Ubuntu 7.10 on Dell's XPS M1330 Laptop - A dream becomes reality!

A month ago, Dell updated the Ubuntu OS to version 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) on their Inspiron 530N desktop and Inspiron 1420N notebook PCs. A version which offered, for the first time in Dell's history, built-in DVD movie playback! Today, Dell makes (once again) its Linux users happy, by releasing another laptop with Ubuntu 7.10 on it: the beautiful, superb, astonishing, sleek, sexy XPS M1330 laptop. Customers from Spain, Germany, France and United Kingdom can purchase this superb laptop with pre-installed Ubuntu Linux 7.10 (with built-in DVD playback) today!

"Ubuntu 7.10 runs great on the XPS M1330. It has more power, more style. Thank you to the Linux community for the support. Your purchases and your commitment is the driving force behind this expansion, and is the key to more in the future," said Dell Linux Team in the release announcement.

XPS M1330 features:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5250 (1.50GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 667MHz FSB) / T7500 (2.20GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
• Up to 4GB shared Dual Channel 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
• Intel Graphic Media Accelerator 3100 or an optional 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS video card
• 13.3" UltraSharp CCFL WXGA display (1280x800, 220 nits) with TrueLife and 2.0MP webcam
• Up to 200GB configured with 7200 RPM SATA hard drive
• Integrated Slot-Load DVD+/-RW Drive
• Weight: Starting at 1.79 kg

What should you expect from Dell computers with Ubuntu?

• The default software from the Ubuntu media will be installed on the system, including kernel and applications.
• The peripheral options offered with Ubuntu will be a subset of what is offered with
other operating systems. Dell will offer the hardware options on each system and they have the most mature and stable Linux driver support. These hardware options have been thoroughly tested by the Dell Linux team.
• Dell promises to configure/install open source drivers for hardware, when possible.
• Dell promises to use partial open-source or closed source ("restricted" in Ubuntu terms) drivers where there is no equivalent open-source driver. This includes Intel wireless cards and Conexant modems.
• A wiki page of their Linux official website will give technical details of the supported systems, information on the device drivers used for system peripherals, details of Dell's Ubuntu factory-installation, and information on the problems that will be found during the testings, with their fixes and workarounds.
• Dell recommends Linux users to buy Dell printers that have PostScript engines in them. The previous hyperlink lists those printers. You can also check in the Tech Specs tab for each printer on Dell.com show if it has PostScript or not.

About Ubuntu OS

Ubuntu is one of the world's most popular open source operating systems. Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system that is community developed, updated regularly and offered for free. Designed to be user friendly, the Ubuntu OS comes with built-in software for office productivity (i.e.: word processor, spreadsheets and presentation applications), e-mail, calendar, chat, web browsing, photos, and more.

Apple Offers Refurbished iMacs Starting at $999! - There's a limited time on these special prices, so hurry up!

In typical Apple fashion, the company's online store is offering refurbished Macs all of the sudden, as part of a Limited Time Special Price offer. iMac (current generation) prices range between $999 and $1,899 depending
on processor speed, hard drive capacity and RAM, so for those of you who haven't had the chance to get a decent system at an affordable price, now is the time to check out Apple store.

This of course has nothing to do with the cheapening of NAND flash memory this year, as neither of the refurbished iMacs sports a solid state drive. That doesn't mean that Macs can't get cheaper anyway.

So, here's a bunch of systems one might look into for a decent experience as well as price:

Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (current generation): sports a 20-inch glossy widescreen display, 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive, 8x SuperDrive (DVD±RDL/DVD±RW/CD-RW), ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory and of course a Built-in iSight Camera.

Its original price was $1,199.00 and it now goes for $999.00. Order now and you're likely to get it sooner than 5 business days. Shipping is free.

Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (current generation): features the same widescreen 20-incher, 1 gig of RAM, 320GB hard drive, 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) just as the first system, with ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory and Built-in iSight Camera.

The system was originally priced at $1,499.00. Now, Apple is offering it for $1,249.00 and will ship it to your house within 24 hours. No shipping fees with this one either.

Refurbished iMac 24-inch 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme (current generation): this one has you scrolling with your eyes across 24 inches of glossy pixels, uses 2GB of RAM, can store 500GB of whatever, reads/writes discs with an 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW), offers ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO (256MB memory) video quality and stares at you via the ever-present Built-in iSight Camera.

Original price was $2,299.00; refurbished pice is $1,899.00. It ships within 24 hours also, no shipping fees.

Apple is also rumored to drop prices on its iPhone and iPod lineup by as much as 50 percent this year, due to weak demand and an oversupply on the market.