Dell intros Inspiron 1526, adds 1525 with Ubuntu
updated 02:50 pm EST, Mon February 18, 2008
Inspiron 1526 and Ubuntu
Dell today tackled two new versions of its mainstream Inspiron notebooks with models aimed at both retail and at Linux users. Quietly slipping into its retail offerings, the Inspiron 1526 opts for an AMD platform in place of the Intel-only 1525 but otherwise leaves the slimmer 15.4-inch design unchanged: a 2GHz Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor and an ATI-branded Radeon X1270 integrated graphics chipset replace the Core 2 Duo and Intel X3100 options of the earlier system. A 2-megapixel webcam, 2GB of memory, and 250GB of storage come with the stock system, which normally ships for $900 at Best Buy and should drop to $750 after immediate discounts.
Also on tap is the Inspiron 1525 with Ubuntu, which adds the Linux distribution along with DVD playback out of the box, saving a download normally required for other versions of the open-source OS. Dell skews the configuration towards the budget market with a 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo as the most significant performance option. A stock system is available in a handful of European countries today and starts at £299 ($583) after tax with a 1.86GHz Celeron M, 512MB of memory, and an 80GB hard drive. A US version should be available before the end of the month.
