Computer manufacturer Dell has announced a new line of colourful laptops designed with the artistic customer in mind.

The new Studio line features two distinctly different laptops: the Dell Studio 15 and Dell Studio 17. Both laptops offer sleek designs, striking colour elements and personalisation options with feature such as standard built-in webcam, capacitive touch media control buttons, slot load drives, optional mercury-free LED displays and built-in mobile broadband.

Reminiscent of the Dell XPS M1330 and M1530 laptops, the new design features a sleek, wedge-shaped profile and an iconic drop hinge design.

Like the Inspiron range, the new Studio line offer’s several options to customise your new laptop, All well as being able to choose the colour you’d like from; new Plum Purple, Tangerine Orange, Flamingo Pink, Midnight Blue, Ruby Red, Spring Green or standard Jet Black, Dell is also offering a range of colour-co-ordinated accessories and peripherals like backpacks, slip covers, mice, and gives you the choice of a 15 or 17 inch High definition display.

If you don’t want to be quite so gaudy, then Dell has added an optional option for those who want a solid laptop; High-gloss Graphite Grey. But truth be told, there is no escaping the colour splashes as you pick a trim for it, either blue, pink, red or – for those whose eyes are stinging – black.

Optional features in the Studio line include Blu-ray disk drives and built in mobile broadband connectivity through wireless carriers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint. An optional fingerprint reader, for password management – cool – lets users pretend they are James Bond.

Another neat feature is the ‘Dell Dock’. This is a task based application that organises and places your most used programs and files in to user friendly categories that can be accessed by a simple taskbar. This allows users to label things in a way they relate to, and removes clutter from the desktop.

Dell Video Chat has also been added, allowing users to use video and voice calling with up to 3 other people, among other features.

“I think that Apple has opened up an interesting can of worms for the rest of the industry, and that’s the degree to which a computing-focused product succeeds on its technical merits versus on its design,” Charles King, president and principal analyst with Pund-IT, said.

“Mac aficionados love to talk about the technical superiority of the Mac and its GUI (graphical user interface), but the fact is there are a lot of people who love iPods and the iPhone and other Apple products because they’re extremely stylish products,” King added. “I think there’s room for aesthetic improvement in the quality of most Windows-based laptops and desktops.”

Overall, then, “it seems to me that Dell is looking for a sweet spot that mixes high technical qualities with aesthetics at a very compelling price point,” King concluded. “And that’s something Dell is extremely good at.”

The new laptops are both available now from Dell starting at $799 for the Studio 15 and $999 for the Studio 17.