Today Dell announced its redesigned XPS line of notebooks

Today Dell announced its redesigned XPS line of notebooks, which features JBL vgp-bps21a speakers, Skype HD-certified webcams, and a new look. We went hands-on with the 14-inch XPS 14, which, for $899, gets you an Intel Core i5 460M vgp-bps21 processor, 4GB of RAM, Optimus-enabled Nvidia GT 420M graphics with 1GB of memory, and a 500GB, 7200 RPM The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data.

Learn Morehard VGP-BPS13 drive.

Given the XPS’ history as a family of premium laptops, it’s odd that in its latest incarnation, it looks a lot like the company’s entry-level vgp-bps13b/q Inspiron series. Not that that’s a bad thing, per se. Both have a sturdy chassis ringed with a thin strip of metal, and a screen that’s planted vgp-bps13a/q closer to the keyboard, leaving more of the hinge exposed behind it.

We wish the area above the keyboard vgp-bps13/b were less cluttered. In that narrow space, you’ll notice twin JBL speakers, which flank the power button and a series of large LED lights, indicating Wi-Fi signal and battery life, along with three touch-sensitive VGP-BPS13A/B buttons.

However, the space left for the speakers was worth it. When playing music or videos, it not only showed off a high range, but was loud VGP-BPS9 enough so that we felt comfortable keeping the audio below the median level.

The 2-MP webcam takes 1600 x 1200 photos and 720p video, and, in a first for notebooks, VGP-BPS9/B is Skype HD-enabled. Although our images were well-lit and sharp and our 720p video was smooth, the colors appeared faded. We like the included Dell VGP-BPS9/S Webcam Central software, though.

The XPS 14 has 2 USB ports, as well as a USB port that doubles as an eSATA port. It also has HDMI output, a FireWire 800 port, an VGP-BPS9A/B Ethernet jack, dual headphone ports, a mic jack, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader. Unusually, many dell studio 17 battery of the ports, including one of the USB ports, and the HDMI, FireWire, and AC ports, are located on the notebook’s back side.

Overall, we really liked the style, performance, and audio quality of the XPS pa3535u-1brs 14, and for $899, it represents a good deal. Stay tuned for our full review.

It’s been a while since Dell updated its PA3534U-1BRS XPS line, the high-performance fleet of multimedia notebooks aimed at A/V-minded consumers. Today the manufacturer intros the newest generation of the notebook family.

Included in the family portrait are 14, 15, and 17-inch XPS machines that are new and improved thanks vgp-bps21/s to souped-up specs like Nvidia switchable graphics, powerful JBL audio, and a hefty focus on HD video and 3D TV-connectivity vgp-bps21/b for 3D gaming or Blu-ray playback.

The smallest of the bunch is the XPS 14 which retails for $899 and packs an Intel Core i5 460M processor, Optimus-enabled NVIDIA Graphics sony vgp-bps21a/b with 1GB of memory, a 500GB 7200RPM The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data.

Learn Morehard drive, 4GB of RAM, a 2.0-MP webcam, and JBL audio hardware tweaked with vgp-bps13/q Waves MaxxAudio 3 digital sound processing tech. Quite the internal package for the price. Check out our XPS 14 hands-on for more details good battery and our early thoughts on the system.

The remaining two models, the XPS 15 and 17, begin to retail today for $849 battery and $949, respectively. Check out our hands on and look out for our full reviews