12in Dell netbook gets Japan launch

published 27 October 2008

Dell has released a 12in display equipped version of its netbook in Japan.

The Inspiron Mini 12 has just been officially announced by Dell, but full specifications of the oversized netbook were already available on the web site of UK supermarket chain Tesco, where it is incorrectly listed as the Dell Inspiron Z530.

According to Dell UK, the early October release date on the Tesco web site is misleading and that it would actually be available mid-November, the same time as a reported US release date. The UK price is given as 255, (299, including VAT).

Aside from the larger screen, which surely stretches the Mini' nomclemature to its limit, the machine sports an Intel Atom Z530, running at either 1.33GHz or 1.6GHz. Microsoft's Windows Vista is the surprise choice for the operating system, and it remains to be seen how the netbook handles Microsoft's notoriously power hungry OS.

Storage comes from a 4,200rpm, 80GB hard drive, and there's 1GB of 533Mhz DDR2 SDRAM. You'll also get three USB ports, a 3-in-1 card reader and a VGA output. The larger screen pushes the weight up to 1.2Kg. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) are also present, as is a web-cam.

At present there's no word on whether Vodafone will be releasing a version with integrated 3G broadband, as it did with the Mini 9.

"We're not announcing one [with integrated 3G] at this time. We're first looking at the market to see how the mini-9 does2," Dell UK told IT PRO.

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.