Dell Unveils New Vostros With Ubuntu

On Wednesday morning Dell announced two new entry-level Vostro laptops and two new entry-level desktops featuring a choice of Ubuntu or Windows Vista

Dell is targeting emerging countries and small businesses with its newest release of entry-level Vostro laptops and desktops. By eliminating non-essential computing components, Dell says they were able to drive down prices while still providing a reliable product. As it turns out, these new Vostro products come pre-configured with Ubuntu Linux and offer Windows Vista varieties as an available option. The Ubuntu systems come with free open source software including an unspecified office application suite.

The Dell Vostro A860 and A840 are Dell’s newest laptops, featuring 15.6-inch and 14.1-inch WXGA anti-glare displays, respectively. Both laptops offer Intel Celeron or Pentium dual core options with up to 1 GB of RAM as standard, with more memory available as an upgrade option. The Vostro A860 comes with a 160 GB hard drive and the Vostro A840 comes with a 120 GB hard drive. Both include built-in optical drives and both are available in a choice of colors: black and black.

The two new Vostro desktops are similar to the laptop offerings, with Ubuntu Linux standard on both systems. The Vostro A180 offers Windows Vista Home Basic as a pre-configured alternative however, while the Vostro A100 does not. Another difference between the two desktops is that the Vostro A100 features an Intel Atom processor, while the Vostro A180 offers Intel Celeron or Pentium dual core options only. It is not surprising that Dell did not include a Windows Vista option on the Vostro A100, as the Intel Atom processor comes rather close to the Windows Vista minimum system requirements. The rest of the system specifications are rather in-line with what one would expect from a conservative configuration including integrated audio, graphics and networking, a generous expandable graphics capability, and DVD drive. Hard drive sizes are 80 GB for the Vostro A100 and 160GB for the Vostro A180, with the Vostro A180 also having DVD writing capabilities.

Prices and availability for the systems will vary from region to region, available in many countries by November, except North America. It seems this product is for developing economies only, but those who would like to acquire such a machine may find one as close as Mexico.