A few months ago when four of the tech biz' finest minds analyzed the cause of Dell's flagging sales, stale design was an area that was repeatedly mentioned as a cause for concern. It looks like Dell had the same thoughts, as the company has announced a slew of new notebooks that feature vibrant colors and plenty of productivity muscle.
New Dell Inspiron Notebooks
Starting at $749, the new Inspiron notebooks allow users to personalize their machines with three widescreen display sizes (14-inch, 15.4-inch, and 17-inch, with TrueLife or nonglare finishes) and eight colors: red, black, white, brown, pink, blue, yellow, and green. Mobile broadband is offered across the entire line, with choices from the big three carriers: AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Dell also offers a choice of Windows Vista or Ubuntu Linux operating systems. Intel Core 2 Duo processors are available on the 1420, 1520, and 1720 models, while the 1521 and 1721 see AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processors.
On the multimedia front, customers can also add two-megapixel webcams, and on select systems (Inspiron 1420, 1520, and 1720), you can opt for a Blu-ray drive to play high-definition movies. Dell MediaDirect and Instant Office technology gives users one-button access to videos, music, photos, calendar, and contacts. The machines also include 8-in-1 memory card readers and 802.11g or 802.11n Wi-Fi.
Dell XPS M1330
Weighing just under four pounds and with an ultrathin 0.9-inch profile, the XPS M1330 (starting at $1,299) features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 13.3-inch (1,280 x 800-pixel resolution) display, a slot-loading DVD+/-RW optical drive, a full-sized keyboard, a remote that's stored in the ExpressCard slot, touch-sensitive media controls, and HDMI support. The ultraportable can be outfitted with a fingerprint reader, Windows Premium or Ultimate editions, mobile broadband courtesy of AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon, and Nvidia GeForce Go 8400M GS discrete graphics with 128MB of memory or battery-saving Intel GMA Accelerator 3100 graphics. The XPS M1330 also includes an 8-in-1 memory card reader, one year of LoJack for Laptops, 10GB of storage with Dell Online Backup, and 802.11g or 802.11n Wi-Fi. Like the Inspiron, the M1330 comes in several colors: black, white, and red.
Price: Starting at $749, Inspirons; Starting at $1299 for XPS M1330
Info: http://www.dell.com
