Dell’s 8.9″ E, 12.1″ E Slim Coming in August/September

Dell is going to release the E 8.9-inch low-cost netbook and E Slim 12.1-inch ultraportable, according to leaked documents at Engadget.

“Dell’s breaking the Dell E into two device types, a 8.9-inch model clearly meant to take on the Eee 900, and the 12.1-inch “E Slim” which actually looks positioned to take on the MacBook Air and X300, at a mere 0.8-inches thick, though perhaps in a lower-end capacity. Even the 8.9-inch model will have some distinctions, with E Classic model for super low-end use, and E Video and E Video+ for more RAM, larger flash storage, webcams and Bluetooth in the + model,” the report says.

These small notebooks run Windows XP and Linux operating systems, and feature an instant-on OS, called BlackTop, for checking emails, calendar, contacts etc.

The Dell E and Dell E Slim will hit the market in August and August/September, respectively. In October, the laptops will get mobile broadband connectivity. WiMAX support is also expected later.

Dell E is claimed to start at $299.