Dell intros 15.6in Vostro notebook, Atom-based tower
updated 09:45 am EDT, Wed August 27, 2008
Dell Vostro A Series
Dell this morning gave its Vostro line a refresh made for regions where cost is a concern but still offering features that are rare almost anywhere. The A860 is Dell's first 15.6-inch notebook and uses a 16:9 aspect ratio display in a redesigned, more rounded chassis than normally squared-off Vostro notebooks. It sheds costs both by having the option of budget Celeron M processors as well as by offering the choice of Ubuntu Linux in place of a costlier Windows Vista install. A 14-inch parallel, the A840, uses a slightly more conventional 16:10 ratio display but with similar internals.
Dell vows a more aggressive update still for its Vostro desktops. The A100 is the PC creator's first Atom-based desktop and is targeted at the ASUS Eee Box and other systems for developing areas where cost is the most important factor. In addition to the low-cost, low-power processor, the mini-tower also comes with Ubuntu Linux as its only operating system choice; the system is Dell's first ultra-budget desktop to ship with the open-source as its exclusive platform. It carries either a read-only DVD drive or DVD burner and as much as 160GB of hard disk space.
A faster Vostro A180 comes with either Celeron or Pentium dual core processors and has the option of Windows Vista in addition to Ubuntu.
Unusually, Dell plans to consciously avoid North America for most of the systems and will ship the A100, A180, and A840 only to Asia, Europe, and Latin America; the A860 is the lone world notebook and will ship to North America as well. Pricing and ship dates haven't been announced and will vary from country to country.
Vostro A860 and A840
Vostro A100 and A180
