Vodafone to sell Dell netbook in Europe

Vodafone has made an agreement with Dell to sell its low-cost subnotebook, the Inspiron Mini 9, in some European countries.

The countries that will see the fruit of this deal are yet to be announced, but on Thursday the operator said in a statement that it would be providing the netbook in a broadband bundle in "key European markets". Pricing and exact release dates are also currently undefined, but Vodafone has said the packages will be available "from late September".

Several other operators are already offering similar netbook-plus-mobile-broadband deals — notably 3, with the HP 2133 Mini-Note and Orange with the Asus Eee 900 — but those packages involve a netbook with a separate mobile broadband dongle. What Vodafone will offer is a netbook with built-in mobile broadband.

Dell's general manager of consumer products, Michael Lombardo, said in Vodafone's statement that the manufacturer was "committed to providing consumers with technology that allows them to connect any place, any time with mobile broadband".

The Inspiron Mini 9, which was announced on Thursday, has an 8.9-inch, 1,024x600 pixel screen, and weighs 1.035kg. It uses an Atom processor and solid-state storage, and has a built-in webcam. The netbook is also sold directly through Dell's website, at a starting price of £299.