Dell owns up to mini notebook, posts teaser

Dell has quickly acknowledged the existence of its unintentionally revealed micro notebook at the Wall Street Journal's D6 Conference by posting first details of the device. Secretive about most of the device, the company says the system recognizes calls by the community for a Dell UMPC and says its founder describes the design as a computer to reach the "next billion internet users." The photo file names notably make reference to a "mini Inspiron" and confirm styling very similar to the much larger Inspiron models.

The shots themselves also provide clues as to the feature set, including a dedicated Windows key for versions equipped with Microsoft software, VGA output for a second display, and standard audio in/out and USB connectors. Earlier reports from purported industry sources suggest that the Dell portable will use Intel's Atom at its heart and that the system will come with choices of either Ubuntu Linux or Windows XP.

Launch information is still being withheld, though Atom is being readied for release of multiple systems in June. The computer is also likely to appear at or before the start of the back-to-school period in September and is pictured in these two early images alongside a pencil, hinting at its education focus.