Long rumoured Dell netbook launches as Inspiron Mini 9

Dell has finally revealed its netbook rival as the Inspiron Mini 9.

It will ship initially with Windows XP and will cost 299 including shipping. A version with Ubuntu Linux will follow in a few weeks for 269.

The specifications are pretty much as expected with the mini computer powered by a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD hard drive. The display is 8.9in in diameter, with a resolution of 1,024 x 600.

Other features include three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA connector a 3-in-1 card reader, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and a four-cell battery.

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The Inspiron Mini 9 is available now from the Dell website, but it warns that it could take up to 15 days for it to ship.

The Inspiron Mini 9 adds to a long list of similar rivals such as the Asus Eee PC, the Acer Aspire One, the MSI Wind, the HP Mini Note, Lenovo's IdeaPads and even LG with its X110.

Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.