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June 26, 2008 4:00 AM PDT

Dell finally reveals heavily leaked Studio laptop line

by Dan Ackerman
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It sure is hard to keep a secret in this industry. After leaks, leaks, and more leaks, Dell has officially announced the new Studio line of laptops, sitting somewhere between the budget Inspiron line and high-end XPS line.

The Studio and XPS hinges compared.

The two new models are the Studio 15 and Studio 17, which as you might expect, are 15- and 17-inch laptops. They have a tapered design and big side hinge that is similar to the XPS M1530, although the Studio models curve the screen down at a sharper angle, while the XPS has a more rounded look.

You do give up the brushed metal look of the XPS M1530 for plastic, but, according to Dell, personalization is a big part of the Studio experience, and these systems are available with a variety of colors and lid imprint patterns, including trim colors for the sides of the lid. Also available are a series of optional color-coordinated accessories and peripherals, including backpacks, slipcovers, mice, and ear buds.

The different color and spine options.

(Credit: Dell)

Dell's vice president of consumer sales and marketing, Michael Tatelman, said in a news release, "These products are built for today's digital nomad based on the millions of conversations we have every year on dell.com, Ideastorm and community forums. With Dell Studio we're answering the call for personalization, connectivity and simplicity." Part of that simplicity includes a software application, the Dell Dock, which, much like Apple's software dock, places commonly used application on a bar right on the desktop.

The Dell Studio 15 and 17 are available starting today from $799 and $999 respectively, and available upgrades include Blu-ray drives and mobile broadband from Verizon and Sprint.

Check out our review and video of the Dell Studio 15 here.

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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Add a Comment (Log in or register) (9 Comments)
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by Sramnath01 June 26, 2008 10:11 AM PDT
instead of pissing away money on making gamours crap that has no functionality try inproving you damn tech support
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by BriancLong June 26, 2008 10:30 AM PDT
@Sramnath01 - I think dell has really improved their tech support - and the referenced ideastorm site works pretty well.

Regarding the actual model design this article is about - I think its a smart move for dell to offer a model between the XPS and the Inspiron.
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by SovietMenace June 26, 2008 11:16 AM PDT
I don't understand why computer manufacturers always trying to add some "improved usability" crap-ware on their machines. Dell is in no way Apple in terms of software development, and probably just contracts somebody to write crappy apps. So why bother? Leave usability to the operating system, if I need something, I will find it. Concentrate on inside and user support, don?t waste time on this. IMHO the majority if not all extra soft (excluding of course drivers and productivity soft) added by the manufacturers just slows everything down.
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by SovietMenace June 26, 2008 11:18 AM PDT
I don't understand why computer manufacturers always trying to add some "improved usability" crap-ware on their machines. Dell is in no way Apple in terms of software development, and probably just contracts somebody to write crappy apps. So why bother? Leave usability to the operating system, if I need something, I will find it. Concentrate on the inside and the user support, don?t waste time on this. IMHO the majority if not all extra soft (excluding of course drivers and productivity soft) added by the manufacturers just slows everything down.
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by Composer_1777 June 27, 2008 2:00 PM PDT
Too bad dells always **** up, their hardware components r just too cheapy
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by Composer_1777 June 27, 2008 2:01 PM PDT
Too bad dells always f^k up, their hardware components r just too cheapy
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by solitare_pax June 27, 2008 5:24 PM PDT
Nice to see Dell is making stylish hardware to beat the pants off of Apple. Perhaps now CNET's illustrious writers will tone down the "Macs are overpriced status symbols" attitude. But - I doubt it.
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by HlLLARY CLITON June 27, 2008 8:23 PM PDT
First thing to do with your new DELL is to wipe the hard drive and install your own OS, the hardware is decent enough, the problem is all the crapware DELL installs on them
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by jay_elias November 15, 2008 10:44 AM PST
Dell studio laptop comes with Vista and it sucks. Dell phone system also sucks. I will not spend another dime with Dell.
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