ANTenna Blog -- Hardware & Software

Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 netbook is official. It's cheap, small, and you can get a Linux version. Dell is calling it "your new best friend" but how many of your friends weigh less than three pounds?

Gizmodo has the press release and at first glance Dell does not seem to be aiming for business users: "This small, easy-to-carry device stands ready to connect teens, tweens, travelers and "Tweeters" to their online world be it surfing the Web, chatting with friends, blogging, streaming content, uploading photos or enjoying favorite online videos, music and games."

But the specs are fairly impressive. The mini notebook weighs in at 2.28 pounds, has Intel's Atom processor N270, a solid state drive, Wi-Fi, an 8.9-inch LED display, and a spill-resistant keyboard. The machine can be pre-ordered with Ubuntu operating system and a 4 GB hard drive for $349 so if you've always wanted to go Linux, here's your chance. An upgrade to an 8 GB hard drive and Windows XP is $399 and a 16 GB hard drive and 1 GB of memory brings the cost up to $449.

There is standard built in Wi-Fi and Dell has teamed up with Box.net to offer users Web-based file storage, access and sharing with a free basic plan of 2GB of remote storage space. Bluetooth and Webcams are optional add-ons.

As Larry Dignan notes on ZDNet, Dell's mini looks a lot like the other "minis." He points to the Asus eeePC but the Dell mini also very closely resembles Acer's mini PC -- which just had its prices cut.

But never mind the teens, tweens, and tweeters -- anyone who has lugged a laptop through the airport or on a train, will appreciate the incredible lightness of an ultraportable laptop. And these latest entrants to the market -- Lenovo and HP have some recent entrants too -- all have enough computing power to let you get your work done.

For those of you who still need the stability, stolidity, and security of a "bigger" machine check out these affordable laptops.

More From bMighty:

• 8 Ultraportable Laptops For Growing Businesses
• Launching Lightweight Laptops Left And Right
• SLIDESHOW: Seven Affordable Laptops for Smaller Businesses