Dell officially introduced the Inspiron Mini 12 to the Japanese market, the next example of portable platform that poses as Mini 9’s big brother. Thanks to an agreement with Bic Camera, Kojima and Softma stores, Mini 12 will first be available in Japan, before reaching the rest of the world.

According to the company, the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 is the ideal solution for teens, travelers and “twitters,” enabling them to surf the Web, chat with friends, blog, stream content, upload photos, watch online videos, listen to music or play games.

Dell officially launched the Mini 9 notebook line a couple of months ago. Three models were introduced at the time: the low-end model, with an Ubuntu Linux operating system and equipped with 512MB of RAM and a 4GB solid state drive.

The other two models feature Windows XP Home Edition and pack an 8GB or 16GB solid state drives, respectively. The mid-range notebook has also 512MB of RAM, but the "high" end model features 1GB of RAM. The three models became available for $349, $399 and $449 respectively.

As for the Mini 12, Dell said it will have configurations starting under $600, with the Ubuntu and Windows XP operating systems also available by the end of the year.

Dell Inspiron Mini 12 comes with a starting weight of only 2.72 lbs and is only 0.92 in. thick. The standard features include Windows Vista Home Basic, a built-in webcam, 1GB of RAM, and either a 60GB or 80GB hard drive.

The notebook also comes with a built-in Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g wireless, and provides a sharp 12.1 inch WXGA display, with wider viewing angles and exceptional brightness, according to Dell.