While Asus may have had the early advantage in the ultra-portable laptop race, the rest of the pack is catching up as their second generation devices are slowly trickling in. To be more specific, Dell has unveiled their next netbook offering, the Inspiron Mini 12.
This new version comes with a large 12-inch display, a first in the netbook industry. Two variants will be offered under this new line: a 1.3GHz Atom Z520 model and a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 version. Windows XP and Ubuntu will still be the OS options for 2008 but come 2009, Windows Vista will likewise be available as well. There will also be 60GB or 80GB HDD options and a 6-cell battery upgrade that’s definitely a welcome treat. The Mini 12 might be larger due to the bigger screen, but it’s also slimmer measuring in a mere 21mm thin.
It’s scheduled to roll out internationally in November, but it will still depend on the local distributors on when it will exactly become available in their respective markets. The US starting price is $600 or close to P29K when converted using a $1=P48 exchange rate. It’s not exactly cheap, but with a thinner profile and a size that’s close to regular laptop, this might be the best netbook to date as far as form factor design is concerned.
With the Inspiron Mini 9 yet to become available in the market, it makes you wonder; will Dell Philippines completely skip out on the Mini 9 in lieu of the Mini 12 or will they just push back the debut of the Mini 12? I’m hoping that it’s the former since this looks like a better deal than what the Inspiron Mini 9 has to offer.
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I’ve just found a few great little items on the gadget pages that I will be adding to the games room we have just constructed in our spare room.
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