We've always used Dell Inspiron laptops, and my most recent one developed a short somewhere in the hinge/case. Pivot the screen while the laptop is powered up, and it shorts out the battery power, causing it to abruptly power down (won't do it if the AC adapter is plugged on).I have never had a hinge or case crack when using mostly Dell laptops.
What are you doing that is causing this to happen?
In addition, the venting on the left side of the case has cracked and started to splinter off. Never had that problem before with a Dell laptop. It hasn't been dropped or used roughly. I need to replace it. Not sure if my next laptop will be a Dell. Been trying to hold off until the end of the year/early next year before making the switch from Windows 7 Pro.