Dell has just announced an update to its business-class Vostro series of notebooks, that now include the new 13.3-inch Vostro 1310 and the 15.4-inch Vostro 1510 models. Also, the manufacturer has performed significant updates to the existing 17-inch Vostro 1710 laptop, but it will be available in May this year.

According to the company, the new offerings in the business-class line-up are Dell's response to its customers' needs.

"Listening to customers and acting quickly on their feedback to improve our products and services sets Dell apart," said Frank Muehleman, vice president and general manager, Dell Small and Medium Business. "For example, customers told us in a recent global laptop study that data protection and pre-installed security software are, by far, the most important security features," he continued.

Dell's new products are already available in Europe, Middle East and Africa, but they will hit the US, Asia-Pacific and Japan markets in early May. The new models will add some new customer-oriented features, such as the presence of an integrated slot-load optical drive, smaller form factors for enhanced portability as well as increased viewing areas.

"They also said they wanted thinner and lighter machines, all at a good price," Muehleman said. "We paid attention."

Moreover, the business laptops ship without the pestering trialware products that not only bloat the Windows operating system, but also can lead to third-party application backdoors. On the security side, the Vostro 1310 and 1510 laptops come with integrated fingerprint readers, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2, cable lock slot, as well as a full version of the McAfee Total Protection for Small Business security software.

The new Vostro notebooks are just the first units to hit the market, as the company plans to extend its laptop line-up by 50 percent until 2009, in order to offer the biggest business-oriented offering in Dell's history.