive.

Typically, you pay a one-off set up fee, plus a commission of 1 - 3% on each payment. There's also often a monthly fee for the account itself, plus a charge for the hire of a card terminal - all wrapped up in a contract of 12 months or more.

In comparison, most of these new services charge up to 3% commission, plus a one-off fee (£50 - £100) for the card reader. With no minimum contract, they'll be attractive to companies who want to test the water or need to take card payments less often.

How will the banks respond?

The unanswered question - so far - is how the banks and other companies that traditionally provide card processing services will respond to the increased competition. Will it rouse them to slash their costs and increase the flexibility of their own services?

We'll be keeping a close eye on this market over the next few months to see exactly how things shape up. Once a few more services are publicly available, we'll take a closer look at the differences between them.

In the meantime, if you've had any experience using your smart phone to take card payments then leave a comment to let us know how things have gone.

• Key steps to accepting online payments
• Couch commerce and the convenience factor
• Mobile commerce: what you need to know

What is screen resolution and why does it matter?

Screen resolution is one of those IT terms that people use without necessarily knowing exactly what it means. We thought it was about time we explained it.

Screen resolution is the number of pixels

The image on your computer screen is built up from thousands or millions of pixels. The screen creates the image you see by changing the colours of these tiny square elements.

The screen resolution tells you how many pixels your screen can display horizontally and vertically. It's written in the form 1024 x 768. In this example, the screen can show 1,024 pixels horizontally, and 768 vertically:

Different sizes, same screen resolution

Now it starts getting a little more complicated. Screens that are different sizes can still have the same screen resolution.

For instance, your laptop could have a 13" screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800. And you could have a 17" monitor on your desk with the same 1280 x 800 resolution.

In this example, although the monitor on your desk is larger, you won't actually be able to fit anything extra onto it. The total number of pixels is the same - just everything looks a bit bigger:

This means that choosing the right screen means you have to take note of both the screen's size and its resolution.

What higher resolution means

If you're comparing two screens of the same size but with different resolutions, the screen with the higher resolution (that's the one with more pixels) will be able to show you more of what you're working on, so you don't have to scroll so much.

Because that screen has more pixels, the image will be sharper. However, the higher resolution also means that elements on the screen - like icons and text - will look smaller.

Here's another example. It's a real-life one from Dell, to illustrate the difference between two screens available on its XPS 13 laptop.

On the left, a screen with resolution of 1366 x 768. On the right, a screen of the same size with resolution 1920 x 1080:

The higher resolution screen means you can see more of your spreadsheet at once. But it also means the figures in that spreadsheet will look smaller and sharper.

It's not just about resolution

When you're choosing a new computer or display, don't let yourself be guided by screen resolution alone. Brightness and colour representation can vary across screens, so the best way to choose is to sit down in front of a screen and see if you like it.

Having said that, there are a few rules of thumb to help you choose the right resolution:

• If you're buying a monitor for your desk, go for a screen sized 21" or bigger, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 or more. This is known as a full HD screen, because the resolution is capable of displaying high definition video.
• If you're buying a laptop that will be mostly used with a separate monitor, the standard screen should be fine. Higher resolution laptop screens can increase costs significantly, and aren't worth the expense for occasional use.
• People who do graphic design work or need to access lots of different windows at once (like web developers) can benefit from specialist, high resolution screens. If you're feeling flush, Apple's 15" MacBook Pro with Retina display boasts the world's highest-resolution laptop screen. The company's 27" display is also one of the best separate displays you can buy.

What screen resolution do you use? Do you ever feel like you need more screen space?

• Computer monitors and projectors
• Tech bargain: grab a great cheap monitor
• What we can all learn from Microsoft's new homepage

Laptop image © Sjgh | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos
Computer monitor image © Teerapun | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

Business tech bargain: 3TB external hard drive for under £90

As a new IT Donut feature, we'll be highlighting a couple of business tech bargains each week, to help you find the best value IT out there. 

To kick things off (that's the best I can do for a football related pun) eBuyer is offering this Buffalo 3TB DriveStation external hard drive for £89.49 (including VAT, but excluding delivery).

See it now on the eBuyer site >>

About this tech bargain

An external hard drive like this is an easy way to add extra storage to your computer. It's also a good way to back up your key business files.

3TB (terabytes) of storage is an enormous amount of space for files, which means this hard drive can hold around 600 full-length DVD quality films or millions of documents.

At this price, it's worth having in reserve just in case you need extra storage in a hurry. See full details and buy online now.

Dell launches new everyday business laptops

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Dell announced new models in its Inspiron laptop range.

Although the PC giant's machines are a fixture in companies across the world, there are suggestions that laptop sales are in a long-term decline. So, can these new models tempt workers away from their tablet computers?

Thin, light and powerful?

Dell's customers told it that they want better battery life from laptops without sacrificing overall performance, and that they want laptops that are thin and portable.

That's not exactly groundbreaking news, but as a result the company says its new Inspiron models take advantage of low-power processors to optimise performance and improve battery life. They're 17% thinner and 15% lighter than the previous generation.

Budget-friendly options

The Dell Inspiron 15 and Inspiron 17 models are designed for budget-conscious customers looking for a laptop with all the usual essential features.

Prices start at just £299 all in for the entry-level 15" model. But with its slow Celeron processor, it's a false economy. Even if you're on a really tight budget, you'll be better off stretching to £379 for a model with Intel's i3 processor.

Unusually for a laptop this size, the 15" model includes a 10-key number pad, which could be really useful if you enter numbers or work with figures a lot.

If you prefer a bigger screen (but a less portable laptop), the 17" model starts at £349. Again, a decent business machine will cost you more than that - here aim for the £449 model which includes a powerful Intel i5 processor.

Pay more for personalisation

There are also two more expensive models in the range: the Inspiron 15R and 17R.

These offer some personalisation options, including a choice of brushed-aluminium finishes. Lovely, but probably not worth paying more for.

Of more interest is the optional full HD screen available with these two laptops. This gives you a crisper display, with more space for your windows and the ability to show full HD video if you wish.

It's not a must-have for business use, but may be worth paying extra for, particularly if you use your laptop screen a lot to work on big images, spreadsheets or other documents that take up a lot of space on screen.

For a full HD screen, you're looking at paying £679 for the 15" model, or £699 for the 17" model.

• A rugged laptop that can take a knock
• How to increase laptop battery life
• Do we really need Fujitsu's laptop for women?

Our experts predict business IT for 2013

On Monday we revealed IT experts are predicting that, among other trends, 2013 will be about Mac malware and 3D presentations.

To follow up, we decided to ask two IT Donut contributors what they think this year will bring. Here's what they told us.

You'll be bringing your own device

Bring your own device (or BYOD, for short). Those four words have appeared on this website again and again during the last few months.

It's a trend that's growing and growing, with many experts tipping it for the next 12 months. Regular IT Donut contributor Craig Sharp, from Birmingham IT support firm Abussi, agrees:

"Businesses will be more willing and more technically able to embrace the BYOD trend this year."

"That's partly down to the rise of cloud services that we saw in 2012. These make it easier for businesses to embrace BYOD, because employees can connect to them with their own iPads, laptops and computers, from home and remote locations."

"Companies that decide to give BYOD a try can become more productive and reduce their costs because they don't have to buy so much expensive hardware. Most people have a computer and an increasing number have iPads or other tablets, so why not let them use this equipment to allow more flexible working arrangements?"

"I think this will create a debate about the boundaries of work. When are we working and when are we not? But perhaps that's a piece for this time next year!"

A slow year for Microsoft and laptops

Rob Collins is technical director at Yorkshire Cloud, a firm that provides cloud services to companies from its base in Harrogate. He thinks smaller companies would do well to pay attention to Microsoft's fortunes this year:

"I think Windows 8 adoption will be slow, especially compared to Windows 7. Its interface has been designed to work well on touch screens, but reviews have criticised the way it functions on non-touch screen computers, which is what most companies have at the moment."

"Likewise, Microsoft's Surface tablet will be a lukewarm success. It's hard to see it mounting much of a challenge to the iPad, and I think people will dislike the current model because it runs a cut-down version of Windows."

"Surface Pro should be available soon. That'll run the full version of Windows, but even if it appeals more to businesses, I suspect most employees will still prefer to use iPads."

"At the other end of the market, we'll see a surge of low cost, high performance tablets going on sale. Many of these will run Google's Android operating system. These will seriously erode laptop sales."

That's what our experts think. But what IT will you be paying attention to in 2013?

• 3D PowerPoint? 2013, you'll have to do better than that
• See our predictions from a year ago. How did we do?

Has Microsoft Surface won the laptop vs. tablet debate?

Small businesses traditionally stick with laptops,  does Microsoft Surface mean they’ll now get the benefits of tablets too?

Tablets have really taken off in the past couple of years, with all of the major computer brands now in the market. Apple recently released its iPad Mini, and a number of other manufacturers have really upped their game.

Laptop or tablet?

The debate rages over whether these new tablets or traditional laptops are better for business. The real solution however, could lie with Microsoft’s new Surface: a tablet with laptop power and capabilities.

The overall consensus has been that tablets are best suited to displaying or digesting information, whereas laptops are better for business applications. The intrinsic tactility of a tablet suits it to presentation, while the superior power and setup of a laptop suits it to actual work.

Surface Pro then, the forthcoming model that runs the full version of Windows 8 (don't get it confused with the Surface RT, reviewed recently on this blog), is a hybrid of sorts.

It can be used as a sleek and attractive tablet, ideal for passing round a boardroom. But attach the keyboard and it should be a more effective workstation than any other tablet can hope to be.

Your business apps, anywhere

Fans of laptops will be pleased to see that Surface Pro will come equipped with an Intel i5 processor; a mid-level central processing unit that you’ll find in many modern laptops.

It will mean the Surface should be capable of handling a raft of traditional Windows software with ease, which is something most tablets can’t currently do. The clip-on keyboard is proving very popular, as it instantly turns the tablet into a workstation.

However, the real benefit of having a Windows operating system is, of course, that all your usual software should work on Surface Pro too.

Surface criticisms

Criticisms of the Surface are mainly aimed at its tablet aspects. For instance, reviews have suggested Surface is not as capable of displaying information attractively as rivals such as the iPad.

If you’re looking to impress clients, it seems that the offerings from Apple are a better choice. This is partly down to screen quality and Apple's slick interface.

The other criticism is the price. In particular, refurbished laptops offer a lot more power in terms of relative cost. If you’re looking to issue several members of staff with a computer, a laptop is by far the most cost effective option.

In conclusion, it appears the debate is far from over. Surface is a go-between, but it is not as good as either a tablet or a laptop for their respective specialities. The decision of which to buy probably relies on what you’re going to be using the computer for.

If you have a desktop and just need something to present information to customers on, then a tablet is best. If you need to be able to work on the go, then a laptop is probably essential. For something in between, Surface may do nicely.

Surface Pro will be available to buy from Microsoft from January. The price is expected to be around £700.

• Should you buy a Microsoft Surface?
• Windows 8 to spark tablet war?
• Now is when the tablet comes of age for business

Adam Hart-Davies is a computer enthusiast who writes on behalf of SCH Trade, who supply excellent value refurbished laptops.

TOTW: three tips to help you switch to a Mac

Although the vast majority of business computers are still PCs, recent years have seen Apple Macs take an increasing slice of the market. In short, more companies are considering the choice of Mac or PC.

Despite their reputation for being easy to use, it still takes a little time to get accustomed to the Apple way of doing things. So, if you've recently made the switch yourself or are hoping to find a MacBook Pro under the tree this year, here are three quick tips to help you deal with some common annoyances.

1. Use the command key for shortcuts

If you've been using a PC for any length of time, your brain probably feels hard-wired to hit the CTRL key when you need to do something fast. CTRL-C to copy, CTRL-V to paste, and so on.

Macs are different. Although there is a CTRL key on the keyboard, you generally need to hit command (marked cmd) for a shortcut.

The good news is that once you get used to that, the shortcuts are the same as on a PC. So command-C will copy, command-V will paste, and so on.

2. Start right-clicking again

As standard, Macs don't let you right-click with the mouse. If you're used to doing this to access menus and options, it can get really frustrating.

But it's actually easy to turn right-clicking on, if you know where to look. Here's how:

• Open up System Preferences. You should be able to do this by clicking the cog icon on the dock at the bottom of your screen.
• In the window that opens, click the Mouse icon.
• You'll see the mouse options open. Click Point & Click at the top.
• Click the box next to the Secondary click option, so there's a tick in it.
• Make sure it says Click on right side below. If not, click the text to change it (see image above).
• Click the red dot at the top left of the window to close it.

That's it! You'll now find you can bring up menus and options by right-clicking with your mouse.

3. Find the hash symbol

In these days of Twitter hashtags, it seems incredible that the Mac keyboard doesn't have a hash (#) sign on it anywhere.

No problem - to type a hash symbol, just use the shortcut ALT-3 instead. Easy!

Have you switched from PC to Mac? How long did it take you to get up to speed? Leave a comment and let us know.

• How to enable hot corners on your Mac
• How to reopen a website you closed by mistake
• Essential Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts

Watch out - the tech-savvy young entrepreneurs are coming

A laptop and notepad - all you need? (Image: slightly everything on Flickr)

Forget the briefcase and the sharp suit. Ditch the oversize Filofax. Never mind the company car. The most important piece of equipment you need to successfully start a business is a laptop.

That, at least, seems to be the opinion of the next generation of entrepreneurs. Dell asked 380 students aged 15 - 24 about their business aspirations. Around 63% wanted to start a business after college or university.

What's more, 70% said they felt a laptop was the most important item for business success. 13% said a mobile phone was more vital.

You could file this in a folder marked 'the bleeding obvious', but actually I think it highlights the ongoing shift both in how business is run and where the greatest opportunities lie.

With flexibility and mobility increasingly contributing to business success, the laptop can be your mobile office. Connect to a wireless network, log on to a cloud computing service, and you have everything you need to work from anywhere.

That means you can be more efficient, with minimal overheads. And that might enable you to undercut competitors and win more business.

Clearly, these soon-to-be-entrepreneurs get it. If your business hasn't yet investigated how mobility and the cloud can help you work more efficiently then perhaps now's the time. Otherwise you might soon find there's a young business owner stealing your customers.

• Is IT the fifth utility?
• Cloud computing services to get you started
• Free guide: the changing business landscape of mobile and cloud

Dell Vostro 3560 business laptop review

Dell's Vostro range of laptop and desktop computers is aimed specifically at smaller businesses. We got our hands on the company's 15" Vostro 3560 laptop, and tried using it day-to-day in our company. Read on to see what we thought.

Design, size and weight

The Vostro 3560 has a pleasing appearance and a sleek, classy look to it. As with many laptops, the outside of the case is made of metallic-effect plastic. We'd prefer it to be actual metal, but that was probably outside Dell's budget.

Having said that, it looks and feels solid. The matte grey plastic around the screen is a little thicker than we'd like, but the overall effect is great.

At 2.57kg, the Vostro weighs about average for a laptop of this size. It's fine for mobile working now and again, even though it's not super-light.

The keyboard is well-spaced, making it harder to hit the wrong keys, even if you have sausage fingers. It has a positive action and is nice and quiet, so you can type for extended spells without having to connect an external keyboard.

In line with recent trends, there's a nice large trackpad with two wide buttons. You can scroll using two fingers on the trackpad, rather than having to click and drag scroll bars on screen.

Display

The 15.6" display is bright, and lacks a glossy coating, which makes it well-suited to use under bright lights. You can see the screen clearly from a wide viewing angle, so this could be a good laptop for giving ad-hoc presentations in meetings.

The version we tested had a crisp, clear full-HD screen, so you can watch HD video on it at the full resolution. It's also available with a lower-resolution screen.

Performance

The Vostro 3560 we tested had an Intel i5 processor. It was well up to anything we threw at it during day-to-day business use. It's well-suited to running apps like Microsoft Word and Outlook, or running several programs at once.

We tested it using Windows 7, which loaded in under 30 seconds. The 3560 now ships with Windows 8.

The model we tested had an optional dedicated graphics card. This makes a big difference to the graphics performance and is a good option if you want to play games or run graphics-intensive software like Photoshop.

It's worth noting that the base level model only comes with 2GB (gigabytes) of RAM, which is borderline adequate nowadays. You can upgrade after buying, or opt for a model with 4GB, 6GB or 8GB instead.

Storage and connections

Even the entry-level Vostro 3560 comes with a 320GB (gigabyte) hard drive, which should provide more than enough storage for general business use. There's also a built-in DVD writer, so you can read and burn DVDs easily.

There are a generous 4 USB connections, all of which are the fastest USB3 type, so they can transfer data nice and quickly. The connectors are close together, which means a chunky memory stick or mobile broadband dongle can block the adjacent ports.

You can also connect external displays or a projector via VGA and HDMI ports.

Vostro 3560 conclusions

We really enjoyed using the Vostro 3560 for a few days. It has a classy, solid feel that belies its price, and it's more than capable in a business context.

True, it's not incredibly light, and it lacks the touch screen features appearing on other laptops. However, performance is good, the screen is excellent and with an entry-level price of £299 (plus VAT and shipping), it represents great value for money.