Dell announced that all new XPS laptop models will be shipping with Skype pre installed as part of an audio/video communications package.

The package also includes a webcam, microphone, and headphones.

Skype really understands their target market. They’re going after the college student market which is tech saavy enough to use Skype (afterall, anyone buying an XPS laptop really loves their video games and graphic editing).

Bundling with Dell is an easy way to get their product in front of their target market.

At the upper echelon of gaming laptops, it stops becoming all about style and portability and starts becoming all about power.

Case in point: the new Dell XPS M2010.

It’s got it all:

• Core Duo Processor
• Up to 4GB of RAM (yes, you must fill all 4GB if you call yourself a true laptop gamer)
• 20.1″ Widescreen
• 8 Speakers, and a subwoofer (yes, we’re still talking about laptops — not media center PCs)
• RAID harddrive so you can keep backups of your BF2 game saves

Honestly, this thing is a hybrid ‘Desk/lap’-top. The pictures of the XPS M2010 beast are stunning.

Dell is really pushing boundaries and they might’ve created a brand new class of laptops: portable home-theatre notebooks

Oh, and it’ll cost you $3,500 USD.

UPDATE: Cnet has a review of the M2010 rating it a 7.3/10 and citing the obvious:

Absurdly expensive; TV tuner and some other A/V connections aren’t built in; too heavy to be truly portable.

Dell can’t get enough of the cellular wireless networks. Shortly after announcing the deal with Verizon, Dell is now cozying up with Cingular to market laptops with HSPDA cards.

HSPDA is like a WiFi internet connection, except the connection signal is carried through the cell phone carrier’s network.

The competition is heating up as to who will provide consumers with wireless laptop Internet access, and charging us accordingly. What ever happened to the Utopian dream of placing wireless routers on every block to give unlimited wireless access to everyone in the city? Oh wait, there’s not money in that business model.

Via: ITworld

MobileTracker is reporting that Dell will be manufacturing laptops with built-in wirlesss EVDO (wireless-area networking protocol) cards. EVDO is Verizon’s choice wireless network protocol. The company currently has sold over 600,000 EVDO wireless networking cards that enable Internet access through the Verizon network.

In May, Sony began marketing some Vaio laptops with built in EDGE networking (Cinglurar’s wireless protocol).

Linux is coming… to a Dell laptop near you, that is. In partnership with Linux Publisher Mandriva, Dell has announced the linux pre-loaded laptop. The Dell Latitude 100L comes in around 759 euros ($940).

The machine is preloaded with Open Office. The use of open source applications in the 100L means a better deal for linux nuts who don’t want pre-loaded Microsoft applications that get quickly uninstalled for a more stable OS.

Price tag: 759 euros (~ $940)