Dell Inspiron 11Z: The un-Netbook Looks Good for $399

Photo courtesy of Dell

Dell is playing really interesting games with their netbook lineup. First, they discontinued the Dell Mini 9. Then, then, they discontinued the Dell Mini 12 leaving the Mini 10 & 10v. Then, the un-discontinued the Mini 9. Now, they introduce the obvious successor to the Mini 12, but it is NOT a netbook…

Dell’s First CULV System: The Inspiron 11z

…or so they say. CULV is an acronym for Consumer Ultra Low Voltage. This translates to “new Celeron model”. Dell calls the 11z a notebook instead of a netbook to get around Microsoft’s netbook definition limitations of 10.1-inch screen, 1GB of RAM and 160GB hard drive. The 11z shipws with a 11.6-inch screen (let’s call it 12), 2GB RAM and 250GB hard drive (but still no DVD) for $399. That’s a pretty good price although you are stuck with a 3-cell battery. It also doesn’t include a Bluetooth radio or an option to buy one.

I was never in favor of anything with a screen larger than 10 inches being called a netbook. So, I’m ok with Dell calling this an inexpensive lightweight notebook. But, it sure looks like a netbook, doesn’t it?

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