As the laptop market gets more competitive, major manufacturers have started employing every trick in the book to assure visibility in an increasingly crowded market. This can be as subtle as bundling accessories to introducing skins/overlays for laptops – or as drastic as taking an existing range and rebuilding it with a fashionable touch.

The latter move is what Dell has recently opted for with its 14xxn and 15xxn ranges. These laptops have also been moved to the Centrino Duo platform, and offer significantly upgraded specifications including DX10 capable graphical chipsets.

How do these laptops perform? Let’s find out.

Dell products have never been a contender among the fashionable set. That particular tag has always been more associated with Sony’s Vaio and other brands such as Fujitsu/Asus. This has not changed even with the introduction of the new lines, including the laptop under review – the Dell Inspiron 1420. They do look significantly better, but lack the polish and finish of (say) HP’s DV range.

However, when you compare these to previous Dell products they are vastly improved. For starters the frame and size of the laptops have shrunk. The lid area is significantly thinner and the monotonous use of black/silver or grey/silver has now been abandoned in favor of colored lids and a darker silver tone.

The finish too has improved, from looking rather tacky to a smoother appearance that is actually visually appealing. However the choice of lid colors leaves a lot to be desired. The color choices range from the very sober to some downright "OMGSTABMYEYESOUTRIGHTNOW!" hues. While a plethora of choice is a good thing, a more judicious color selection would have done wonders for this laptop.

Thankfully the exterior changes have not resulted in compromises in the construction of the laptop. The plastic used is quite sturdy and we didn't hear any squeaks. The hinges are not super-reinforced (which seems to have become the norm), but they are quite sturdy and will weather quite well.

The laptop’s exterior is not the only thing that's undergone changes. The keyboard is now a lot more responsive. Keys have better elevation and offer very good tactile feedback. The touchpad has been reduced in size and offers better traction for more precise control. This might cause problems for people with large hands, however, as the reduced size might feel a little cramped.

The LCD panel has also received an upgrade. Though the size remains the same (14.1 inches), the resolution has been raised to a widescreen 1440x900 (16:10) from the previous 1280x800. Apart from this, the LCD panel continues to offer the same level of sharpness and display that earlier Dell models offered. Text/image display is crisp, and watching movies on the larger resolution is quite enjoyable, keeping in mind that this is a media center laptop.

In terms of peripheral connectivity, nothing much has changed. The 1420 offers four USB ports, Firewire and a dual-layer DVD-RW. For further details, see the specifications table at the end of this review.