Linpus is probably best known as the group that makes the Linpus Linux Lite operating system found on the Acer Aspire One netbook. But the copany had another netbook running the operating system on display at CeBIT last week. Sascha from Netbook News.de checked out the unnamed prototype and posted a video which you can find after the break.

Here are some of the highlights. The computer appears to be a prototype from Quanta which will likely be branded and sold by telecoms like Vodafone. It features integrated 3G and there’s a SIM card slot tucked away behind the battery. The netbook is quite slim and has a decent sized keyboard and touchpad, but it has a glossy screen which should limit it’s usefulness outdoors.

The computer has a 10.1 inch display, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, a solid state disk, 512MB of RAM, and WiFi capabilities. It’s also got 3 USB ports, mic and headphone jacks.

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Vodafone is offering the Samsung NC10 netbook with a 3G modem in Germany. Customers can pay 479 Euros to get the netbook without a service plan, or they can get the netbook for free by signing up for a plan that costs 49,90 Euros a month.

A member of the Eee PC News forums has already received the netbook, and he’s posted the pictures to prove it. Yeah, it pretty much looks like any other Samsung NC10, but when you take out the battery you’ll see a little SIM card slot. Oh yeah, he also did some open case surgery and swapped out the laptop’s hard drive for a solid state disk which should prolong the battery life a bit.

via Eee PC News

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is available with a 3G modem in Europe, Australia, and the US. And while you’ll have to shell out nearly $200 to get the 3G model in the US, wireless provider Vodafone has actually been susidizing the price of the netbook in Australia for customers who sign up for a 2 year service plan. There’s just one problem. Vodafone had promised customers a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 with 16GB of solid state storage and a copy of the Microsoft Works office suite preloaded. What customers actually got were netbooks with 8GB of storage space and no office suite.

As a result, APC Magazine reports Vodafone has temporarily halted sales of the netbooks, which have been available in Australia since December 1st. Dell is reportedly shipping new computers wiht 16GB SSDs to Australia and customers who got the first batch will be able to trade up. 

Honestly, I think I’d rather have a PC with no office suite at all then MS Works. It’s not that hard to load your own copy of OpenOffice.org. But I’d hate to buy a computer that’s supposed to have 16GB of storage only to find out it has just 8GB. Windows XP takes up a few gigabytes of memory, which leaves you with little room for program files and media.

Trusted Reviews has been spending some quality time with a Dell Inspiron Mini netbook designed to work with Vodafone’s 3G wireless network in the UK. As you can kind of see from the picture, the SIM card slot hangs out behint he battery. Just pop the battery out, slide in your Vodafone SIM card, and you can connect to the web on the go with speeds up to 7.2Mbps thanks to the built in HSDPA modem.

According to the review, even if you’re not in an area where you can pick up a strong 7.2Mbps signal, connection speeds are pretty fast. For the most part, Trusted Reviews seems to like the Inspiron Mini, giving the netbook 9 points out of 10. It’s got a good screen, trackpad, keyboard, and size. The audio’s passable but not great, and there’s no 802.11n like you’ll find on some Eee PC models.

But really, what you have to ask yourself when buying a 3G enabled netbook is, can I afford it. While the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, like other netbooks, is cheaper than most full sied laptops, you have to pay a monthly fee if you want to pick one up with a wireless contract. Vodafone is subdizing the price of the Inspiron Mini, giving it away for free with a 2 year contract. The cheapest contract available costs £25 a month and has a 1GB bandwitdh cap. For £30 a month you get a 3GB data cap. That means you wind up spending £600 to £720 over two years for the netbook and data plan. Or you could pick up an Inspiron Mini 9 with no data plan and no service contract for about half the price. But you’d need to rely on WiFi or Ethernet for your connectivity.

Want a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 but don’t feel like shelling out a few hundred for it? European wireless carrier Vodafone is giving them away — when you sign up for a 2 year service contract. While that means you do need to pay £360 to £600 over two years for the data plan, it’s certainly a better deal than buying a standalone laptop and then paying the same price for a wireless plan.

For £15 per month, you can transfer up to 3GB of data. £25 will get you a 5GB plan.

Now if only a US wireless carrier would step up and offer a similar deal…

via Electric Pig

European mobile carrier Vodafone has announced plans to sell Dell Inspiron Mini 9 laptop’s bundled with 3G wireless modems. The laptops will be available for purchase at Vodafone stores throughout Europe and online.

The laptop should be available from Vodafone (or directly from Dell) in late September. There’s no word on exactly how much Vodafone will charge for the netbook. There’s been a lot of speculation that we could see wireless providers subsidize the cost of cheap netbooks like the Inspiron Mini 9 much as they do with cellphones. Buy into a multi-year contract and get a cheap or free computer.

In the UK, Carphone Warehouse is already offering a free Elonex Webbook with the purchase of a data plan.

thanks Martyn!