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November 26, 2007 10:52 PM PST

Dell unveils the XPS M1530 laptop

by Dan Ackerman

Tuesday morning Dell officially announced the XPS M1530 laptop, a 15-inch version of the wildly popular 13-inch XPS M1330. Of course, pretty much every detail about this new system has already leaked, but we're still pretty excited, as the XPS M1330 was easily one of our favorite laptops of 2007.

(Credit: Dell)

With a shockingly sophisticated design for the usually middle-of-the-road Dell, an LED backlit screen (the new 15-inch version has a CCFL panel instead), thin profile (less than 1 inch in the front), and slot-loading DVD drive, it was hard not to love the 13-inch version, even if some fans had trouble getting them in a timely manner. Back in June, we said, "From our first behind-closed-doors peek...we've been impressed with the emphasis on the user experience in this superthin, high-end laptop."

The new 15-inch M1530 looks and feels like a slightly bigger brother, and even better, it starts at a very moderate $999 (the 13-inch version debuted at $1,299). Expect the M1530 to weigh about 6 pounds and still manage to get in around 1 inch at its thinner front edge.

Update: Of course, even though Dell's top secret laptops usually leak, we don't normally expect Dell to do the dirty work itself. The helpful sleuths at Engadget note that the XPS M1530 is already on sale at Dell's Singapore site, several hours before its official US announcement.

New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.
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Should be LED backlight?
by jussihirvi November 27, 2007 12:53 AM PST
> With a shockingly sophisticated design for the usually middle-of-the-road Dell, an LCD backlit screen, thin profile (less than one-inch in the front), and slot-loading DVD drive, it was hard not to love the 13-inch version

In the above, "LCD backlit screen" should probably be "LED backlit".
Reply to this comment
configuration?
by scythie November 27, 2007 4:56 AM PST
where can i configure this now? or at least post the possible configurations of this laptop...

glad about the 8600m GT, but disappointed with the lack of LED option for screen.
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Per Dell's "Tech Specs" No LED backlit screen
by douloscott November 27, 2007 11:01 AM PST
The only option for the screen at this point is the "15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) display with TrueLifeTM (CCFL, 220 nits)." No LED backlit screen for the M1530.
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