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Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Cyber Cynic

Do you want a notebook with that order?

6 comments

TAGS:Dell, Inspiron 9, mini-notebook, Mobile WiMax, netbook, Ubuntu, Wi-Fi
IT TOPICS:Emerging Technology, Hardware, Internet, Linux, Mobile & Wireless, Operating Systems, Windows & Microsoft

I know some of you really, really wanted Dell's first mini-notebook to have a price-tag of $299 and you're down because the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 starts at $349 with Ubuntu Linux or $399 with Windows XP. Well, just wait, you're soon going to be able to get it for even cheaper with a 3G or Wi-Fi contract.

While Dell isn't saying which wireless carrier they're working with, John Thode, Dell's VP of small-screen consumer devices has said that Dell will announce a wireless carrier partnership soon that will get you a Mini 9 of your own for a reduced price or free for signing long-term wireless service contract.

Some publications are saying that this deal will be for a 3G contract. Nice idea, but it ignores the simple fact that the Mini 9 doesn't include any 3G hardware. What it does have is an 802.11g Wi-Fi mini-card and optional Bluetooth 2.1 capability. So, what I expect to see is a package Wi-Fi deal from a company like AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint.

While this is a new kind of deal for a computer, it's old hat for mobile phone users. Very few of us, except for iPhone users, pay full-price for our mobile phones. With the rise of netbooks and Wi-Fi becoming a business necessity the only real surprise is that it took this long for someone to see the possibilities for a PC vendor/Wi-Fi carrier partnership.

If this deal works, and I think that it will, you can expect to see everyone else in the mini-notebook field jumping abroad. This won't last for long though because I think Mobile WiMax will be arriving soon and similar Mobile WiMax/mini-notebook deals will sweep over the Wi-Fi partnerships.

And, here's a thought for you. Guess which software company is deeply involved with bringing Sprint's national Mobile WiMax network into existence? The answer is Google. So, what would you say to a 'free' mini-notebook running Linux and connecting to Google applications at 70Mbps in city-wide Mobile WiMax hotspots using Chrome? It sounds really sweet doesn't it?

As for me, I'm not going to wait that long. You can order an Inspiron Mini 9 now and so I'm ordering my Ubuntu-powered one today.

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Sounds Pretty Neat

Submitted by David on September 30, 2008 - 6:47 P.M.

That sounds neat but is the ubuntu linux gunna be able to run on it?

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I hope you like the shiny screen

Submitted by jmacg on September 10, 2008 - 5:16 P.M.

I hope you enjoy your little Dell - it's bound to be a good computer. But personally I don't like the look of their shiny screens.

I love the matt screen on my Linux eee PC900. I haven't seen one of the new Dells, but yesterday I saw the Acer entry into the mini-laptop market. It had a glossy screen and I just couldn't see it being as pleasant to read for long periods as the eee screen.

By the way, the eee is the first computer I've owned - laptop or desktop - on which I'm comfortable reading long articles. I routinely print out stuff from my other PCs, but my eee is a reading machine in its own right.

I don't know why laptop companies are using glossy screens these days, but to my eyes they are awful - full of distracting reflections

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Don't hold your breath: mobile Wimax is not here yet

Submitted by Wireless Observer on September 5, 2008 - 1:34 P.M.

It is not certain that mobile Wimax will come any time soon. Wimax is more expensive to offer than WiFi. Unlike WiFi, it operates on licensed spectrum and requires an infrastructure similar to cellular, which is more complex and expensive to install than a collection of WiFi access points. Fixed Wimax could work well with WiFi access points in a mesh arrangement, but that will involve WiFi notebooks, not Wimax.

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I don't know how bright

Submitted by Anonymous on September 15, 2008 - 11:56 P.M.

I don't know how bright mobile Wimax's future is either. But I dispute that it's more expensive than wifi -- the startup cost is higher, due to having to have licenses spectrum. But, mobile wimax is expecting 10mbits/sec at 2km indoors, and 10mbits/sec at 10km if you have line-of-sight of the wimax site. You'll need a hell of a lot of wifi access points to cover that much area!

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Will the Ubuntu version work with the mobile wireless?

Submitted by Shannon VanWagner on September 5, 2008 - 1:02 P.M.

Sounds nice. So I wonder if this means that we could also be assured that the Ubuntu GNU/Linux version of this laptop will work well with the mobile wireless as well? I would hope so.

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To answer the question: Yes,

Submitted by eyerouge on September 5, 2008 - 3:39 P.M.

To answer the question: Yes, it will work just as well with Ubuntu. Dell would never, ever, release anything with Ubuntu on it unless Ubuntu supported all the hardware in the computer. My guess is however that the Ubuntu you'll get will have the supporting drivers added by Dell (but sooner or later they'll go upstream and probably be included in regular Ubuntu releases.)

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