Today, Dell adds to its XPS and Latitude lines with a new brand called Vostro. The new Vostro line of laptops and desktops (as well as a 19-inch display and two printers) is designed to bring strong performance, professional design, and myriad services to the small-business employer who lacks a large IT department. The laptops lack certain advanced features like TPM and fingerprint readers--common features found in Dell's established Latitude line. But this is to help keep prices down; the four notebooks in the Vostro line are extremely affordable and well configured for performance.

 

The Dell Vostro 1000 (starting at $449) is designed for everyday performance. It features a 15.4-inch display, a choice of dual-core AMD processors, up to 2GB of memory, up to a 120GB hard-drive capacity, a 3-in-1 memory card reader, and a choice of Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems.

 

Next in line are the 1400, 1500, and 1700 models, which range in price from $549 to $799. They come with optional Intel Core 2 Duo processors, optional webcams, 8-in-1 memory card readers, up to 4GB of RAM, magnesium-alloy bodies, 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi, MediaDirect with Instant Office, sealed keyboards, and StrikeZone-protected hard drives. The Vostro 1400 features a 14.1-inch widescreen, an antiglare display, and a choice of integrated graphics or a dedicated Nvidia GeForce G0 8400M GS graphics card (with 128MB of memory). The Vostro 1500 ups the screen size to 15.4 inches and gives users the choice of one of two discrete graphics cards: Nvidia GeForce Go 8400M GS (with 128MB of memory) or Nvidia GeForce Go 8600M GT (with 256MB of memory). The Vostro 1700 one-ups the 1500 by adding a 17-inch display.

 

Coinciding with the notebook launches, Dell has also debuted new services and support for small businesses. Dell Network Assistant helps users simplify how they connect to networks, printers, and other peripherals, and also helps with troubleshooting; Dell Automated PC Tune-Up keeps Vostro systems running at peak level and combines 30 tuning, performance, security, and maintenance tasks into one click; Dell Support Center provides customized system service and downloads based on a user's particular notebook model; The factory-installed Dell Support gives users the ability to tailor their desired level of support; DataSafe Online allows users to back up 10GB of data to a secure remote-storage site. In addition, the Vostro comes clean without any trialware. Dell also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with no restocking fees or customer-paid shipping charges.

 

The new Vostro brand is available for immediate purchase.