back to article Dell netbook-cum-tablet priced up

Dell isn't saying how much it's Inspiron Duo - the netbook with the spin-round screen - but Microsoft is. The software giant's US-centric online shop has started taking orders for the Duo, which is there priced at $549 (£342) a pop. Dell Inspiron Duo That suggests a UK price of £400. Whatever Dell charges over here, the …

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  1. b166er

    Tit el

    Excellent!

    From the Microsoft Signature site "Start using your PC right away

    After installing Windows 7, we pre-loaded only the software you need and removed the trial versions and bloatware that you don't, so you don't have to spend hours setting up your PC—it's ready to run, right out of the box."

    Bloatware indeed, ROFL.

    Still, well played MS, perhaps OEM's will take a leaf out of their book.

  2. The Fuzzy Wotnot
    Thumb Up

    First thought?

    DECKCHAIR! All it needs now is Frank Spencer to try to put it up!

    The damn thing looks broken for flip's sake!

    Best laugh at a tech gadget in ages!

  3. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
    Paris Hilton

    Need to know...

    1. Screen - Quality. Matt? Glossy? Capacitive or resistive? Finally... whatever config it is... Is it usable?

    2. Expandability - HDD swap? Memory upgrade? How easy to do it?

    3. Ugliness. Do SD cards stick out of it?

    4. Battery ... yeeeurgh... sounds ghastly already.... is this 4hour thing true?

    5. Can you fully linux it? without mad hunt for drivers etc...

  4. iamapizza
    Thumb Up

    Do a review!

    I'm hoping you'll do a review of the Inspiron Duo soon. Coming from a mindset of usually buying netbooks for 100-200 GBP, I'd like to see if the swivel tablet mode actually justifies the price. What better way to find out than to have you guys buy it, review it and let me know?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Halo

    Cool hybrid

    This is one sweet deal. It looks great and combines the best of both worlds in my opinion. Might grab one for xmas...

  6. Tim Greenwood

    Should I wait?

    My wife is starting to have performance issues with her slightly older single core netbook and has also expressed considerable interest in the ipad, tablets and touchscreens in general. I had been considering the purchase of one of the dual core mini laptops/notebooks and pondered adding a cheap tablet for the novelty value.

    I had eyed this up and thought it might be interesting, but is it worth hanging on a bit longer for??

    1. uhuznaa

      Stay away from cheap tablets

      Really, they're an effing waste of money. Get your wife an iPad or a decent notebook. I don't think this Dell thingy is anything decent at all. It's too heavy for a tablet, it has no decent OS for a tablet and it has too small a battery and screen for a decent notebook.

    2. Rogerborg
      Linux

      Oh deary me

      "My wife is starting to have performance issues with her slightly older single core netbook "

      The only OS that I know of that 'develops' performance issues is Windows.

      If you've already written off the netbook, try a Lunix install on it - I'd suggest Linux Mint rather than the current Unity cripplewared Ubuntu 10.10 - and see if that gets the old girl revving again.

  7. Justin Clements

    Windows Tablet...

    ...Has already failed. Why should this succeed?

    1. Anton Ivanov

      Because it is not Longer MSFT commanding the UI design

      Windows tablet failed because Microsoft wanted it to maintain all the Windows idiosyncrasies in order not to "confuse the user". That is no longer the case as MSFT has been relegated to a catch-up position in the UI design.

      So while the underlying hardware will probably be Winhoze on most installs nothing prevents Dell from slapping a more modern visual shell on it or dual-booting it into an Android or running Android as a VM and flapping between Android and Windows as the screen flaps.

      1. Goat Jam
        Paris Hilton

        Errrm

        "So while the underlying hardware will probably be Winhoze on most installs"

        Don't even understand what that means. Winhoze is hardware? Maybe you meant "Windows compatible hardware"

        "nothing prevents Dell from slapping a more modern visual shell on it"

        I wasn't aware that MS had altered their OEM agreements in this regard. Are you able to provide any evidence of this?

        "or dual-booting it into an Android"

        Again, OEM agreements in the past have precluded doing this. See the BeOS antitrust trial for details. Are you sure this has changed?

        "or running Android as a VM and flapping between Android and Windows as the screen flaps"

        Why on earth would anyone want to do that? I can see a few use cases such as having quick and dirty access to the internet when in tablet mode but I really cant see the average Joe Sixpack being impressed by it. Monumentally confused, yes, but not impressed.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      This is no ordinary tablet

      Because this looks cool to teenagers. My son (an android user) is drooling over this. Might snap one up!

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    An innovative design

    But it looks designed to be broken.

  9. DrXym

    Not bad value I guess

    £400 is a little pricey for a netbook, but it is a top of the range dual core atom and it does have a touch screen. So not bad all considering. That said, I'm not sure I see much reason to use the device as a tablet. It's a bit of a bloater.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    price

    to me, $549 suggests a UK price of £549. I'd be interested to see another gadget where the $=£ conversion has not been the case

  11. A 20
    Thumb Up

    Cool?

    I think that's a cool convertible. It might be nice if it weighed a bit less, but you can't win 'em all ;)

    Hope we don't get gouged on the £ = $ conversion...

  12. thecakeis(not)alie

    Looks great!

    Now, remove the power-hogging x86 crap, put an ARM processor, a bigger battery and a real mobile OS in there. (Android or, even better, Meego.)

    Let's take this neat looking form factor and extend it out to 10+ hours of video time with over 2 days of standby.

    Then we're talking!

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