Dell Vostro V131: Squared-Off Style On A Budget

Dell has outed a new Vostro, the latest notebook in the company's budget line. The Dell Vostro V131 kicks off at $499 for a Celeron dual-core processor – though Core i3 and i5 processors are available – up to 6GB of DDR3 RAM and a 13.3-inch 1366 x 768 anti-glare display, with WiFi b/g/n and up to 9.5hrs of battery life.

There's also an optional DVD burner and 3G or 4G mobile broadband, together with Bluetooth 3.0 and gigabit ethernet. Up to 500GB of storage is supported, and there's a 1.0-megapixel webcam, integrated digital microphone and HDMI port, as well as two USB 3.0 ports and a hybrid USB 2.0/eSATA connector.

A 4-cell battery is standard, but can be upgraded to a 6-cell pack if you want the longer runtime. Intel WiDi rounds out the main specs. The Celeron machine is $499 but expect to pay $100 more for a Core i3 chip or from $799 for a Core i5.