Dell has updated its line of Inspiron Mini Netbooks, driving the starting price of the new Inspiron Mini 10v ("v" is for value) under $300.
- The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 with 8.9 inch display starts at 2.28 pounds and $249.
- The Dell Inspiron Mini 10, with 10.1 inch widescreen display, starts at 2.86 pounds and $349.
- And the Dell Inspiron Mini 12, with 12.1 inch display, starts at 2.72 pounds and $399.
The new Dell Inspiron Mini 10v also has a 10-inch display, but starts at 2.5 pounds and $299. [Photo courtesy of Dell Inc.]
It's cost-reduced with a slower Intel Atom processor and different video accelerator, no wireless mobile cellular broadband option, and a VGA port instead of HDMI. It's available with 1 GB of memory and 120 or 160 GB hard drive or 8 GB (Ubuntu) or 16 GB solid state drive (XP and Ubuntu).
The Mini 10 also now can add an internal Digital TV Receiver (ATSC) for $20.
As with the Verizon HP Mini offer (see previous post), in January Dell and AT&T offered the Dell Mini 9 bundled with a two-year AT&T LaptopConnect agreement for $99 (regularly $449, after $350 mail-in rebate). Expect to see more of these in the future.
Again, these netbooks can feel a bit sluggish compared to high-end laptops, especially when you are multi-tasking, but on the other hand you can do real computing and Internet connectivity (including watching Internet videos on Hulu) with a device as small as 9 x 6 x 1+ inches and under 3 pounds.
See my Portable Communications Gallery for more detail on Dell and other netbooks.
Find the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 on Amazon.com