--> US prices start at $1299. In the UK, prices kick off at £699

At current exchange rates, £699 = $1394. Considering that £699 is inclusive of VAT and that quoted US prices don't include sales tax, the ex-VAT price is £595 / $1190...which is cheaper than the US price!?!?

I suspect that the person setting prices at Dell won't be getting a job offer from Microsoft any time soon...

... Or from Adobe...

With no Blu Ray (or even HD DVD), is there any point in HDMI unless downloading HD content becomes viable (i.e. the UK upgrades its infrastructure and ISPs offer better tariffs)...

"The M1330's optical drive is a slot-loader"

It's about *&@#ing time! I would really love to know why slot loading optical devices have been installed soley in Apple laptops for so long. For a laptop, they are such a superior design.

Ports on a MOBO are hard to change but an optical drive is something usually plug and play for makers. That means dell is probably setting this laptop up to last a year or two and just offer whichever format seems to be winning.

Buyers can select either 802.11b/g, 802.11b/g or 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi......