It is a summer of new devices, and Dell is adding to the pile with
the Vostro 1220, a 12.1-inch, business-focused addition to its Vostro
laptop line.
The 1220 is an ultraportable, beginning at 3.36 pounds, and in press
materials Dell writes that it was “designed exclusively for business
travelers.” Toward this end, Dell has kept it thin and light, offers a
6-cell battery that provides enough juice for nine hours of use and has
fitted it with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Dell Video Chat video-conferencing software comes preinstalled, for use
with the microphone and optional integrated Webcam. There’s support for
802.11 draft-n wireless LAN or Mobile Broadband. And — now like the
other Vostro laptops, which received a freshening up — there are
security options such as a fingerprint reader, multifactor
authentication and an encrypted hard drive with Wave Systems encryption
software.
“Today’s globe-trotting entrepreneurs need a laptop that is powerful
and long-lasting,” said Sam Burd, global vice president of Dell Small
and Medium Business, in a statement.
“That used to mean carrying around an ungainly device,” Burd added,
“[but] the Vostro 1220 combines performance, built-in security and long
battery life.”
Burd also pointed to data from IDC, which expects shipments of 12-inch
laptops to grow almost 35 percent from 2008 to 2009. Intel, too, has
newly emphasized more powerful laptops, over the popular and
lower-priced netbooks.
“Ultra-thin
laptops are the new phenomenon,” Intel’s Uday Marty insisted to media
and analysts at the June 2 introduction of new Intel processors.
The Vostro 1220 offers a choice of Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista,
Ubuntu Linux or FreeDOS operating systems, memory is up to 8GB of
dual-channel 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM and there’s an Intel GM45 Express
chipset. An 8X DVD+RW drive and a Blu-ray BD Combo are available, as
are Bluetooth 2.1 and WiMax connectivity. And, among other features, a
34mm ExpressCard slot, three USB 2.0 ports, a 3-in-1 card reader and
headphone and microphone jacks are included.
It’s now available worldwide for a starting retail price of $799. And because even business users sometimes like a little color, in addition to Obsidian Black, the 1220, like other Vostros, can also be had in Deep Cherry Red.
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