Those chaps at Dell just couldn't wait the extra few hours for CES to unwrap the latest addition to the Inspiron family. Unusually beginning its life in stores, rather than online, the Inspiron 15 is pitched as a Core2Duo all-rounder with a 15.6in widescreen, up to 4GB RAM, maximum 320GB of storage and optional Blu-Ray.
Taking on much of the styling of the Inspiron 13, it gets an aspect ratio switch from 16:10 to 16:9 and added touches from the Inspiron 1525 such as a webcam, Bluetooth and that Blu-Ray option.
It's available this week in PC World and Curry's stores, with online availability at Dell.co.uk following later this month. There's no UK pricing as yet, but in the States it'll sell in Best Buy for $600 for a 2GHz Core2Duo T6400 model with 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, integrated graphics and a DVD burner.
Press release:
ROUND ROCK, Texas, Jan 05, 2009
Dell Hits the Sweet Spot of Form, Function and Affordability with New Inspiron 15 Laptop
Multi-Purpose System, Well Configured for Entertainment, Productivity and Connectivity
- 16:9 Screen Aspect Ratio Ideal for Viewing Movies
- Personalize with Advanced Features Like Facial Recognition Security, Bluetooth and Blu-Ray
Dell today announced the Inspiron 15 laptop, the latest addition to the Inspiron line of systems offering solid performance and smart style at a great value. The Inspiron 15 is now available in select configurations at Best Buy stores in the United States, and PC World and Curry's in the United Kingdom, with online availability through Dell.com planned for later in January. Systems start at $600.
Designed to merge a clean and sleek design with great all-around performance and an affordable price, the Inspiron 15 features a 15.6-inch LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio -- ideal for watching movies. The system can be personalized through options including up to 4GB of RAM, up to 320 GB of storage capacity, a built-in webcam, Blu-ray(TM) and facial recognition software.
The News:
- The Inspiron 15 delivers solid performance and smart style, with a 15.6-inch LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio -- ideal for watching movies -- up to 4GB of memory and up to 320 GB of storage.
- Select configurations of Inspiron 15 available now at Best Buy stores in the U.S., and PC World and Curry's in the U.K. Online availability through Dell.com planned for later in January.
- Optional features include: Intel Core(TM) 2 Duo processors, integrated webcam, Blu-ray, Bluetooth and facial recognition software.
Quotes
"Building on the Inspiron platform of mainstream solutions, Inspiron 15 expands laptop personalization through attractive design, an array of optional features and an affordable price," said Glen Robson, general manager of consumer notebooks. "By listening to customers we've created an ideal multi-purpose system with a range of choices that help them create a custom match for their specific needs and deeds."
Laptop Great - Dell Customer Service Awful! written by CS , January 24, 2009
Once Dell have sold it to you, don't expect any customer service to fix any problems you have. On the first day the laptop came up with numerous errors and had damaged casing - when we called Dell for advice, we were passed around several numbers (all on chargeable numbers) to call centres obviously on a far away continent. You will need to wait up to an hour for anyone to answer.
Funnily the sales line was answered quickly and was very clear when they wanted our money, but the support line was awful and the people (who could hardly speak english anyway) could conveniently not hear what we were explaining. After nearly 4 hours over a number of days trying to talk to someone who could hear/understand us we were asked for a number for someone to call us back - surprise surprise we never heard from them. Laptop is ok - but get it from a retailer - not directly from Dell - and you will be lucky to get any support from Dell for the product - be warned....
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