Dell maybe a tad late in joining the netbook party, but they sure didn’t disappoint with the Inspiron Mini 9.

It features an Intel Atom Diamondville processor that’s accompanied by 512MB/1GB RAM, 4/8/16GB SSD options, webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a bright 8.9-inch glossy LED display. Everything looks more or less standard if you compare it with other netbooks, but the LED display is nice departure from the rest. It’ll come in two variants: black or white. The Windows XP version is available now and cost $399, while the Ubuntu based version will come at a later date with a tag price of $349. Based on the press release, it’s available now in the US, Japan, and select countries in Europe. Other regions will be on a country-by-country basis.

Considering that Dell is relatively new in the local tech industry, it would be wise for them to launch the Inspiron Mini 9 as soon as possible so that their presence can be felt by consumers. After all, the Inspiron Mini 9 does look good enough to be a decent alternative to the popular HP Mini-Note and Acer Aspire One.

Update: It will be go on sale in stores in October.