Dell "E" Gets Ready to Challenge the Asus Eee PC

The team over at Engadget managed to make friends with someone over at Dell long enough to acquire leaked information about the new Dell mini notebook: the Dell E. As if this new 8.9" mini notebook wasn't impressive enough, we've also learned that Dell will be releasing a 12.1" version of the same notebook called the "E Slim" that will directly compete against 13.3" thin notebooks like the Apple MacBook Air, Lenovo ThinkPad X300, and the new Voodoo Envy 133.

The new 8.9" Dell E (pictured above) is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Diamondville processor and will be available in configurations with 512MB or 1GB of RAM, and your choice of 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of flash storage (poor man's SSD). Pricing isn't available at this time but the E will be available with either Linux or Windows XP. The 8.9" display features a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, making it remarkably similar to the new HP 2133 Mini-Note and new Eee PC 900 and 901.

Editor's Note: We're excited about the new Dell E, but isn't the product name just a little too close to the Asus Eee PC? Considering the fact that Dell has had their fair share of legal troubles, you might think their brand managers could come up with a more original product name.

As if that wasn't enough, the new Dell E Slim (pictured above) looks to be a remarkable 12.1" ultra-portable notebook. The E Slim will come equipped with your choice of 1.3GHz or 1.6GHz Intel Silverthorne processors, 8GB of flash storage or a 40GB HDD, 512MB or 1GB of system RAM, and either a 3-cell or 6-cell battery. Once again consumers will have their choice of either Linux or Windows XP.

We'll keep you posted on any additional news as more product information becomes available ... hopefully through official Dell sources.

Related Article:

Engadget: Dell E and E Slim revealed

 

let the war of ultra portable notebooks begin

 

If Dell can sell the new E Slim for 500 less then the apple air then apple will have some steep competition. I'm guessing that this too will not have room for a optical drive.. which counts me out.

 

I think engadget noted that the 8.9in E will start at $299.... much cheaper than the msi wind and acer's offering. I'm excited at the competition Dell will be bringing. Personally, I want the 12 in Dell, and I hope it's going to be pretty cheap. =)

Oh, and btw, whats a silverthorne processor? Is it the Atom?

 

i like it

 

If it is $299, there's no way it will be built as well as the HP Mini Note, which is solid.

 

More info: http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?h...c-900-le-test-partie-1-presentation/#comments

The Linux, which is not ubuntu remix:

 

You lack faith.

Oh and I laughed at it being called the "E" pc.

Ridiculous.

 

QFT.

 

So now we'll have the EEE and the E...this will be fun.

 

IndEEEd
Hopefully, the 12 incer will have a competitive price range...

 

How on Earth can the 12" model compete with the Air and X300 when it uses an Atom processor whereas the latter two use full Core 2 Duo processors? Those would wipe the floor with the Atom in performance.

For that size, the processor is just too weak, but if the price is low enough.......

Its really just a "netbook" with a large screen with its limited processor and storage.

 

do you really need that power though? These notebooks are basiccaly designed to be lightweights who can browse the internet at airports, provide in flight entertainment and some word/spreadsheet capabilties. The Atom is perfectly powered for this job, the C2D's are complete overkill for the intended use.

 

All these Dells, Acers, HPs, MSIs, Asuses, etc., etc., make me more and more positive that Lenovo will finally release X100 subnotebooks

Note: X100 and neither U100 nor SL100 - it would be a sort of disappointment if they decided to castrate it of "the keyboard" and TrackPoint or impute to it a glossy screen

 

very interesting even though i cleary dont need a sub note book already owning a "game" desktop and a xps 1530 i just feel like i should buy one just because they have a high gadget factor

 

Yea, well, when the EEE PC came out, I thought it was a funny looking toy.
Now the market is springing more and more of these little toys. So at around 400$, why not get one for fun ?

 

I wouldn't mind getting one.

 

Yeah... I want a subnotebook. They do sound fun...

 

It would be my Linux toy. :yes:

 

wow for that price... it could be hard to justify buying an eee over this (assuming that both are on par with each other)

 

I *would* be more excited about this laptop (given its so cheap) except it has such a POS keyboard.

Refer to pictures in the link

I think I'll still wait on the Acer... if only Lenovo would respond with an ultraportable with a trackpoint and excellent keyboard :*(.

 

Im still waiting till apple releases more about their plans for a "affordable" umpc but i definitely buy one of the available umpc this year i think

 

Dell has already said that's not the final keyboard.

Anyway, $299 is the right price for these things. At around $500-600 you're starting to toe "real computer" territory, but for $300 these are perfect for people who just need basic internet and word processing abilities away from their main computers but have no need or desire for a fully-priced laptop.

 

I can see some trouble for Asus with the release of this Dell one.

I have very little faith in the $299 price though. Although if they do manage it, expect the demand to be Wii-like.

 

The Latitude E series (following, naturally, the D series) was leaked within the past few months. Dell could just tie this new series to the Latitudes and get away with the whole thing easily and somewhat plausibly.

 

For anyone who is looking for further discussion of the E, and information check out my thread here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=257630
Enjoy!

 

Silverthrone and Diamondville are both "Atom" processors from Intel. They are just the code names or whatever you want to call them...

 

The starting price is great. I know I'll be waiting for these to be released, they look great.

 

$299 is just a guess at this point, so I wouldn't count on it until the price is officially released.

 

Which brings up an interesting point. The e4200 is supposed to be 0.6"-0.8" and we're supposed to accept the Dell E Slim at 0.83"-0.94" as thin? WTF? There's no reason these couldn't match or surpass the e4200 thinness given their passive cooling ability etc.... Not that it's a huge deal but still.....

 

Well unlike competitors like Apple with the MBA, the E Slim is aimed at an audience who want portability AND a low price point. So no, Dell isn't going to spend a crapton of money on making it thinner when people aren't going to want to pay the extra $$$...

 

I think this laptop has the potential to push dell into the number 1 notebook seller.

 

Nice pricing strategy to undercut almost everyone.

This will be an interesting launch.

Not so much into the 12" but the 8.9 inch, if they manage the $299 price point, is going to be a winner.

the 12" will be a hit for those that need a cheap and portable laptop that only does light surfing, chatting etc. I don't really see why it couldn't be direct replacement of some of Dells own 12 inch portables... I would think the 1.6ghz Atom with the SSD would perform just as well as my D420 with the U2500cpu. The only real benefit of the D420 is its media base docking station.

 

Um, the E Slim sounds horribly underpowered compared to its competitors.

 

It's less powerful, but is that really a problem? It's not really aimed at doing any tasks that require a bunch of power.

 

Regardless, it means that it will not "directly compete against 13.3" thin notebooks like the Apple MacBook Air, Lenovo ThinkPad X300, and the new Voodoo Envy 133."

 

I think it is probably aimed more at the EEE, Cloudbook, etc.

 

Could anyone tell me what the slides on Engadget say about the slim and slim +? I can't see them properly on my cell phone. Is it suggesting the slim will only be available in silver and the + in silver or black?

I think they're great devices and I'm thinking of getting one instead of a full laptop as I'm happy just using the 'net and doing word processing. No need for a C2D for that type of task.

 

id say it was more dell trying to creat their own ultarportable notebook niche...affordable, but with a normal sized screen and keyboard that we're used to, and a low pricepoint that we aren't

 

I like how Dell is again forcing other manufacturers to bring their prices down, hence resulting in another round of price war. Good for the consumers as I believe these devices should be priced as low as possible. After all, these are pretty "disposable" devices.

 

^ ain't that the truth. For me , the options go between the Vostro 1510 and this Dell for small laptops...hmm.

 

This ultra portable thing seems like a huge fad. It exploded really quickly, I wonder how long this thing lasts...

 

i don't think this will be a fad at all. an small, cheap, lightweight laptop is exactly what i need for university. i have a powerful desktop in my room and just need something to make notes on and browse the web/IM. I just can't make up my mind on which one to buy!

 

I can wait to actually see it roll out on the market

 

Its not a fad, people have always wanted and will continue to want a small laptop for great portability to take anywhere and perform basic tasks, especially without having it sit near a power outlet.

But most of them until now cost far too much to justify as a secondary machine but now that is possible. I can see many students wanting these now!

 

I wished they would make these as tablet pc's too with hand writing recognition. Was going to buy the ASUS 10" when it comes out (already selling in Taiwan) but will wait until the Dell offerings comes and decide then.

These devices weren't meant to replace the full powered notebooks and laptops and adding features such as optical drives would drive up the prices and no battery life whatsoever and not to mention the bulk!

 

MSI Wind is still the best buy among all these new netbooks.

It's got the best balance of features and price, and a good keyboard too (unlike half of these netbooks).

 

you took the words right out of my mouth. but i think the 8in screen would be kinda small to write on. but on the 12in screen, that would be a welcome addition.

 

Anyone knows when Dell E will be available in N. America?

I need a sub-notebook (debating between Dell E, Acer Aspire one, and Eee PC 901) to share the workload from my Asus A8jm, plus it's such a hassle to bring the A8jm to wherever I go.

 

Small cheap laptops are going to see more abuse, and for that a SSD drive is better than the hard drive that the MSI Wind has.