This is the first brand-new computer I've owned, so I don't have a huge basis for comparison, but I have to say that I'm a big fan of the M1210. It's ridiculously small and lightweight, yet it comes with pretty nice specs. The screen is small, but has excellent resolution.

I've been pleased with Dell's customer service. When I had hard drive problems a while back, they were very helpful and sent me a new drive with no questions asked.

my computer! i carry it to and from class in a tote, and people are shocked at how small it is. at 12" and 4.5 lbs, it's not really an ultraportable, but it's damn small and FAR better than those 15" monsters students generally get. and more powerful by far. this computer really marked the entrance of dell's silly "gamer" XPS line into the realm of mainstream computing.

it's a very, very powerful machine-- at its release date, it was the first laptop with a decent video card in its size. one of the first affordable core 2 duo processor computers, with the intel chipset that goes along, as well as a lovely nvidia geforce go 7400 ... in a 12" form factor, with legit 4-5 hours of battery life *with* the video card. and i got it all for $1100! THAT'S a student price!

right now, the new 13" dell m1330 is the better option -- more powerful, thinner, etc. but i still adore my trusty m1210... top of the line hardware and blazing performance, in a tiny computer, on a student budget. the best computer anyone in my house has ever owned.

as a side note, the extra weight and power of the xps line isn't worth it if you don't care about discrete graphics, and i'm always shocked to see people opt for this computer (or the m1330) without getting the video card.