Dell and Microsoft will announce later this week that they will offer customers a simple way to make a difference, through the purchase of unique (PRODUCT) RED branded personal computers and a printer. Adding to the premium experience, all Dell (PRODUCT) RED PCs are powered by Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED, that include six unique desktop wallpapers, a screensaver, two innovative Windows Sidebar gadgets and a (RED)-themed Windows DreamScene. Dell is the exclusive PC and peripheral partner of (PRODUCT) RED.

• When a consumer chooses either laptop - the XPS M1530 (PRODUCT) RED or XPS M1330 (PRODUCT) RED with Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED (starting price $1,149 for either laptop) - Dell and Windows will make a total joint contribution of $50 directly to the Global Fund, which buys nearly 4 months of lifesaving antiretroviral medication.

• When a consumer chooses the XPS One (PRODUCT) RED with Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED (starting price of $1,599), Dell and Windows will make a total contribution of $80 directly to the Global Fund, which buys 6 months of lifesaving antiretroviral medication.

• When a consumer chooses the 948 All-in-one (PRODUCT) RED Printer (starting price of $149), Dell will make a $5 contribution to the Global Fund, which buys more than ten days of lifesaving antiretroviral medication.

More information about (RED) is available at www.joinred.com.

If the relative scale between the laptops still has you baffled to how small everything is, check the Coke can on the far right. Not only does it look like the Dell is a hard-ass, as it appears to have brought a Cola with it during its incarceration period, it also gives you more of an idea of how small these devices really are. The Macbook Air is unquestionably the thinnest, but the sexiest in picture? That's your call. Personally, I like my gadgets to match, and the last time there was black keys on a white Macbook, I almost threw-up, but hey, never say never, right?

Looks aside, we're wondering; is the Macbook Air the Kyser Soze of the bunch? After all, the biggest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he never existed, and he didn't succeed in his inconspicuous ways by being an obese portable computer. [Gizmodo's Macbook Air Coverage]

Interestingly enough, Dell's knowledge base acknowledges the problem in an entry entitled "A Tingling Sensation May Be Noticed When Touching Metal Components of Dell Devices Equipped with Two-Prong AC Adapters." However, the entry also states that "the voltage (tingling sensation) does NOT present any risk of injury to the user." Whether that is true or not, getting constant electric shocks from your laptop is, at the very least, annoying as hell. Fortunately, Dell informed CNET that they are willing to replace the two-pin power supplies with a three-pin version if requested to do so. If you are experiencing this problem (and entries on Dell's forums suggest that this issue is not isolated), you may want to hit Dell up for a replacement. [Crave and Dell Forums / Knowledge Base]

In a quest to nail the greatest gaming experience ever, Dell and Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. TM have joined forces to bring gamers the XPSTM M1730 World of Warcraft® Edition notebook PC. The unique gaming notebook is available for purchase today by customers who pre-registered for early access during the "It Begins" quest. It will be available to all U.S. customers on Dec. 11 on www.dell.com/gaming.

The XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition is a fully equipped for battle. The system is emblazoned with custom World of Warcraft artwork, inside and out, that leaves no question as to purpose - pure, unadulterated gaming action. Exclusive rare bonus items and a World of Warcraft backpack filled to the brim with game-themed extras are also part of the unique experience.

"This truly legendary collaboration with Blizzard reinforces Dell's commitment to design excellence and dedication to delivering the best possible gaming experience," said Glen Robson head of XPS systems at Dell. "World of Warcraft players can now have the ultimate system to reflect their passion for the game."

Surprise, Delight, and Amaze

The level of detail that the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition delivers will delight and amaze any gaming enthusiast. In addition to a truly distinctive system, customers will receive a special Quest Envelope that contains access to truly epic items, like a Golden Ticket from FigurePrints, a company that creates custom figurines of players' individual World of Warcraft characters.

To help delve into the mysteries and surprises around the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition, Dell invited Randydeluxe Jordan of the popular World of Warcraft podcast The Instance, to be the first to un-box a new system. Check out Randy's response to the complete out-of-box-experience on direct2dell.com and www.delllounge.com.

Special XPS M1730 World of Warcraft content includes:

* Custom design featuring original art by Blizzard artists on LCD back, and Honor Badges on the wings
* World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: The Burning CrusadeTM pre-loaded on system, including the latest content updates
* Original desktop background artwork and screensavers
* A World of Warcraft-themed backpack that includes:
Retail box copies of World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and the Warcraft® Battle Chest , which includes with Warcraft III: Reign of ChaosTM and Warcraft III: Frozen ThroneTM
Latest Brady Games strategy guides for World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, Warcraft III and The Frozen Throne
World of Warcraft DVD with a behind-the-scenes look at "The Making of WoW"
* A special Quest Envelope that ships separately with exclusive rare items:
A Golden Ticket allowing customers to receive a special custom FigurePrint based on the actual World of Warcraft character that they play1.
An Account Upgrade Certificate enabling the upgrade of a World of Warcraft account1 to receive the Collector's Edition pets from both the original World of Warcraft Collector's Edition and the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Collector's Edition
A World of Warcraft Beta Club Card to enable customers to take part in upcoming public beta tests.

Starting at $4,499 (USD), the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition system includes:

* Aggressive styling with backlit Honor Badges, touchpad and keyboard
* LightFX perimeter lighting for added immersion during game play
* Full-size keyboard with 10-key number pad to help navigate games
* AGEIA PhysX mobile processor and built-in Logitech® GamePanel LCD
* NVIDIA SLI graphics power and 512MB of dedicated video RAM with DirectX® 10 realism
* Optional over-clockable2 Intel® Extreme Edition CoreTM 2 Duo processor, up to 3.4GHz
* Optional dual RAID 7,200 RPM hard drives for fast access or even faster access with an optional 64GB solid state drive
* Full HD 17-inch widescreen and available Blu-ray DiscTM to provide the ultimate mobile viewing experience
* 7ms average display response time3 to ensure quick overall system performance
* Complete wireless connectivity with built-in Optional Mobile Broadband4, Wireless-N, Bluetooth, and Dell's exclusive Wi-Fi CatcherTM
* Built-in camera and digital array microphones to clearly see and flame the competition
* Dual headphone jacks, noise-isolating ear buds and a portable ExpressCard media remote

For more information about the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition notebook PC, visit www.youtube.com/dellvlog.

First-Class Service for XPS Customers

All XPS notebook computers feature Dell's first-class XPS service, which guarantees quick telephone access to Dell's best home-computer technicians and a 15-month subscription to virus and spyware protection. XPS notebooks purchased from Dell also include one year of LoJack for Laptops5 theft recovery service and one year of 10GB online storage and backup space with Dell DataSafe Online Backup. More information is at www.dell.com/firstclass.

-15.4-inch display (CCFL up to 1280 x 800) -Core 2 Duo options from 1.5GHz (T5250) up to 2.6GHz (T7800) -Crestline GM/PM 965 chipset with up to 4GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM -GeForce 8400M or 8600M GS options (up to 256MB) -Slot-loading Blu-ray / 8x DVD±RW -Options for 802.11a/b/g/n, WWAN, Bluetooth -HDMI, VGA, 1394, ExpressCard, (3) USB 2.0, Ethernet, fingerprint reader, media reader -2.0 megapixel (with CCFL) or 300k (with LED) cameras -Weight starts at 5.78 pounds

Heading the list is the gorgeous XPS M1330 notebook, claiming to be the skinniest 13.3-inch notebook in the world at just .9 inches. It's bringing LED backlighting to the party, along with an option to buy a 32GB solid state hard disk for an extra 600 bucks. They are offered in black, white or red, and you can order one now but don't expect to get it before July 27. Pricing starts at $1299, but fully tricked out with all the options and the fastest Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 Processor at 2.2GHz, its price is pushing $3000.

Dell also refreshed its Inspiron line, spreading out the brand beyond just laptops and into desktops and monitors as well. The big news with the Inspiron laptops (pictured above) is the palette of colors that's positively wild for Dell, offering the notebooks in your choice of a palette of the eight colors you see in a graphic here. Don't miss our favorite, bubblegum pink. But note that in all these colorful new offerings, the whole notebook is not festooned in these flattering colors, it's just the back of the display that's painted up all pretty-like. You can choose from 17-inch, 15.4-inch and 14.1-inch screen sizes. Pricing starts at $769.

Also included in this four-ring circus are Dell's Inspiron line of desktops (pictured above) that replace Dell's shopworn Dimension line of PCs that have been around for 15 years. These Inspiron desktops' main claim to fame are their "clean arctic silver and white design." Big woop. With pricing starting at $349, you can cram dual 500-gig drives inside, and take your pick of AMD or Intel processors. And looky there, there's a Blu-ray drive available, too. These are available in either a minitower or slim tower form factor, and besides that new color, there's not much else notable here.

And what's this? Why, it's the 2407WFP-HC a high-color version of Dell's glorious 24-inch widescreen flat-panel display. High Color—that's what the "HC" in there stands for. Like Dell's 30-inch 3007WFP-HC display, this 24-incher now offers 92% of the color gamut, meaning that mortals won't be able to tell much difference, but the artistic community will wet its pants over this. Since we're already blown away by Dell's garden-variety 2407 monitor, this one we gotta see. Along for the ride is the entry-level ST198WFB, a widescreen 19-incher with 1440x900 resolution. That one will be good and cheap, that's for sure.

We also noticed Dell offering a year's worth of free online backup with every Inspiron product, letting you send 3GB to the mother ship in case your house burns down. If you're getting an XPS product you can load up to 10GB online.

Summing up, this is a welcome refresh for Dell's notebooks and desktops, as the company eases even further away from its formerly staid design rep. We especially like that super-thin XPS M1330 notebook, and are eager to find out how long its full complement of batteries will last with that LED-backlit display and solid state drive on board.

Product Pages [Dell]

The Alienware m9700 and the Dell XPS M2010 can now be fitted with a 250GB 2.5-inch HDD. The drive spins at 5,400rpm and will add about a $300 premium to your system. Not a bad deal for all you storage junkies. – Louis Ramirez

250GB 5400rpm Laptop Hard Drives Arrived [Laptoping via Crave]

Our $4,249 came with 2GB of RAM, a 100GB hard drive, and an overclockable T7600 CPU, making it the most powerful HD notebook out there. Pound for pound, the M1710 is one giant that won't be taken down easily. The laptop is identical to previous XPS M1710s. It has Dell's LightFX technology (ambient lights that glow from the side and front of your notebook), a full-size keyboard, and Dell's MediaDirect software, which mixes work with play by letting you access media files and office files (like calendars and PowerPoint slides) without booting up the OS.

A few major nitpicks. There's no HDMI out for connecting the laptop to your HDTV and there's still no TV tuner (that's optional). The inclusion of both would have made the notebook irresistible. With a $3,699 starting price (that includes a Blu-ray drive), this XPS delivers far more features for the price than you can find in any other HD notebook. – Louis Ramirez

$3,699 (starting price w/ Blu-ray drive)
$3,974 (with T7600 CPU)
$4,249 (with overclockable T7600 CPU)

Dell [Product Page]

Dell

Luckily, we can just look at Dell's own jump from the identical Core Duo to the newer Core 2 Duo chips to get the Apples to Apples comparison, without the marketing bullshit. Jump to find out how the fast the new chips really are...

Dell's XPS M1710 made a similar jump from a 2.16GHz Core Duo to a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo. The folks at CNET tested these machines out and though they saw modest gains in battery life, performance gains were small, hopping from a 254 score to a 257 score (MobileMark 2005). Even though the XPS M1710 and MacBook Pros are different monsters (the Dell packs a ton of bells and whistles the Macs don't.) And we're sure that in some specific tests, like Apple's Apature tests, it really is 39 percent faster. But mobile mark's benchmark of running scripts of different applications at once, including disk churn and pauses, like in real life, makes Apple's 39% speed claim something to take with a lump of salt.

Or peanut butter. We like apples and peanut butter.
CNET Dell XPS M1710 Core 2 Duo
CNET Dell XPS M1710 Core Duo
Fine Print (footnote 1)

The machine with the most acclaim? The Dell XPS M1710 Core2Duo gaming laptop. This big boy gets a 2.33Ghz CPU, an Nvidia GeForce Go 7900GTX gaming card, Wireless-N. PC Magazine's all hot and bothered by it, digging deep to come up with the "Awesome" verdict. But our review, patched together from the undead limbs of other reviews, will be better. How does the Dell compare to an HP, and a slightly less endowed Dell Inspiron? See the chart, and jump for choice quotes on each machine.

Frankenreview MEGA XTREME TIMES THREE


Dell XPS M1710 (high end)
"Continues to shine as the best gaming laptop on the market."
"When it comes to 3D games, though, the XPS M1710's new processor alone couldn't provide a performance bump"
- Low gaming resolutions will see performance bump. Higher resolutions will not.
"...quickly dispensed with processor-intensive tasks such as encoding MP3 files and multitasking"
"The biggest improvement comes in my video encoding tests. Thanks to the Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor, video professionals should see more than a 20 percent differential."
- Edit that furry documentary you've been hanging on to.
-"The M1710's performance scores even surpassed those of the Area-51 m5550, made by Dell's recent acquisition, Alienware, even though both machines have the same processor."
-Doom 3 scores benefited the most from the processor upgrade, leaping 28 percent. Splinter Cell scores also improved by 15 percent.
-Battery life just over 2.5 hours.

Dell XPS M1710 Core 2 Duo Laptop Stat Smather:
Type: Gaming, Media
Operating System: MS Windows XP Media Center
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo T2600
Processor Speed: 2.16-2.33 GHz
RAM: 2048 MB
Weight: 8.8 lb
Screen Size: 17 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce Go 7900GTX
Storage Capacity: 100 GB
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R D

HP Pavilion dv6000t (Midrange)
"...we love HP's QuickPlay feature for launching and controlling multimedia files"
"...deliver[ed] the best MobileMark 2005 score we've ever seen from a mainstream portable"
"The biggest differences (over 20 percent) can be found on running tasks such as video and audio encoding."
- We love our video.
"Battery life is mediocre, if not disappointing, at a mere 2 hours 27 minutes."
"Battery life was a respectable 3 hours and 39 minutes."
- FIGHT!

HP Pavilion dv6000t Stat Smather
Type: General Purpose, Media
Operating System: MS Windows XP Professional
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T7400
Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
Weight: 6.1 lb
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce Go 7400
Storage Capacity: 120 GB
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

Dell Inspiron E1405 (cheap)
"...the performance gains I had expected from the processor upgrade really didn't come to fruition"
"It appears to be about 10% faster than the proceeding Core Duo"
"...media related tasks will benefit more than office applications will from an upgrade to a system with the T5500 chip"
- Considering the E1405's price, there might be another bottleneck going on here.
"At the end of the day...who can argue with paying the same but getting more?"
- Even if it's just a tiny bit more. – Mark Wilson

Stat Smather for the Dell Inspirion E1405
Type: General Purpose, Value
Operating System: MS Windows XP Media Center
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T5500
Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
RAM: 1024 MB
Weight: 5.8 lb
Screen Size: 14.1 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Storage Capacity: 80 GB
Wireless: 802.11a/g
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+R DL

PC Mag [Dell XPS]
PC Mag [HP Pav]
PC Mag [Dell Insp]
CNET
Computer Shopper
Notebook Review
Laptop Mag

The XPS 700 is a higher-end gaming desktop, with a silver finish and air-conditioning-vent-like front. Comes with either Pentium Extreme Edition Dual Core, Pentium D Dual Core, or Pentium 4 with HyperThreading. NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI, up to three 500 GB hard disks and up to 4 GB of DDR2 memory round out the package.

Their XPS M1210 laptop has a Core Duo T2600 (2.16Ghz) processor and up to 4 GB of DDR2 memory. It has a 12.1" widescreen display and a 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400. Not as powerful as the desktop, of course, but should be enough for gaming on the go.

What's interesting about these two models is Dell struck a deal with Skype to bundle Skype's software with all three (including the M2010) systems. Skype's popular enough now, but if they're starting to get bundled with OEM computers, they may be the de-facto VoIP solution soon. – Jason Chen

M1210 Laptop [Dell Product Page]

XPS 700 Desktop [Dell Product Page]

Doesn't look too bad, either. Heck, it even has a backlit touchpad. Nice. Pricing starts at $2600, $3400 loaded.

Product Page [Dell]