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Dell has begun taking orders for the Inspiron Mini 9 mini-laptop. While the Direct2Dell blog says the Windows XP version will sell for as little as $399 US, the product page shows a $449 price tag. You can knock off about $20 by removing the integrated Bluetooth, but that’s as low as it goes — for now. Dell is also selling a model running Ubuntu 8.04 Linux with a starting price of $349.The computers will be available in the US, Japan, and “some European countries.”

The Windows XP version will begin shipping on September 18th, while you’ll have to wait until October 9th for the Linux versions to ship. But here’s the kicker, if you wait until Friday, September 5th to place your order, Dell is offering a promotion. You can get an Inspiron 9 for $99 with the purchase of a more expensive computer (specifically a Studio 15, XPS M1530 or XPS M1330 laptop). The promotion runs through 6am central time on Tuesday September 9th and demonstrates the fact that Dell, like everyone else, is trying to grow the market for laptops with mini-notebooks by trying to convince you that you need two laptops, a full sized one that rarely leaves the house and a mini one that’s ideal for traveling or giving to the kids to play with.

As previously noted, Dell has partnered with Box.net to provide free online storage to customers who buy the Inspiron 9. Box provides anyone with 1GB of online storage, but the company has worked with Dell to offer Inspiron 9 users 2GB. There will also be a special Dell landing page on Box.net.

Customers can customize their orders to a limited degree, which is exciting. You can opt for a larger solid state disk (up to 16GB), eliminate Bluetooth, or add additional Dell products to your order. The Inspiron 9 comes in black and white, but you have to pay an extra $25 for the white version. There aren’t a ton of options, but there are a lot more than you get when ordering an Asus Eee PC or Acer Aspire One.

Update: It looks like the starting price for the Windows XP version will be £299 in the UK, but it magically changes to £279 by the time you reach checkout. In Germany, the base price is 369 €.

Here are a few more stats about the base level system:

Dell Inspiron Mini (Linux)

• CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom
• Display: 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator GMA 950
• RAM: 512MB
• Storage: 4GB SSD
• OS: Ubuntu 8.04 Linux
• Connectivity: 802.11g
• Battery: 32WHr 4 cell
• Webcam: No
• Dimensions:  9.1″ x 6.7″ x 1.25″
• Weight: 2.28 pounds
• Price: $349

Dell Inspiron Mini (Windows XP)

• CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom
• Display: 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator GMA 950
• RAM: 1GB
• Storage: 8GB SSD
• OS: Windows XP
• Connectivity: 802.11g, Bluetooth
• Battery: 32WHr 4 cell
• Webcam: 1.3MP
• Dimensions: 9.1″ x 6.7″ x 1.25″
• Weight: 2.28 pounds
• Price: $449

[via Liliputing Forums and Eee PC.net and Engadget]