Dell Inspiron 14z is the MacBook Pro for the PC crowd

The Dell Inspiron 14z is the follow up to the Inspiron 15z we previewed back in May, and thankfully it features the same MacBook Pro-esque looks and slim chassis. But as the name suggests, it's an inch smaller. That may not sound like much, but when it comes to portability, laptops are like Tesco: horrifically ubiquitous every little helps.

So how are the specs looking? The screen is a widescreen HD display, with a 1,366x768-pixel resolution, which is the same as the 15-inch version, but the processor options are a little more limited. You have a choice of Intel Core i3 or i5 processors, compared to the 15z's selection of i5 or i7. So what you gain in portability, you may well sacrifice in performance. Ah well, you can't win them all.

Windows 7 comes as standard, and you can tweak the other options to your desire -- max it out, and you've got 8GB of memory, along with a 750GB hard drive. Though be prepared to pay for the privilege -- the 15z costs around £900, and while Dell hasn't confirmed the price of the 14z, we can't see it coming in at much less.

You can pipe films to your TV using the HDMI port, though with a high-definition screen and built-in SRS Premium Sound HD, it should be more than capable of taking care of your movie needs on the move. It certainly beats squinting to watch on your phone, anyway.

It also comes with Dell Stage software, offering one-click access to your media, as well as SyncUp powered by Nero, which lets you stay synced with your desktop using your home Wi-Fi. So if you alter a document on the move, the original version at home will stay up to date.

The 14z will come in either red or black when it ships later this year. If you want an alternative to a MacBook Pro and don't want to join the queue at the Apple Store, this could well be what you're looking for.

Update: This story was originally published with the incorrect image -- an older Dell laptop, also called the Inspiron 14z. Apologies for the mixup.