dell mini 10 new

Dell is introducing an update to its Inspiron Mini 10 netbook series. The new version will replace both the current Inspiron Mini 10 with an Atom Z520 CPU and the Mini 10v which has an Atom N270 CPU. Instead, the new model will have an Intel Atom N450 processor. The new model will be available for $299 and up in the US starting January 5th. It will be available globally two days later on January 7th.

The launch model will ship with Windows 7 Starter Edition or Windows XP Home. Ubuntu 9.04 Linux will also be available, but not until February.

Dell has given the chassis a minor facelift. It now features a textured palm wrest area that is more fingerprint-resistant. The touchpad still features integrated mouse buttons, but Dell dropped support for multitouch gestures, which the company says weren’t in high demand.

The laptop measures 10.5″ x 7.8″ x 1.3″, and those are the same dimensions whether you get a 3 cell or 6 cell battery. That’s because the battery compartment is designed to accomodate either battery size without the battery jutting out from the netbook’s back or bottom. In fact, most versions of the Inspiron Mini 10 will ship with 6 cell batteries, because Dell says that long battery life has become a priority for netbook customers.

The 3 cell battery will be a 28Whr battery, while there will be two different versions of the 6 cell battery: a 56Whr battery that’s good for up to 8:44 of run time, and a 60Whr version for up to 9:34. With a 3 cell battery, the Mini 10 weighs 2.75 pounds. The 6 cell model weighs in at about 3.1 pounds.

Dell is continuing its trend of offering more customization options than just about any other netbook vendor. That includes Bluetooth, 3G, and GPS options, as well as a number of entertainment-focused options including a higher resolution 1366 x 768 pixel display, a Broadcom Crystal HD Media Accelerator, and a built-in TV tuner.

I asked Dell why the company decided to go with the Broadcom solution which enables 720p and 1080p video playback on devices with low power processors, rather than the NVIDIA ION platform which does the same, but which also supports 3D gaming graphics. The answer is basically that Dell feels you get more bang for your buck with the Broadcom accelerator if you’re primarily interested in HD video, since the media coprocessor is cheaper and takes less of a toll on battery life than the NVIDIA ION chipset.

dell mini 10 colors

The new Inspiron Mini 10 will be available in 7 colors: black, white, blue, purple, red, green, and pink. You can also personalize the netbook in Dell design studio, with more than 200 design options to choose from.

More photos below:

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35 replies on “Dell updates Inspiron Mini 10 with Intel Atom Pine Trail platform”

  1. All for the new internals (Pine Trail and Broadcom FTW!) but, Christ, did Dell have to go and beat it with the ugly stick? I like the inside of it, but the white bottom shell doesn’t work aesthetically and the little, for lack of a better term, shelf sticking out the back is just gross. Frankly, I’d rather have a six-cell battery that juts out (and doubles as a handle :D) than that eyesore. Still, it has a certain appeal that I cannot deny, but please Dell, offer the old case designs!

    EDIT: Does anyone know anything about Hackintosh compatibility with Pine Trail? I know the graphics are based on X3100, which is OS X compatible, but…

  2. Guarantee the graphics drivers destroy this product. Wait till you hit any flashed based websites and hd youtube etc… Done..

  3. Isn’t Pine Trail has integrated memory controller and GPU already? The MC & GPU would be redundant if they were using Ion right?

  4. Two questions. What is the max memory? Will Dell offer an SSD, Solid State Drive?

  5. Wow. Dell did a great job with this one. It is the first Dell netbook I would actually consider buying. I wonder what a Linux model with GPS and the big 6 cell battery would cost. I might find out in February.

  6. I think Dell is right in offering broadcom chip for hd playback, Ion solution is great and I would like to see in Culv platform computers but Atom just doesnt provide enough processor power to complement it.
    Not sticking out battery and 6cell as standard option make it looks like Dell learns from mistakes.
    Definitely interesting product.

    1. I have to agree with you notusedbrain. I think Dell has hit it just right buy using the broadcom chip. I would like most people want to watch hd video and although ION would provide better graphics just having the ability to view hd content for a dirt cheap price is not that bad of a trade off.

  7. And I wonder if they continue not to offer ION because that would offend the company that kept them in business? Wonder if they’re getting favored pricing, and rebates for not offering ION systems? Time will tell I guess.

Comments are closed.