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Get a Dell Vostro V13 ultraportable laptop for $349

Normally $619 (!), this thin and sexy system packs dual-core horsepower into a 3.5-pound frame that measures just over half an inch thick.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
The slim, sexy Dell Vostro V13 is on sale for $349.
The slim, sexy Dell Vostro V13 is on sale for $349. Dell

So my daughter is starting middle school next year (but...but...she's just a lil' punkin!), and that means she's going to need a laptop for the school's laptop program. I think I just found the perfect system.

It's the Dell Vostro V13, a superslim, easy-to-tote model that has more than enough horsepower for a student. Or a business traveler. Or pretty much anybody.

For a limited time, Dell has the Vostro V13 ultraportable laptop for $349. Shipping will run you around $8, and you may be on the hook for sales tax as well.

I call this an ultraportable (an antiquated but still applicable term) because it weighs 3.5 pounds and measures just 0.65 inch thick. Its anodized aluminum shell lends it an attractive, industrial look.

The key specs include a 1.3GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a 13.3-inch display with an antiglare coating. (Thank goodness! What were laptop makers thinking with those superglossy screens of yesteryear?)

You also get a six-cell nonremovable battery, a Webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and a one-year warranty (including on-site service). Like a Netbook, the V13 lacks an optical drive--hardly a major concern these days.

To put this deal in perspective, the V13 started at $449 when it debuted a little over a year ago--and that was for a configuration with a pokey Celeron processor and a Linux OS. For $100 less, you get dual-core power and Windows 7. I'm sold.

Bonus deal No. 1: Yesterday's dirt-cheap game download didn't work out so well (it ended way sooner than I was led to believe it would), so let's try again. Steam has Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition for $7.50. It's a seriously awesome action adventure, and the deal is good through 4 p.m. PT tomorrow (March 24). Thank you, Steam, for sharing that information!

Bonus deal #2: Want to turbocharge your Internet connection? There's a surprisingly cheap, easy, and effective way to make it up to 30 percent faster. Find out how over at my blog!