Well, I haven't had more than a few minutes of 'hands-on' experience with an 8500, but I do own a D800. It is very well constructed, chassis does not flex, the LCD opens smoothly, but firmly; The "keyboard issue" is not present, but the left palm does get quite warm during extended use but is still perfectly comfortable. The keyboard's layout is perfect, the same design as earlier Inspirons and Latitudes, but without a doubt the most comfortable notebook keyboard I have come across. I see no reason why the Inspiron should be more than slightly different.
RaPTuRe
Who's General Failure and why's he reading my disk?