back to article Dell introduces 10in netbook

Dell has formally rolled out its latest Inspiron Mini netbook - the 10in model that popped up on shopping channel QVC a week or so back. Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Dell's Inspiron Mini 10: out this week Here in the UK, the Mini 10 will go on sale on Thursday, and while the company did reveal that it will offer a version of the …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Linux

    Ubuntu 8.04

    If the Ubuntu version is going to be released 'later this year' then why not put a newer version on it such as 8.10, 9.04 or if it is very late this year 9.10. I know 8.04 is the LTS version, but surely they could put a more up-to-date Ubuntu on it.

  2. E

    Question

    Will Intel punish Dell for not implementing a reference Atom design? That missing 24 pixel tall strip of display must put this netbook perilously close to PDA or MID space!

  3. Duncan Hothersall

    2G RAM option?

    With XP, or only for Ubuntu model? If it's with XP, that's a big shift from MS licensing.

  4. Andrew Fenton

    unexceptional..... until 720p

    Let's face it, the default version just looks like a MSI Wind, and at £300 the price isn't exactly tempting. Given we can expect the screen and hsdpa upgrades to cost a fair bit extra, this is rapidly heading well outside netbook pricing.

  5. Sunil
    Thumb Up

    Nice!

    Nice! I'm getting pretty disgusted with Apple these days.

    Linux on a Atom processor? Cool! Maybe I'll buy one.

  6. Stu
    Alert

    How big are the keys!?

    The original, and some say, best NetBook, the Asus EeePC has a ridiculously small keyboard, clearly designed for your kids 'up to 11 years old', would be forced into upgrading to a proper laptop come puberty.

    The MSI Wind design, as present in the Advent 4211 PC World jobby that I have laid my club fingers against, has keys JUST a smidgeon too small for my liking, but I'd use it at a stretch.

    Its a shame, I think the form factor is great, its just a shame its not suitable for me and my mid thirties clubbed fingers.

    ~Besides, I thought the point of the whole NetBook ethos (whoops not allowed to use that word! My arse.) is the 'sub £200' thing, a reasonable compromise off your typical OLPC $100 idea. So why am I spotting some models (supposed netbooks) retailing at nigh on £400 in the shops!? Tis bullcrap - might as well buy a full-on intel core 2 laptop.

  7. Henry

    @Duncan @Ubuntu 8.04

    Duncan - Windows 7 will probably be out by then, and MS wants XP off machines ASAP

    AC - Ubuntu 8.04 is supported for 3 years in its desktop guise as opposed to 18 months for non-LTS releases. Also, nobody appears to be complaining that it is shipping with an 8 YEAR OLD Microsoft distro...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    i'm in your fab

    stealing your screenz.

    Mines the one with a stack of 1024*24 pixel LCD's

  9. Henry Wertz Gold badge

    Blah, plus HD

    Blah, I'm not going to buy an XP model. Mini 9 it is then! (Once my Inspiron 2200 gets "loose" enough for me to replace it.)

    Second, GMA500 should do HD OK. I've managed on a P4-3.0 with a Intel 945 to decode 1920x1080 HD, then rescale it down to display on a 1280x1024 CRT. (720 would be 1280x720). The CPU was very busy, but it worked fine. A GMA500 is much faster, and more importantly supports video decoding on the card (which should make the biggest difference.) I think it should be no sweat. Of course this was with mplayer on ubuntu -- Windows Media Player is a resource hog, so I don't know how XP + WMP will do at this.

  10. Tom
    Heart

    wow

    I'm actually tempted to buy a Dull

  11. Quirkafleeg
    Thumb Down

    GMA500? Ouch.

    Normally, I have no problems with using Intel graphics hardware, given the state of the open-source drivers. But this one… no, it's well into ‘don't touch’ territorty. (Which may have something to do with them not making these available with Linux just yet.)

    Also, that's a 10" display. Too large.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Dell introduces 10in netbook"

    Not if Psion gets its way!

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Another for the fold! Muhahaha

    No seriosly if you saw the recent msinet survey results something like 48% load os x, 29% XP, and the remainder dual boot with Linux and Linux on it's own.

    I give 3 weeks before a hackintosh your dell 10 article comes out.

  14. Mark Spooner
    Coat

    Smaller and Smaller

    So now I have to buy stronger glasses again?

  15. Kevin Whitefoot
    Thumb Down

    Glad I bought an Acer One

    So it costs 50% more than the 160GB, 512MB, 8.9inch AA150 I bought from Asda just before Christmas to get 25% more screen area that shows fewer actual pixels! What's the point? Alright it has more ram but 512 seems to be working quite well for me. Of course I scrapped Linpus and put Easy Peasy on it (Ubuntu 8.10 Netbook Remix plus some non-free).

    Looks like Acer still have the upper hand here.

  16. wsm

    No go...

    This looks like one of the line of non-upgradeable "mini" models from Dell. No way to add RAM and an impossibly expensive hard drive replacement costs.

  17. kain preacher

    @Duncan Hothersal

    The spec for a Dell machine does not change based on the OS. If take a look you will see Linux for the same spec laptop/net book is cheaper .

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Too little too late

    Hmm they asking £299 for something not as good as most other 10" netbooks?

    I have an Advent 4213, WinXP 1024x600 10.2" 160GB HDD 1GB Ram Intel 950 GMA Wifi+3G Slot and only cost me £249

    Ill be upgrading it to 2 gig ram soon for only £18

    Sorry Dell, FAIL

  19. Mark Aggleton
    Thumb Down

    Dell marketing?

    Get the Vostro A90 @ 199 + VAT. Can't see why notionally businesses get a better deal on netbooks (ok it's onbly got a .3Mp webcam but who cares....)

  20. Aleph0

    Usual portage?

    How many other netbooks have HDMI as video out?

  21. Jon Green
    Stop

    Bizarre - 576 pix height?

    That's completely nutty.

    Firstly, 1024x600 display panels are available from rather more sources than the weird 1024x576 that Dell has picked. Secondly, when you're in the mood for a film, it's very, very easy to display 1024x576 on a 1024x600 panel: you just put a 12-pix black strip top and bottom. Duh.

    In the meantime, when you're not watching movies -- does the laptop actually have the battery endurance to do that anyway? -- you get the full panel height to use.

    Of course, if Dell had graced the machine with an onboard DVD drive, or a digital TV tuner as standard, movies would have been a lot easier to watch...

  22. Jerome
    Stop

    WTF?

    Dell want to charge £300 for their new netbook, when so many others can be had for £200? Well it must have some pretty exciting features I guess. So, what extras do you get for £100? 24 pixels less vertically on the screen resolution, and there's no other difference between this and the legion of other netbooks out there. Well done Dell!

    I do like the idea of integrated 3G & GPS on netbooks though. More companies should offer these as options, or even as standard.

    BTW, @ Stu - if you want a netbook with a decent keyboard, try the Acer Aspire One or (funnily enough) the original Dell Mini 9.

  23. b
    Thumb Down

    wtf gimme the 720p version!

    10" = good.

    576 verticle pixels = wtf are you doing?!

    PAH! make the 720p version available in the uk.

    also need at least 1.6ghz cpu..preferrably a 1.8 or something..

    cheers,

    bill

    p.s. stuff and nonsense: http://www.eupeople.net/forum

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Ubuntu 8.04

    I don't buy the LTS idea; by 'later this year' it'll have lost most of the support advantage, possibly all of it. It could be that 8.04 is the only version they can get the GMA500 to work with though:

    http://www.happyassassin.net/2009/01/30/intel-gma-500-poulsbo-graphics-on-linux-a-precise-and-comprehensive-summary-as-to-why-youre-screwed/

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