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Dell notebooks get slimmer

Dell will introduce a thinner, faster model to its Inspiron line on Monday, aiming at home and small business users.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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  • Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
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Stephen Shankland
On Monday, Dell will introduce a thinner, faster model to its Inspiron line of notebooks that's aimed at home and small business users.

Equipped with a Pentium II processor and weighing six pounds, the Inspiron 3500 will be the lightest in Dell's Inspiron line. Prices start at $2,000, but higher-priced models of the 3500 will come with 6.4GB hard disks and 14.1-inch displays.

The new Inspirons are 1.5 inches thick, the same as Dell's higher-end Latitude notebook line, which is targeted at corporate users. Earlier Inspirons were at least 2.1 inches thick.

The new 3500 model fits in between the Inspiron 3200 models, which have smaller screens, and the multimedia-oriented Inspiron 7000 series, which can be purchased with a 15-inch screen.

Trickling down from its higher-end sibling is Dell's HyperCool system, intended to keep the computer components from getting too hot. The 3500s also have an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) graphics system.