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March 28, 2008 7:10 AM PDT

Dell offers sub-$1,000 Blu-ray laptop

by Jonathan Skillings

The end of the next-generation DVD format battle may not mean a long victory lap for inflated Blu-ray prices after all.

Dell Inspiron 1525

The Inspiron 1525 line is a colorful crew.

(Credit: Dell)

Dell, which has more than a little clout in the PC market, on Friday announced that consumers can now spend less than $1,000 to get a Blu-ray-equipped laptop. More specifically, the Round Rock, Texas, company said that it's offering a Blu-ray disc playback option with its Inspiron 1525 laptops starting at $879.

There's also an option for a Blu-ray burner drive, but Dell doesn't seem to be ready to disclose that price just yet.

The Inspiron 1525 made its debut at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. The laptop features a 15-inch screen and an HDMI port for connecting to high-resolution displays and HDTVs. (Check out CNET's review of the Inspiron 1525.)

Things are heating up in the Blu-ray laptop sector. Last week, Asus unveiled its M50 laptop, which has an integrated Blu-ray player, though it did not offer pricing details at the time.

But even at a relatively low price, is Blu-ray a bargain on a laptop? Maybe not. The HD drive technology seems to put a serious hurt on battery life.

Originally posted at News Blog
Jonathan Skillings is managing editor of CNET News, based in the Boston bureau. He's been with CNET since 2000, after a decade in tech journalism at the IDG News Service, PC Week, and an AS/400 magazine. He's also been a soldier and a schoolteacher. E-mail Jon.
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but at 879...
by gerrrg March 28, 2008 8:09 AM PDT
you don't get to write onto bluray...you'd have to spend another 200 for that.

not that anyone would actually do that.
Reply to this comment
Considering...
by umbrae March 28, 2008 9:50 AM PDT
At cost and in bulk, a BD drive is around $300 you are not getting much laptop with that...
Reply to this comment
What about the other components?
by laynemoseley March 28, 2008 1:42 PM PDT
It's a decent idea but those players are still not cheap, and so I bet
that the rest of that computer is crap as far as components go. So
at best you get a Bluray for 879 bucks? I think i'd rather have a ps3
Reply to this comment
wow....
by laynemoseley March 28, 2008 1:44 PM PDT
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9883228-1.html

that's a little scary. the more I read about it the more it seems like
it's a piece of crap wrapped in plastic
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