The Inspiron Mini 12, Dell's biggest netbook, is now available to order!  Almost one month ago, CMS Report was the first to break the news that Dell was readying their site for the release of the Mini 12.  Current prices of selected configurations range from $549 to $649 which is about the expected price of this netbook.

Microsoft's Vista Home Basic is currently the only operating system available for the Mini 12.  However, Ubuntu Linux and Windows XP on the Mini 12 are expected by the end of the year.

For the OS-minded shopper, the Mini 12 currently comes with Windows Vista Home Basic, but expect Ubuntu and Windows XP versions by the end of the year.

With a starting weight of only 2.72 lbs. and only 0.92 in. thick, current standard features on the Inspiron Mini 12 include a built-in webcam, 1GB of RAM, built-in Bluetooth and 802.11b/g wireless, a sharp 12.1‑inch WXGA display and an ample keyboard.

I will personally be waiting for the Ubuntu version of the Mini 12 to be released before I make my order.  I will be curious though how users will review the Vista version of the Mini 12 as I would worry about performance issues.  More curious is when we'll see the first hacked Mini 12 running Mac's OS 10.x similar to what we saw with the Mini 9.

Last year, I started looking for a linux laptop and ended up just migrating my old Windows laptop over to Ubuntu Linux.  Since my personal preference is for smaller sized laptops, I have also been keeping an eye on the new low-cost netbooks.  Currently, I'm leaning toward the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 with Ubuntu already installed.  However, my personal sweet spot for a laptop seems to be in the 10 to 12 inch range.

Today, at Dell.com I came across reference to a yet to be released Inspiron Mini 12 (1210)!  While there have been rumors circulating on the Web that Dell will be introducing a 12.1 inch Mini netbook or (and) E Slim, I don't think anyone has reported seeing actual references of the Inspiron Mini 12 at Dell.com.  Until now!  Perhaps we'll be seeing the Inspiron Mini 12 released this week or possibly next week?  If the price is reasonable and Ubuntu is available, this Mini 12 will be my next notebook.

After collecting some 1,800 new product and service ideas from IT users and customers using an online "suggestion box," Dell Inc. has announced that it's taking the user suggestions seriously and will soon debut and sell a new line of certified, user-ready Linux-loaded desktop and laptop computers.

The Dell IdeaStorm Web site, where customers and other IT enthusiasts can offer recommendations about future Dell products and configurations that they'd want to buy, was started on Feb. 16 by CEO Michael Dell, who is looking for ways to re-energize the company's sales and financial performance after several disappointing quarters.

While the organization I work for uses Windows on most of its administrative desktops, nothing bothers me more then having to buy a PC with Windows pre-installed only so I can only have it reformatted and have Linux installed.  It is a waste of our money to buy Windows licenses that we are never going to use.