Dell Unleashes Vostro V130: SMB Alternative to MacBook Air?

It’s called the Vostro V130, and it’s Dell’s answer to mobile and lightweight computing. The big difference (other than style, OS and brand) from the MacBook Air is the price, and that just might amaze you. Read on for the quick blurb on Dell’s latest SMB laptop effort …

Weighing in at 3.5 pounds, the V130 isn’t lighter than the MacBook Air, but it does feature a lot more for the weight trade-off. It’s got the option of an ultra-low voltage Core i3 or Core i5 Intel CPU, WiMAX for 4G on the go, SATA or SSD drive options and HDMI out. The V130 also features a “hyperbaric” cooling system that ostensibly provides fanless cooling.

The true “killer” feature, however, is its price tag: the 13-inch V130 comes in at a cool $429.

For the rough road warrior, the V130 — which is built with metal alloys — might be the perfect solution. But there are a few caveats: the screen resolution is a paltry 1366×768 and there is no user-replaceable battery, and it’s only a 6-cell version. That-size battery is a big killer, and PCMag agrees. They only got three hours out of this little guy.

Bottom line? Dell partners have another tool in their arsenal for their SMB customers on the go. I think the price tag will be attractive and will win out over the drawbacks.

Sign up for The VAR Guy’s Weekly Newsletter, Webcasts and Resource Center. Follow The VAR Guy via RSS, Facebook and Twitter. Follow experts at VARtweet. Read The VAR Guy’s editorial disclosures here.