We're no strangers to rebranded netbooks, but we're a little befuddled as to why Dell's rebranding its own Inspiron Mini 9 as the Vostro A90. Sure, we're digging the stealth looks, but the specs haven't changed at all, and we don't think the Vostro brand really has any more cachet than Inspiron -- they're both pretty low end. Even more bizarrely, the A90 is apparently Japan-only for now, and it's priced at an absurd ¥92,830 ($972) -- yeah, you can get three Eee 900As for that price with more or less the same specs. Must be one hell of a paint job.

While the Vostro 2510 might be Dell's primary bid for dual-use small business computers, that doesn't mean they have to keep beating the rest of the Vostros with the ugly stick. The new Vostro A860 and A840 feature spiffed up looks and aggressive prices for emerging markets. Unfortunately, "emerging markets" means we won't be getting these in the States for the time being. Both laptops are naturally light on specs, with 1GB of RAM, 160GB or 120GB hard drives, CD or DVD burners, WiFi and optional Bluetooth. The 15.6-inch A860 sports an "HD" resolution, while the 14.1-inch A840 runs at WXGA. Processors range from Celeron to Core 2 Duo, both laptops can be outfitted with Vista or Ubuntu, and they both weigh in around 5 pounds. Oh, and if you're more of a desktop sort, Dell is also offering the new Vostro A180 and A100 desktops, with the A180 offering a range of specs and both OS choices, while the A100 sticks with an Intel Atom processor and Ubuntu. No word on price for any of these yet, since pricing will vary from country to country, but we might be looking at a new low for Dell in both categories.

The Inspiron-like Dell Vostro laptops have been haunting us for weeks now, but the mystery deepens with this Vostro 2510 that was spotted in a flier. The August 2008 Dell Business flier reads as such: "Coming this month: New! Dell Vostro 2510. Style meets performance." As far as listed specs, we've got an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160GB hdd, 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GPU, and integrated webcam. Pretty decent specs for the $899 price tag, we gotta say. The URL listed in the photo is indeed for the Vostro lappies, but the 2510 is, as of right now, mysteriously absent.

UPDATE: The Canadian Dell site has some official Vostro 2510 information and specs. [Thanks, jorvay!]

[Thanks, Dirk]

Oh no, Dell isn't forgetting to do its duty to Microsoft. Just as promised, it has now bumped up the prices for folks wanting to stick with Windows XP Professional. As of now, the only way to get XP pre-installed is by selecting an option that also throws Vista in the box, and if you're specifically after Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP MCE, you're thoroughly out of luck. On eligible machines, it looks as if getting XP Pro along with Vista Business will cost you $99 more than Vista Home alone, while having Vista Ultimate ride shotgun adds another $50. Or you can look at it like Dell's tossing in XP for free with those upper-level Vista packs -- whatever floats your boat. Let us know if you notice any different pricing arrangements.

[Via ComputerWorld]

Dell's been squarely situated on the green bandwagon for years now, and just as it did with the OptiPlex 755, Round Rock is making quite a fuss about the all new Vostro 410 desktop. The mini-tower features Intel's Core 2 Quad processors, an optional 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT, room for four internal hard drives / six PCIe or PCI cards, gigabit Ethernet, up to 4GB of RAM, dual-layer DVD burner and a rather run-of-the-mill port assortment. Potentially best of all, however, isn't the 47-percent energy savings it's purported to deliver -- oh no, it's the complete absence of bloatware, as Dell looks to fit the machine "with only the software you want" for your business. Check it out now in North / South America and the UK starting at $599, while Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa will have access before the end of next week.

Just in case you've been holding out, we want you to know that Dell's budget-friendly 17-incher, the Vostro 1710, is now available for your purchasing pleasure. The widescreen laptop joins the 1310 and 1510, thus completing the holy trinity of black and boxy systems, and likely signaling the end of this breathtaking saga.

[Thanks, Mike]

Dell might have announced its "500" laptop for emerging markets last month, but we didn't get so much as a screen size out of the company as far as details, leading to speculation that it was working on an Eee-class ultraportable of its very own. Sadly, that doesn't appear to be the case -- the Vostro 500 just popped up on Dell's support site, and it's not much more than a Intel version of the Vostro 1000 with a 15.4 in display, Celeron processor, and integrated Intel 965 graphics. No additional details in the offing really, but if the XPS 730's early appearance on Dell's support site is any indication, we should be seeing this one soon.

[Thanks, Dan]

We're not at all certain what led Dell to ship European Vostro 1310s and 1510s with, ah, revised QWERTY keyboards, but it looks like the company is making good on its promise to remedy the situation. According to Dell, all affected customers will be contacted and offered a replacement keyboard beginning today. Apparently the switch isn't too hard to make, so you'll be able to either do it yourself, or Dell will send out a tech to do it for you at no cost. Sounds like Dell's doing its best to make this right -- but c'mon, how did this not raise all kinds of red flags during the design process?

P.S.- If you're a touch-typist who's having major issues, you can also jump to the front of the pack by emailing Dell -- check out the read link for directions.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Just like we warned, Dell's new cheapo business laptops, the Vostro 1510 and Vostro 1310 have hit virtual shelves. The 15.4- and 13.3-inch models both feature Intel CPUs (up to Core 2 Duos), a maximum of 4GB of RAM, 80GB to 250GB hard drives, and a bunch of other features that should be totally adequate for your business affairs. The 1510 starts at $599, and the 1310 at $749; both are available now.

[Via Laptoping]

With a sample group of one, it's a bit too early to call the Dell Vostro 1310 keyboard a problem. Nevertheless, reader Jake is livid about Dell's chosen keyboard configuration for his UK-shipped 1310. Especially as it looks nothing like the layout pictured on Dell's UK site. As tethered keyboard jockeys we'd have to agree. Any other UK readers seeing the same massive left-shift key and offset-zed (and thus, the entire row scooted to the right) layout on their new Vostro? Bigger images after the break.

Update: Jake's been on the horn with Dell who confirms the issue exists on all 1310s (and possibly others) in the UK. We'll update you again once Dell sorts out a fix.

Update 2: Dell issued us a statement regarding the keyboard screwiness: "A limited number of Dell Vostro 1310 and 1510 laptops in Europe have been sent out with the wrong keyboard layout. We are working diligently to offer a solution to impacted customers and correct the error before any additional units are shipped. We will be contacting impacted customers directly to both apologize and instruct them on next steps. This issue is under investigation, and we will come back with more detailed information as soon as possible. We thank you and your readers' for their comments - we agree that a mistake has been made and we will be acting as quickly as possible to find a satisfactory solution for our customers." Guess that's that!

[US model image courtesy of NotebookReview]

Dell just pumped out a trio of Vostro laptops for small businesses. The new 13.3-inch Vostro 1310 (starting at $749), 15.4-inch Vostro 1510 (starting at $599), and redesigned 17-inch Vostra 1710 (price, undisclosed) all feature a slot loading optical drive and thinner / lighter designs. They also ship with 10GB of free online storage, Network Assistant and PC TuneUp -- all crapware free. The 1310 and 1510 are available today in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) then May 1st for the Americas. The 17-incher hits mid-May.

[Via Notebook Review]

We've gotten some more info on the little Dell Vostro 1200 we mentioned earlier this month sans specs and price, and we thought we'd share our good fortune with you. The 12.1-inch laptop appears to be outfitted with the popular (some might say ubiquitous) Santa Rosa GM965 chipset, will sport a Celeron or Core 2 Duo processor, the Intel GMA X3100 GPU, up to 4GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and all kinds of other useful items like a DVD burner, 802.11a/b/g/n, optional Bluetooth module, and an ExpressCard slot. The innocuous black system is available right now in Japan, and will run you an import price tag of roughly ¥103,300 (or around $912), though these guys are rumored to be making their way Stateside any day now.

[Via Laptoping]