Dell unveils three consumer systems featuring Ubuntu 7.0

Dell has made it official, unveiling three consumer systems with the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux distribution factory installed. The systems include the XPS 410n and Dimension E520n desktops and the Inspiron E1505n notebook.

The company says the systems target the Linux enthusiast community and are a direct result of customer feedback received since February via a website specially setup for this project.

About 30,000 community members advocated that Dell offer systems with Linux pre-installed, and more than 100,000 participated in a follow-up survey to help determine customer preferences, including which Linux distribution to offer initially.

With no software licensing costs associated with Ubuntu, the base price for each system is competitively priced and fully configured. Hardware support is available through normal Dell support channels, along with the Basic software support on a variety of dedicated Web sites and Linux forums. Customers can also choose service upgrades from Canonical, including: 30-day Get Started, One-year Basic and One-Year Standard.

Dell is offering hardware options on each system that have the most mature and stable Linux driver support. These hardware options have been tested and certified by Canonical. For hardware options not offered with this release, Dell is working with the vendors of those devices to improve the maturity and stability of their associated Linux drivers, and expects to have a broader range of hardware support with Linux over time.

In response to customer feedback, Dell created a Dell Linux Forum, providing an easily accessible resource and collaborative environment that enables customers to interact with other Linux enthusiasts, ask questions, share experiences and learn.

The Inspiron E1505n comes with a 15.4 inch WXGA display, an Intel Pentium Dual Core T2080, 512MB memory, 80GB hard drive. The Dimension E520n comes with a 17 inch flat panel, Intel Core 2 Duo E4300, 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive and 256MB nVidia GeForce 7300LE. The XPS 410n has a 19 inch flat panel display, Intel Core 2 Duo E4300, 1GB memory
250GB hard drive and 256MB nVidia Geforce 7300LE.

Prices start at U$599 for Inspiron E1505n, US$599 for the Dimension E520n and US$849 for the XPS 410n.
Source :http://www.geekzone.co.nz