The Sputnik is Dell's cleverly code-named latest laptop endeavour. It's a Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook that has a line up of hardware that Dell feels will lure developers away from competing vendors. I spent just over a month testing out the Sputnik, having been sent a unit directly from the good folks at Dell. And here are my thoughts...
Imagine for a second that an official Ubuntu-branded laptop existed. What would it look it? Reader Nick Rutledge thought about this question whilst he was mocking-up his dream Ubuntu device....
I had the opportunity yesterday to visit CTL Corp located in Portland, Oregon and sit down with Erik Stromquist, Executive VP and COO and Michael Tupper, Director of Business Development. The purpose of the visit was to get a highlight of CTL Corp's new Ubuntu Product initiative - and I was beyond excited.
So you want a new netbook or ultra-portable, but you don't want Windows on it. With Ubuntu being free you're probably wondering why so many devices pre-installed with Ubuntu are expensive. If you look around you'll soon find there are a lot of choices. Here OMG! Ubuntu! picks five reasonably priced Ubuntu-installed laptops and netbooks.
Want an Ubuntu-powered laptop that looks like it fell out of the genius mind of Jules Verne? Have a spare $5000 and you can. Each laptop features intricate and attentive detailing, engravings and choice of materials. On the portability side the solid wood and metal encasement might require an additional purchase, such as a piston-powered exoskeleton.
Independent Ubuntu computer manufacturer System76 refreshed their popular 15.6" Serval Professional line earlier this year, upgrading the laptop with an impressively fast second gen Intel Sandy Bridge i7 quad core processor, powerful Nvidia graphics, a lovely 1080p display and lots of options for optical drives and storage. On the outside this model sports a refreshed chiclet-style keyboard, a larger multitouch trackpad, improved aesthetics, and a soft rubber finish. The result is a ridiculously powerful and good looking desktop replacement from System76, and in the base configuration starting at $1,369 USD, competitively priced against other similarly spec'd computers including the latest MacBook Pro.
My laptop arrived, now it's time to thank all the people who helped me get it.