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

Business Wire, Oct 26, 2005

ROUND ROCK, Texas -- 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