Dell's new Inspiron offers Bluetooth 3.0

Dell on Thursday announced the lightweight Inspiron M101z laptop with new technologies including Bluetooth 3.0 wireless capabilities and low-voltage processors from Advanced Micro Devices.

The optional Bluetooth 3.0 wireless feature should enable faster transfer of images or movies from the PC to devices like smartphones. Most laptops today come with Bluetooth 2.1 capabilities, but Bluetooth 3.0 transfers data wirelessly at faster speeds of up to 25M bps (bits per second). Bluetooth 3.0 piggybacks Wi-Fi connections to transfer short bursts of data between devices while drawing less power. The laptop comes with an 11.6-inch screen.

It also comes with Syncables Desktop software to synchronize data and multimedia files with mobile devices.

The laptop runs on AMD's Athlon II Neo Mobile single- and dual-core processors, which were announced earlier this year. The laptop will also be able to decode and play back high-definition video using AMD's ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics.

The new Inspiron weighs about 3.44 pounds (1.56 kilograms). Based on tests, Dell estimates the laptop's battery life to be about six hours and 30 minutes with a six-cell battery.

The laptop is priced starting at US$449 and is available through the company's website, a Dell spokeswoman said. The system supports up to 8GB of memory and up to 320GB of hard-drive storage. It also has a wired Ethernet port, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) port. In addition to Bluetooth 3.0, wireless options include Wi-Fi.