After tens, if not hundreds of articles that have been written about it, Dell's first netbook system has finally made its debut. Despite yesterday's rumors that the Inspiron Mini would be officially unveiled this Friday, the Round Rock-based company has decided to announce the small-sized portable computer one day earlier. There's no official press release available at this time, but a microsite dedicated to the product has been set up, confirming that an already crowded netbook market has just welcomed another player, Dell.

 

The specific details that the netbook would bring have been subject to many speculations, starting from tech specs to its street value. One of the most circulated rumors indicated that the Inspiron Mini 9 (the official name) would be offered with a price tag starting at a more than affordable $299. Unfortunately, as it turns out, none of the upcoming models is featured with this pricing, but there is one model that will cost as little as $349, which is as close as it gets to what the rumors were saying.

 

This Inspiron Mini 9 runs on a Linux-based Ubuntu 8.04 operating system, and comes with 512MB of DDR2 memory, 4GB of storage, Intel Atom N270 processor and a 4-cell battery. This version has no web camera and no WWAN either but, given its price, it certainly makes for one of the cheapest netbooks on the market, while also providing users with the very basics in computing.

 

The Windows-powered version starts at just $449 and, unlike the Linux model, it is equipped with 1GB of DDR2 memory running at 533MHz. It offers 8GB of storage, built-in Bluetooth 2.1, integrated 1.3MP webcam, and is powered by the same Intel Atom processor like most of the other netbooks on the market. The Windows-enabled model also bundles Adobe's Acrobat Reader 8.1, a 30-day Trial for McAfee SecurityCenter and Microsoft Works 9, with no included MS Word. Just like the Linux Inspiron Mini, the Windows-enabled version also features a 4-cell battery.
 

Both models are equipped with an 8.9-inch display (1024x600 resolution), confirming previous rumors, according to which the first netbook system from Dell would be designed to compete with other 9-inch netbooks from ASUS, MSI or Acer.
 

These netbooks should become available later this month, but that is yet to be confirmed by the Round Rock-based company.