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Latest Dell XPS Notebook, Entry Media Center Desktop Computer Designed With Entertainment in Mind

Posted on: Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

New Dell DataSafe Option Helps Preserve Digital Music, Photos and Video

Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) is taking another step in making technology simple to use for home entertainment with two new personal computers aimed at U.S. consumers, the XPS M140 notebook and Dimension E310 desktop.

The XPS M140 is Dell's first 14.1-inch widescreen notebook and features Dell MediaDirect technology for quick access to digital photos, music and videos without having to start the operating system. The Dimension E310 desktop, Dell's entry Media Center PC, features a new minitower chassis that supports Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005 and an optional TV tuner(1) for easily managing digital content and watching or recording TV.

Desktop customers also can add Dell DataSafe data protection, a new feature that automatically backs up valuable information and digital media, as well as restore files from previous points in time. As more customers store music, photos, videos and games, the need to easily protect important, and often irreplaceable, digital content becomes critical.

XPS M140: Multimedia Powerhouse in Thin, Light Body

The second notebook in Dell's XPS portfolio, the XPS M140 is ideal for customers who want the best mobile entertainment technology from Dell.

It weighs starting at less than 5.5 pounds(2) and fits a full-sized keyboard in a 1.5-inch thin design. The 14.1-inch high-definition widescreen display with optional TrueLife(TM) technology offers a vivid viewing experience and the same movie playback size as 15-inch standard-aspect displays.(3) With the optional nine-cell battery mobile users can also enjoy the benefits of extended battery life for productivity applications and watching DVD movies.

Dell MediaDirect technology and the XPS M140's 5-in-1 media card reader enable quick retrieval of digital content. By pressing the Dell MediaDirect button, users can access stored music, photos and movies in seconds without waiting for the operating system to boot. From the Dell MediaDirect menu, they can also manage content from devices such as flash memory cards and USB storage keys. The 5-in-1 media card reader supports five popular card formats commonly used in other devices like digital cameras and handhelds.

Dimension E310: Entertainment Choice

The Dimension E310 is the company's second consumer desktop designed for digital entertainment, joining the mid-range Dimension E510 introduced last month.

The Dimension E310 supports a DVD burner, an all-in-one media card reader for fast transfer of digital photos, music and videos and new audio-enhancing software to help improve the sound of customers' digital music. The desktop's new silver and black chassis holds up to 160 GB(4) of storage for multimedia and data files, and is designed to help reduce noise and extend the life of the system.

Dell DataSafe: A Safety Net for Personal Data and Multimedia

The Dell DataSafe offering includes data protection and backup applications and an additional internal hard drive for desktops.

Unlike many competitive products that typically offer one or two levels of protection, Dell DataSafe allows users to back up and recover multimedia and other files, and restore previously saved configurations through an easy-to-use interface. Since Dell DataSafe can run automatically in the background, digital media and files are safeguarded from disruptions that typically prevent customers from accessing their data, such as software issues or accidental deletions. In desktops with two internal hard drives, the computer can continue to run even if there's an issue with one drive.

Pricing, Availability and Specifications

Starting at $999, the XPS M140 is expected to be available in November, and as with all Dell XPS products, comes standard with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, a 15-month security software subscription and one year of XPS limited warranty(5) support.

The XPS experience includes a higher level of service from product purchase to support, including a consultative relationship with a dedicated XPS sales specialist, a differentiated set-up experience and support service from XPS-trained and industry-certified hardware specialists.

Priced from $599, the Dimension E310 is available immediately. The base configuration includes an Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 processor 521, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 256 MB DDR2 memory, 80 GB(4) hard drive, a 16X DVD/CD-DRW drive, 17-inch CRT monitor, and one-year limited warranty(5).

The Dell DataSafe option starts at $99 and will be available in November on the Dimension E310 and E510 and XPS 400 desktop computers.

Technical Highlights of the XPS M140:

-- Intel Pentium M processors up to 770 (2.13 GHz)

-- 14.1-inch widescreen WXGA or WXGA with TrueLife

-- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 900

-- Integrated 10/100 LAN and 56K(6) modem

-- Integrated internal Wi-Fi (802.11b or 802.11b/g)

-- Up to 2 GB shared(7) memory

-- Up to 80 GB(4) hard drive

-- Choice of optical drives including DVD+/-RW(8) drives

-- Ports include four USB 2.0 ports, one S-Video Out, one IEE1394 port, one ExpressCard Slot, Hi-Def audio support, one 5-1 flash memory card reader.

-- Choice of 6 cell (53WHr) Lithium Ion (standard) or 9 cell (80WHr) battery

Technical Highlights of the Dimension E310:

-- Intel Pentium 4 processors up to 640 (3.2 GHz)

-- Up to 2 GB shared DDR2 memory up to 533 MHz

-- Up to 160 GB(4) SATA hard drive

-- Expansion slots: two PCI and one x1 PCIe

-- Optional integrated Sound Blaster(R) Audigy(R) Stereo audio-enhancing software

-- Integrated 10/100 network controller and integrated graphics

For more information on Dell XPS products and Dimension products, visit www.dell.com/xps and www.dell.com/dimension respectively. For product photography, visit www.dell.com/photos.

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) is a trusted and diversified information-technology supplier and partner, and sells a comprehensive portfolio of products and services directly to customers worldwide. Dell, recognized by Fortune magazine as America's most admired company and No. 3 globally, designs, builds and delivers innovative, tailored systems that provide customers with exceptional value. Company revenue for the last four quarters was $52.8 billion. For more information about Dell and its products and services, visit www.dell.com.

Pricing, specifications, availability and terms of offers may change without notice. Taxes, fees, shipping, handling and any applicable restocking charges are extra, and vary. Dell cannot be responsible for pricing or other errors, and reserves the right to cancel orders arising from such errors.

(1) Media Center live TV functionality requires TV Tuner for PC and minimum desktop system requirements of Intel(R) Celeron(R) D 2.53GHz processor and notebook system requirements of Intel(R) Pentium(R) M 1.6GHz processor, and 512MB RAM. May not be compatible with all cable systems and local broadcast signals. Recording TV in Media Center requires Internet connection for full functionality.

(2) Starting weight of 5.5 pounds assumes a system configuration comprising of a 14.1-inch WXGA display, 40 GB hard drive, DVD/CDRW combo optical drive, and six-cell battery. Weights vary depending on configurations and manufacturing variability.

(3) Based on the number of pixels shown on a 14.1" WXGA compared to a 15.0" XGA LCD display.

(4) For hard drives, GB means 1 billion bytes and TB equals 1 trillion bytes; actual capacity varies with preloaded material and operating environment and will be less. For Norton Ghost 10 and DataSafe users, up to 25% of the stated hard drive capacity may be utilized by your system as dedicated backup space.

(5) For a copy of our guarantees or limited warranties, please write Dell USA L.P., Attn: Warranties, One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682. For more information, visit http://www.dell.com/us/en/gen/misc/policy_010_policy.htm.

(6) Download speeds are limited to 53Kbps. Upload speeds are less (about 30Kbps). Speeds can vary by line condition and modem manufacturer. Analog phone line and service required.

(7) Between 128 and 224 MB of system memory may be allocated to support graphics, depending on system memory size and other factors.

(8) Discs burned with this drive may not be compatible with some existing drives and players; using DVD+R media provides maximum compatibility.

Dell is a trademark of Dell Inc.

Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

Source: Business Wire

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