Dell has announced a Blu-ray packing member of their award-winning Inspiron line of laptops that will cost less than $1000. The 15.4" Inspiron 1525 with Blu-ray drive will only cost $879, and will feature a CD/DVD writer which can also read (but not write) BD discs.

High-definition video decoding is done through a special dedicated Broadcom decoder located in the laptops mini-card slot. An IR remote control is also available for quick access to Blu-ray menus. The 15.4-inch high-definition wide aspect display features native 720p resolution, and the laptop includes an industry-standard HDMI port for easy connectivity to high resolution displays and HDTVs.

The Blu-ray Inspiron ships with a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo processor, an 80GB hard drive and 1GB of DDR2 memory. There are many designs available: Chill, Blossom and Commotion, or a spectrum of vibrant colors, like Sunshine Yellow, Midnight Blue and Ruby Red.

The Inspiron 1525 laptop with Blu-ray is available immediately in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Last week, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) announced it has voted to launch an investigation into some 30 companies that are producing devices (handheld mobile devices, instrument panels, billboards, traffic lights, HD DVD players (e.g., Blu-ray disc players), and data storage devices) that are using short-wavelength (e.g., blue, violet) LEDs and laser diodes.

According to the ITC, the investigation is based on a complaint filed by Gertrude Neumark Rothschild of Hartsdale, NY, on February 20, 2008.