Dell today formalized the launch of the Vostro 1220, its smallest full-fledged notebook to bear the name. The 12-inch system isn't Dell's thinnest at up to 1.5 inches thick but is light, at under 3.4 pounds, and has room for high-end components. A fully-loaded 1220 can take up to a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo, 8GB of RAM and a Blu-ray combo drive; in a rarity for Dell, it also has the option of Clearwire- and Sprint-friendly internal WiMAX.

Owners also have their choice of operating systems, which simultaneously affects storage: while Windows owners have regular hard drives from 160GB to 500GB as well as a 128GB solid-state drive, Linux owners also have the option of a 16GB solid-state drive that keeps the price lean while supplying some of the benefits of flash memory.

Concessions to the business world include options for a fingerprint reader and an encrypted 250GB hard drive as well as the ability to strip out the optical drive.

The company prices a base 1220 at $799 with a 2.2GHz Celeron M, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and a DVD burner. Orders made today ship in late July.