The Dell Inspiron E1405 offers up a mobile Core 2 Duo processor and the longest battery life I've seen in a laptop.

When I reviewed the Dell Inspiron E1505 last May, I didn't hesitate to give it the Editors' Choice award for offering incredible value at a budget price. The only thing that could've made it better was a lighter chassis and better battery life. Now, there is a "Mini-Me" version of the E1505, the Dell Inspiron E1405 ($1,156). If its size and 8 hours of battery life do not capture your attention, perhaps the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor will. The E1405 will be one of several Inspirons to get the new processor upgrade, and it's priced with frugality in mind. But the performance gains I had expected from the processor upgrade really didn't come to fruition.

If it weren't for the 85Whr (8-cell) battery sticking out from the back, the E1405 would actually be over a pound lighter than the E1505, instead of just 0.8 pounds lighter. Despite the heavier battery, the 5.8 pound system is still easy to tote around. I think the 14-inch widescreen is the perfect size for work and play, and it's one of few 14-inch displays to sport a 1440-by-900 resolution. Most budget systems with a 14-inch screens (and even budget systems with 15.4-inch screens, like the E1505) usually max out at 1280-by-800(WXGA) resolution. As a matter of fact, except for the weight and the screen, the two systems offer the same features, just at different dimensions.

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