Dell's new Studio laptops official, along with new Dell Dock and Dell Video software

Alright, this one is no surprise, but Dell is finally officially official about its leaked and re-leaked "Studio" laptop line. The specs are as previously stated, with a 15-inch Studio 15 model starting at $799, and a 17-inch Studio 17 model that starts at $999. What is perhaps more interesting than rehashing those laptop specs for old times sake is the new software Dell is pushing to these laptops and eventually the rest of its computers. Dell Dock is just like what it sounds, a program launcher along the lines of the OS X dock, but with some app-categorization magic and fairly extensive customization. Dell is also doing up Dell Video Chat, in partnership with SightSpeed, which integrates some rather easy-to-use video chat (powered by those integrated webcams on the Studio Laptops) with VoIP and IM for a pretty compelling alternative to Apple's iChat. In all it seems Dell's continued fascination with Apple is starting to really pay off for the end user, and those pricepoints are just as loveable as ever. Both laptops should be hitting retail in the next few days.

Gallery: Dell's new Studio laptops official, along with new Dell Dock and Dell Video software

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[Hellios @ Jun 26th 2008 6:06AM]

Oh man, when I read Dell dock I thought of a dock to place the laptop onto, which will provide additional USB/eSata/FW ports, and stuff like that. Only to find it it's just a piece of dell bloatware..

[Cunthor @ Jun 26th 2008 6:20AM]

Who knew pre-installing useful software is actually a good idea. Now if other notebook manufacturers followed suit and got rid of all the bloatware...

[JerkfacedFed @ Jun 26th 2008 6:21AM]

at least you can just reinstall windows when you get a dell and start from scratch

i like the design on these studios, hope they have nvidia / amd cards (screw them if they use intel graphics)

[Douglas Brace @ Jun 26th 2008 7:23AM]

I could be wrong but I don't think that any Intel graphics cards have an HDMI port.

[MRCUR @ Jun 26th 2008 8:05AM]

@Douglas Brace

You're wrong. A good example is the new Voodoo Envy 133. It uses Intel graphics and has an HDMI port.

[barrywoods @ Jun 26th 2008 8:59AM]

From their site.

Graphics

Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
or
Discrete Graphic Card: 256MB ATI® Mobility Radeon HD 3450

[AlekZander @ Jun 26th 2008 6:31AM]

Preinstalled Dock? And video chat? Someone's not liking what they see in their rear-view mirror, methinks.

[engatdget.com @ Jun 26th 2008 6:41AM]

Just release the E6500 series already!

[David Hildreth @ Jun 26th 2008 6:47AM]

shit people, just buy a mac

[Jon Doe. @ Jun 26th 2008 6:51AM]

But then you need to deal with Apple's unreliable shit and turn around time in the days. Frack Apple.

[kccboy2004 @ Jun 26th 2008 6:57AM]

Hey David, you really like the one liners don't you ?

[Joshua.JWilliams @ Jun 26th 2008 6:59AM]

Why should someone just "buy a mac" if they don't like the hardware or the way that the computer is designed, etc. Or hell, maybe they don't even like OSX.

Ugh, I for one love OSX but hate the look of apple's notebooks (except for the MacBook Pro; which is grossly overpriced.)

[BobTurbo @ Jun 26th 2008 7:00AM]

I will buy a mac when the fonts don't suck and it isn't ten times the price it should be. Frankly, 90% of my computing is inside a browser, who cares whether it is OS X, linux, Windows, or whatever else.

[Mark Anderson @ Jun 26th 2008 8:28AM]

I should take advice from someone who's too dumb to get all of their head in a photo?

[Andrew @ Jun 26th 2008 12:56PM]

Davids comment was perfectly relevant - the article talks about how Dell is copying Apples OSX dock and iChat video so why buy a copy of what Apple is doing when you can get the real thing.

I for one dont understand why people would use this Dell dock, the thing is huge and will get in the way sitting up top and center like that. Whats wrong with the Windows Start menu anyway, or are you fanboys admitting that it sucks? Also, whats the deal with that video chat program crammed full of buttons?

No Macs are not expensive - thats a great talking point from the 90s that people love to repeat.

Similar spec Apple laptops start at $999 and if you buy at an Apple store you get $100 credit free toward a printer. Students also get a free $299 iPod Touch or Nano when buying a new mac. Thats a way better deal than Dell.

[Jherez @ Jun 26th 2008 4:38PM]

@ Andrew. www.apple.com You show me a similarly spec'd laptop for around the same price. Hell, show me a laptop that starts at $999

[odx @ Jun 26th 2008 7:47PM]

i wanna see apple release a 300$ mac book. then i'll consider getting a mac.

[Jon Doe. @ Jun 26th 2008 6:55AM]

These laptops easily kick Apple's ass. Hack Leopard on the thing for cross compatibility between Windows and OS X and you have a sale for me. Anyone want to buy a 2 year old 2.33Ghz MBP?

[Jon Kelly @ Jun 26th 2008 6:56AM]

ooh.. I love things that offer "custimzation".
spell check... please.

[DefPo3t @ Jun 26th 2008 6:57AM]

actually this is more like rocketdock than os x's dock
Shame on you engadget writers you should know that ibm started using dogs in computer os's before anybody (as far back as I can rember)

[toonces @ Jun 26th 2008 7:14AM]

ah the oft maligned OS/2 "Bark"

at least it was better than the forgettable OS/2 "Byte" that was subsequently introduced

[Bill @ Jun 26th 2008 8:10AM]

According to my research, Acorn Computers' ArthurOS and their successor to it, RISC OS, where the first Operating Systems to have a Dock; with a precursor called an "iconbar". Therefore, Apple Computer didn't invent the Dock. They just refined and popularized it.


ArthourOS Screenshots
http://www.guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/riscos12

RISC OS Screenshot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:RISCOS_4_scr.png

[Rufus White @ Jun 26th 2008 8:32AM]

@Bill: Damn straight... I'd still be using Risc OS today if Acorn hadn't died on their arse :(

Big shame, because they had so much going for them :(

Rufus

[Rowan Pope @ Jun 26th 2008 9:10AM]

@ Bill,

I have an A5000 on my desk next to my Macbook Air, it gets turned on once a week or so for a bit of nostalgia. A truely great OS. (in many ways)

Was the Acorn Iconbar or the NextStep Dock first? I know Next was a late 80's thing, that's where the OS X Dock started.

[Tony @ Jun 26th 2008 11:05AM]

Ohh, thanks for the Risc OS screenshots! Awesome.
I had an A3000 (after my BBC Master Compact), I remember !Draw was about the only program in it's day that could very easily create a donut, i.e. truly transparent in the middle rather than a circle with a white circle on top of it...
Believe it or NOT!
Real shame Acorn died.

[Adam Licht @ Jun 26th 2008 8:31AM]

Here's an idea for Dell. Why don't we ship computers that have the latest version of your OS of choice (XP 32-bit, Vista 32-bit, or Vista x64), preinstalled with all the security patches, and drivers for all the hardware, and that's it. No crappy software. No extraneous random crap. Just Windows and drivers.

[Jeff @ Jun 26th 2008 8:49AM]

You do realize why Dell's computers are less expensive? They are subsidized by the crapware thats on them. Remove the crapware, the price goes up.

[L.Rawlins @ Jun 26th 2008 8:53AM]

That would be too easy. Instead they're going to load even more shite on and pray that somehow peoples opinion of bloatware will be magically reversed.

[rickhamilton620 @ Jun 26th 2008 10:13AM]

You do know that you can deselect most if not all the bloatware during the customization process, right?

[L.Rawlins @ Jun 26th 2008 10:24AM]

@rickhamilton620

Not in my part of the world you can't.

[slaydove @ Jul 5th 2008 4:13PM]

Up on the Dell site now.

[KilgoreTrout @ Jun 26th 2008 8:43AM]

I want the pink one, but only if I can get it with the letters F A G instead of the dell logo

[L.Rawlins @ Jun 26th 2008 8:59AM]

It must have been quite the effort to drag your knuckles off of the ground to type that. Well done.

[barrywoods @ Jun 26th 2008 9:05AM]

Heh, once you actually add some decent hardware to these things may as well buy a mac.

[Chip @ Jun 26th 2008 10:55AM]

What "decent hardware" is it missing? I suppose we could just get a Mac, then to play any games or run Windows specific programs we could just dual boot to Windows.

Or just get this laptop.

[KilgoreTrout @ Jun 26th 2008 9:10AM]

@ L.Rawlins

Hey, are you spying on me?

[Bill @ Jun 26th 2008 11:14AM]

@Adam, Dell does, if one buys one of their "Business" computers.

I bought a Vostro 200 mini-tower recently from Dell and it shipped with very little crapware on it - Google Toolbar, Adobe Reader and McAfee Internet Security Suite to be exact. It took me about 5 minutes to remove the stuff.

[MRCUR @ Jun 26th 2008 10:11AM]

I wouldn't actually call any of that crapware. Adobe and McAfee are something I would say is necessary for most people. Google Toolbar is the only thing I could do without.

[Bill @ Jun 26th 2008 9:40PM]

MRCUR, I do call them both crapware because there are less resource intensive applications around that can replace them both.

Abode Reader can be replaced by Foxit Reader - which is free if one doesn't mind a very unintrusive ad banner on it's menu bar. And, McAfee can be replaced by Avira AntiVir Personal - also free - and Vista's builtin utilities.

[tyler @ Jun 26th 2008 9:27AM]

I honestly don't care what anyone says (and maybe it's just me) but it seems like Dell has taken quite a few steps in the right direction recently.

[Luke "MacMan" Centino @ Jun 26th 2008 11:09AM]

i thought the exact same - great style, cheap prices and actual innovation. I wouldn't be unhappy to own a Dell right now

[Joshua.JWilliams @ Jun 26th 2008 11:16AM]

I agree completely. Look at where they were just a year and a half ago. Looking at what Michael Dell has down at CEO again; major different change in their product line up.

With the M1330s/M1530s -- the sturdy (and value priced) Vostro series, and now these new Studio laptops... Dell's notebook designs are very good.

HP is very good as well with their new AMD-based "Puma" notebook.

Too bad only people really think that is attractive is the Apple products which have had the same design since, oh -- what is it? 5+ years ago.

Time to update Apple... white laptops UGH.

[Richard @ Jun 26th 2008 10:15AM]

Any plans for this new software to be made available to current Dell owners?

[EQ @ Jun 26th 2008 12:15PM]

Go to http://www.sightspeed.com/dellvideochat for the free version of Dell Video Chat powered by SightSpeed.

[chrisaroz @ Jun 26th 2008 10:24AM]

While I think these additions are great ideas, there's no mention of either feature on their site, and no one I spoke with at Dell had any idea what I was talking about... Maybe it's still too early for them to know about it?

[napkindoodle @ Jun 26th 2008 11:04AM]

All those glamour shots, and they couldn't squeeze one showing the screen and the keyboard / pointing device? Wha?

Apparently the colors are more important to show off :-\

[Joshua.JWilliams @ Jun 26th 2008 11:27AM]

Wow, apparently these Studio laptops come with Backlit keyboards... standard.

I hate to say it, but these "Studio" lined laptops are pretty dang nice. Starting at $799; excellent price point. LED display options.

Like it alot; too bad they don't make a 14.1" widescreen display option; 15.4" is portable but it's just a little too much for my liking.

[finnith @ Jun 26th 2008 11:35AM]

Starting at $800?

This could be my university laptop.

[Rick @ Jun 26th 2008 11:36AM]

Anybody actually go to Dell.com and price a $799-base system? Try $1900 with the LED display, 7200 RPM HD, and a few other options including ~ $250 in savings.

[Rick @ Jun 26th 2008 12:19PM]

Notebookreview.com has a hands-on review of the new Studio today.