Ubuntu on the XPS M1330: Give it about a week, denizens of the U.S.
(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)Dell is expanding its open-source offerings. The XPS M1330 laptop is now available with Ubuntu in Germany, the U.K., France, and Spain. On its Direct2Dell blog, Dell instructs would-be U.S. purchasers to "hold on a week or so."
Currently, the Inspiron 530 desktop and Inspiron 1420 laptop are the only two Dell computers to come preloaded with Ubuntu 7.10. While those looking to put Linux on a higher-end XPS model can always go the self-install route, purchasing a preloaded Ubuntu config saves you the cost of having to purchase Windows.
[Via Engadget]
Pity poor Dell (but not too much). The company finally got its act together on the design side, crafting the critically acclaimed XPS m1330 laptop--a superthin high-end 13-incher that we reviewed quite favorably--but actually getting it into consumers' hands was another matter entirely.
Unfortunately, when people went to order the XPS m1330, they found estimated delivery dates four or more weeks out, a ridiculous number in today's build-to-order world. In fact, while I was in L.A. for the E3 video game trade show earlier in the month, a random guy came up to me and complained that he had ordered an XPS m1330 from Dell after checking out my video and review on CNET, only to get an estimated ship date of late August.
On Dell's official Direct2Dell blog, the company previously blamed component shortages, especially for the system's LED backlit displays. According to a new blog update, Dell is finally ramping up the production line to get this popular system into the hands of consumers in a more timely manner. Alex Gruzen, a senior vice president at Dell, writes, "While we have begun shipping on a limited basis, we expect to begin large-scale production and to ship systems in all regions beginning this week."
The latest in flat-screen technology
(Credit: W. Partridge & Co., Ltd.)I'm in the market for a new laptop, and I was immediately drawn to the Dell XPS M1330 the minute it appeared in the CNET Labs last week. It's easily one of the slickest-looking Windows laptops I've seen in a long time, and despite its ultraportable size, it still packs all the serious computing horsepower and features I'm looking for, including a slot-loading DVD burner, HDMI output, and a built-in flash media reader. I was seriously ready to budget out $2,000 for this thing--until I noticed the screen.
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(Credit:
Engadget)
Not one, but two of the upcoming laptops we're most excited about made unexpected appearances on the Interwebs this morning.
The Dell XPS m1330--rumored, leaked, and then finally half-confirmed by Dell (in their infamous "23 Confessions")--showed up again today on Engadget, with several new photos and a rumored ship date (from a "trusted insider") of July 10.
This extra-thin 13-inch looks like a real step in the right direction for Dell in terms of laptop design; leaked images have been circulating online for a while.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
Perhaps even more exciting was an Akihabara News story showing the eagerly anticipated Toshiba Portege R500 in the wild (in, of all places, Paris). Arguably the lightest full-sized laptop in the world at 2.4 pounds and 0.77-inches thick, the 12-inch R500 was officially announced in early June--but has yet to ship to customers.
That's a tiny step closer to reality for two of the sweetest-looking laptops we've seen in a while. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before we have both of them in hand.
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