Dell Japan

Dell Japan is selling the Linux version of the new Inspiron Mini 10 netbook. Like the Windows version, the Linux model has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and 802.11b/g/n WiFi. But it comes with an open source operating system.

The product description says this model comes with Ubuntu 9.10, Moblin 2.1. It’s not entirely clear what that means, but my best guess is that it’s a version of Ubuntu Linux that uses the latest version of the Moblin user interface and incorporates Moblin’s optimizations for speedy performance on a low power Intel Atom chipset.

Last year Dell offered a version of the Inspiron Mini 10v with a pre-release, developer version of Ubuntu/Moblin. But now that Moblin has merged with Maemo to create a new platform called MeeGo, it’s not entirely clear whether we’ll be seeing a Linux version of the new Dell Mini 10 with this exactly flavor of Ubuntu/Moblin anytime soon.

via Netbooked

Dell

Dell is now offering the Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with an optional Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator. The decoder gives the mini-laptop a bit of help decoding 720p and 1080p HD video, something which an Intel Atom-powered netbook would normally struggle with.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of the launch of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta 3, which adds support for the Braodcom accelerator. In other words, not only can you watch HD video stored on your hard drive, but you should be able to stream high quality and HD content from sites including YouTube, the BBC, and Hulu.

In order to get the Broadcom video accelerator, you’ll need to select Dell’s “Performance Plus” package, which boosts the starting price from $279 to $409. But in addition to the HD accelerator, you also get a 10.1 inch, HD 1366 x 768 pixel display, 6 cell battery, and 250GB hard drive. And at $409, the Dell Mini 10 is one of the cheapest HD-capable netbooks on the market.

AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have all begun selling netbooks over the past year or two. Typically you can pick up a netbook with a 3G modem at a subsidized price from one of these carriers when you sign up for a long term service plan. Wireless carrier T-Mobile offers a range of 3G capable smartphones and USB modems for laptops, but right now you can’t actually buy a netbook from the company. But TmoNews reports that may soon change.

According to TmoNews, T-Mobile is preparing to offer the latest version of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook. This model has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display and runs Windows 7 Home Premium. It’s not clear whether the T-Mobile version will ship with a 3 or 6 cell battery, but if the rumor’s true, this model will likely also come with a 3G plan.

T-Mobile currently offers a webConnect 5GB/month Data plan for $59.99 for customers that pick up a T-Mobile webConnect USB Laptop Stick. There’s also a cheaper, $29.99/month plan, but you only get 200MB of data transfer for that price.

Dell

As expected, Dell has rolled out a new option for Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbooks: WiMAX. Starting today, you can configure the Mini 10 with an Intel Centrino 802.11n + WiMAX 6250 card for an extra $60 over the base price of the netbook.

Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to get 802.11n without WiMAX. The standard wireless card that ships with the Dell Mini 10 is an 802.11g card.

The rest of the netbook’s specs remain unchanged. The base model comes with a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.3MP webcam, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, and 3 cell, 28WHr battery. The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 runs Windows 7 Starter Edition.

You can also configure the Mini 10 with a 3G modem for $125, which makes the WiMAX option look like a bargain — if there’s a 4G WiMAX provider in your region.

The Inspiron Mini 10 is available from Dell.com for a starting price of $279.

The first consumer oriented netbook launched in late 2007 with a $400 price tag. The Eee PC 701 had a 7 inch, 800 x 480 pixel display, a cramped keyboard, 4GB of flash storage, 512MB of RAM, and a 900MHz Intel Celeron processor. While some folks have been complaining that Intel’s latest Atom processor doesn’t offer significantly better performance than the low power Atom chips that have been available since mid-2008, there is one area where things have changed quite a bit: price.

I regularly highlight netbooks that are selling for under $300 and sometimes even under $200 in my daily deals posts. But what you might be surprised to notice is that these aren’t all simply refurbished netbooks or older models that are taking up space on store shelves. In fact, some of the newest netbooks announced just this month have starting prices of less than $300. These are modern machines with the new energy-efficient Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail processor.

Netbook Reports has put together a good roundup of some of these models, with detailed specs for each. Unfortunately,  some of the notebooks they mention don’t actually seem to be available in the US at the moment. For instance, I’ve only seen listings for the MSI Wind U135 for $317 and up, with a 6 cell battery, while Netbook Reports suggests the 3 cell version will sell for a lower price. And I’m reluctant to list the Acer Aspire 532h and Gateway LT2106U as separate models, since they’re basically the same machine with different brand names.

But here are 4 deals that I found on Pine Trail netbooks that you can pick up today for under $300:

1. HP Mini 210 w/1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Win XP, 3 cell battery for $279.99 – HP
2. Dell Inspiron Mini 10 w/1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Win XP, 3 cell battery for $299 - Dell
3. Acer Aspire One AO532h w/1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $299 – Amazon
4. Asus Eee PC 1001P-MU17 w/1GB RAM, 160G HDD, Win 7 Starter, 6 cell battery for $299.99 – Amazon

Update: Here’s one more, courtesy of Netbook Reports:

• MSI Wind U130 w/1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, Win XP, 3 cell battery for $290.85 – ProVantage

See any that I missed? Let us know in the comments.

Yesterday I posted my review of the net Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with the Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail processor. Today I figured I’d try something new and post a short video review. It’s a bit rough around the edges, since this “review” is basically me talking off the top of my head while pointing out a few pros and cons of the notebooks. But looking at my YouTube channel recently, I’ve noticed that I have an awful lot of unboxing videos and very few detailed follow-up videos showing how the computer actually performs.

Anyway, let me know if you think this kind of detailed hands-on video is helpful and maybe next time I’ll actually spend a few minute thinking about what I want to say before turning the camera on.

Video after the break.

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The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with an Atom N450 processor is just the latest Dell laptop to bear the Mini 10 name. It follows the Dell Mini 10 and Mini 10v, which had Atom Z520 and N270 processors, respectively.

Performance-wise, the new Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is a lot like the recently retired Mini 10v. But thanks to the new energy-sipping CPU, it gets significantly better battery life. And Dell has given the 10 inch mini-laptop a major design overhaul as well.

That includes a battery that no longer sticks out of the bottom of the laptop, and a new keyboard layout. Unfortunately one thing that hasn’t received a major update is the touchpad, which features difficult-to-use integrated click areas instead of dedicated left and right buttons.

The unit featured in this review has a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, an HSPA modem, 1GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive. It runs Windows 7 Starter Edition.

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The latest version of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 may share a name with its predecessors. But Dell has given the updated version of this mini-laptop a major overhaul. It replaces the Intel Atom N2xx and Z5xx processors found in earlier models with the new Intel Atom N450 Pineview CPU and integrated GMA 3150 graphics. But the most noticeable changes are cosmetic.

The new Dell Inspiron Mini 10 has a completely new, shiny white plastic case. The battery now sits flush with the base of the laptop rather than sticking out like a sore thumb, arm, and leg. And the keyboard has been retooled to put a little space between the keys, making it easier to find the key you’re seeking without looking down at the keyboard.

The new design means that the 10 inch display doesn’t quite sit flush with the back of the unit. And while this looks a bit funny at first, I think it’s definitely something I can get used to.

Dell sent me a demo unit to review and I plan to put it through the paces over the next week or two. In the meantime, you can check out a video of my unboxing and first impressions after the break.

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I managed to track down one of those shiny new next-generation Dell Inspiron Mini 10 models today. While the new netbook bears the same name as its predecessor, Dell has given the line a pretty significant overhaul. Not only does the new Mini 10 have a 1.66GHz Intel Atom Pine Trail CPU, but the keyboard also has more space between the keys, the battery sits flush with the base of the unit whether you have a 3 or 6 cell battery, and when the screen is open, it doesn’t sit quite flush with the back edge of the netbook.

The touchpad has also been retooled a bit. The new version seems a bit smaller than the old touchpad. But Dell is still integrating the left and right buttons directly into the touchpad.

As with earlier Dell models, it looks like you’ll have to open up your computer if you want to replace or upgrade the memory or other components. I didn’t see any access panels on the base of the netbook.

More pictures after the break.

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Another day, another set of recently announced netbooks that are now available for order. The HP Mini 210 and the MSI Wind U135 are both ready to go. Both of these netbooks run Windows 7 Starter Edition and have 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 Pine Trail processors. The Compaq Mini CQ10 (which I think may be the same as the Compaq Q102 I told you about the other day) is also available. This netbook has a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU.

There’s also an official product page for the HP Mini 5102 business netbook, but it’s not available for order just yet.

This comes on the heels of yesterday’s news that new models from Lenovo and Dell are now shipping.

Here’s a rundown of all the recently launched models that are now available for order:

• HP Mini 210 HD Edition – $329.99 and up with a 10.1 inch. 1366 x 768 pixel display
• HP Mini 210 – $279.99 and up with a 1024 x 600 screen
• Compaq CQ10 – $259.99 and with an Atom N270 processor
• MSI Wind U135 – $324.99 from Buy.com
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 netbook – $369 and up
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible tablet – $549 and up from Lenovo, or pre-order from Amazon for $499.99
• Dell Inspiron Mini 10 – $299 and up
• Lenovo ThinkPad X100e 11.6 inch notebook – Available for $449 and up from Lenovo

via Netbooked