Speaking of big, this laptop certainly commands a large footprint. The touchpad supports multi-finger gestures such as two-finger scrolling and three-finger flicking, but it doesn't support four-finger swipes, which is a shame as it is definitely big enough for them. We experienced lots of sticking and inadvertent clicks while moving the pointer with our first model - none of those problems were present on our replacement model, leading us to believe it was just a problem with our initial test unit. It's a touchpad that performed well during our time with this laptop, but we can't neglect the fact that we had to get a replacement model from Dell because the first one we saw had a touchpad that practically made the laptop unusable without plugging in a mouse. It's not completely centred from the left and right sides, but is just a little off to the right of the spacebar. There is an ELAN touchpad installed, and it's a big one (100x58mm) that also has physical left- and right-click buttons. It's not a backlit keyboard, but for $999, you can't have everything. The delete key is in its rightful spot in the top-right corner though. The layout of the keys is standard, but there is a column of page, home and end keys on the far right, which takes some getting used to. Dell hasn't packed in a number pad on this model, which means the keys are a little more centred than usual and it makes for a luxurious typing experience. It's a keyboard that bounces slightly when you hit the middle keys, but this wasn't too distracting for us. The keyboard on the Inspiron 15R has chiclet, matte keys that are rounded and they possess enough travel and softness to be comfortable for long typing sessions. One can be programmed to launch your favourite application, another brings up a useful panel of system settings (Windows Mobility Centre) and there is also a button that brings up equaliser settings for the audio processor. On the other side of the chassis, under the right hinge, reside three shortcut buttons. We'd prefer it if it was somewhere further in on the chassis rather than on the edge. It sits on the edge of the chassis just near the left hinge it feels very spongy and as though it can break off if you press it too close to the edge. We're not sure about the power button though. The hinges adequately perform their one task of holding the screen still at your designed angle. The lid does flex a little and isn't up to the build standard of more expensive laptops, but it's not like it will break if you accidentally knock it - it's still strong enough. It doesn't feel flimsy and we didn't notice any unwarranted creaking from the chassis as we moved it around, even when we held it from the side that has the built in optical drive. It has grey trim around the edges and there are rounded corners that make the unit look playful, but bulky. The styling of the Inspiron 15R is a little tacky though. You'll have difficulty finding another laptop on the market that costs under $1000 with such a high-resolution screen.