Dell Unveils Blu-ray Laptop For Under $900

As the dust from the high-definition DVD format war starts to settle, Dell (NSDQ:Dell) is jumping on Sony's Blu-ray bandwagon by offering an optional Blu-ray disc drive on its Inspiron 1525 notebook, with a sale price starting at $879.
"Dell has been a backer of Blu-ray from the beginning, and we've actually been offering Blu-ray notebooks for close to 18 months now," said Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden. "The big news now is we are actually able to offer it at a price that puts it at a mainstream user's reach."

A company release said the disc drive is fully backwards compatible, and will play as well as burn traditional DVDs and CDs. The company is also offering consumers a Blu-ray burner drive, which Dell recommends for backing up and storing files like digital photos, videos, financial records. Blu-ray discs have a significant advantage over standard DVDs, with 50 GB of data available versus 8.5 GB available on a typical DVD disc.

"Blu-ray is definitely moving into the mainstream," Camden said. "If somebody is thinking of investing in a Blu-ray library, now's the time because not only are they able to watch it at home but they can leverage that library and take it on the road, and it's affordable to do."

The laptop also features a 15.4-inch high definition wide aspect display with 720p resolution and an HDMI port for easy connectivity to high-resolution displays and HDTVs. In addition to the Blu-ray feature, the laptop can be customized with several different color options, blue included.

Dell said the Inspiron 1525 is currently available on the company's Website. As the Blu-ray offering is likely to appeal most to consumers who watch DVDs on their laptop, Dell is pushing accessories like a slim travel power adapter and a remote control that can be stored in the ExpressCard slot. The laptops are available to U.S., Canadian and European customers, Dell said in the release.