Video Tutorial: Upgrading RAM on a Dell Mini 10v netbook

One of the benefits of owning a Dell Inspiron Mini 10v over its Mini 10 cousin, is that its RAM is not soldered onto the mainboard. This means that you can upgrade your RAM to 2GB if you wish. However, what Dell don’t tell you is that to actually upgrade the RAM is a daunting process.

On the bottom of the unit, all you have is an access panel to the Wi-Fi module, which seems a strange decision to me. However, for those that are up to the challenge of literally taking apart your Mini 10v, then a MyDellMini Forum member has come with a three-part video tutorial. This involves removing the keyboard and getting access to the motherboard where you’ll find the RAM slot. Check out the detailed videos after the break. Read more

HP and Dell to launch ION netbooks in Q3 2009

It’s a bit disappointing that we haven’t seen more big name manufacturers announcing ION netbooks at the Computex show, the only new ones we’ve seen are from the likes of Telecast and Weibu. However, both Hewlett-Packard and Dell are expected to launch netbooks using the ION-platform in the third quarter of this year according to Digitimes.

The main big profile ION netbook that has been announced so far is the Lenovo Ideapad S12. Other big names such as Asustek and MSI are also looking to launch ION products in the second half of this year.

However, Intel is looking to spoil the Nvidia party. According to the report, Intel is “reducing its offer of price incentives to PC vendors who are considering Ion-based products”. It is also closely monitoring vendors’ Atom inventories, to prevent them from dumping chipsets bought at a discount and using the CPUs with Nvidia’s ION. Is Intel not learning anything from its EU anti-competitive ruling and subsequent €1.06 billion fine?

Official: Dell terminates the Inspiron Mini 9 netbook

It looked like the writing was on the wall for the Dell Mini 9, when at the weekend all listings for the popular 9-inch netbook vanished. Unfortunately, this has now been confirmed on the Dell Blog. Yesterday marked the official retirement of the Mini 9 and from the sounds of things there will be no 9-inch replacement.

The Dell Mini 9 was a big favourite with modders and those who looked to hackintosh their netbooks. Dell is touting the Mini 10v as a capable netbook to fill its modding shoes. It offers the same spec as the Mini 9 but with a bigger screen and keyboard, and a 160GB hard drive. However, according to Boing Boing’s guide to netbook hackintosh compatibility, the 10v isn’t as Mac OS X friendly as the Mini 9 was.

However, if you really want to get the Inspiron Mini 9, you might want to go for the business-targeted Dell Vostro A90 (a rebranded Inspiron Mini 9) which is still being sold (for the time being).

Dell Mini 9 netbooks reach end-of-life

Dell is phasing out its popular 9-inch Inspiron Mini 9 line of netbooks. The listing for the Mini 9 vanished earlier this morning, with the only listings under Dells Mini range being the Mini 10 and Mini 10v. This is still the case across the US and UK Dell sites.

Engadget spoke to a Dell customer service rep and confirmed the bad news: “the Mini 9’s being phased out, with its official “End of Life” possibly as soon as Monday.”

Whilst I can understand that 10-inch netbook models have grown in popularity, there is still a market for nine-inch models. The Dell Mini 9 is one of the best in its class, plus it’s one of the best Hackintosh netbooks around. Whether the Mini 9 is being removed altogether or newer 9-inch models are on the horizon is still an unknown right now. The business version of the Mini 9, the Vostro A90 is still listed.

Active Media & Super Talent announce netbook SSD upgrades

Two companies have announced solid-state drive upgrades for different netbook lines. Active Media has some new SSD drives for the Dell Mini 9 netbooks. Its new half-Mini PCI-Express SSDs offers sequential read speeds of 82 MBps and sequential write speeds of 38 MBps. The modules measure just 2″ x 1.2″ and should be able to hold data for up to 10 years. Active Media charges $65.95 for a 16GB SSD and $119.95 for the 32GB version, quite a bit cheaper than a similar drive from Runcore.

Another manufacturer, Super Talent, has also announced new SSD upgrades for the Dell Mini 9 and Asus Eee PC. The Eee PC SSD upgrades, dubbed SATA Mini 2 PCIe solid state drives, will be available in two flavours, one with MLC and one with SLC memory. The MLC based ones will be available in 16, 32 and 64GB capacities and will offer read and write speeds of up to 150 and 100MB/s. These will be backed by a two year warranty. Read more

Dell not in touch with feminine side, pulls ‘Della’ portal

It looks like that Dell has pulled the ‘Della’ mini-site that was targeted to women, after being live for less than two weeks. The mini-site launched on May 11 to help market Dells Inspiron range to women. However, the site was widely criticised for patronising women.

The site was full of pastel colours and images of female models using tech in various situations whether it’s on the couch, for business or out and about. A Tech Tips section talked about what you could do with a netbook including downloading recipes as well as telling women that they can “add storage to your netbook with memory cards or memory keys.” Read more

Dell Mini 10 internal TV Tuner now available for $20

The option to purchase an integrated digital TV Tuner for the Dell Mini 10 netbook is now available on the Dell US site. The tuner was expected to be released in the summer, however Dell looks to have had a change of heart. It has also come in cheaper than expected at $20, rather than the $50 first suggested. This option does not exist on the Dell Mini 10v.

The built-in tuner will receive over-the-air ATSC live digital TV signals and should pick up most of the local TV stations digital broadcasts. To clear a misconception, to catch a broadcast signal you will need to be still in one place, therefore you can’t watch TV whilst you’re on the move (for now anyway). Picking this option will delay your order by 7 days according to Dell. Read more

Video: Dell Mini 10v shown running Android Cupcake OS

Dell has demonstrated a number of different operating systems that can run on the Dell Inspiron Mini 10v netbook. Three were shown: the first was standard Ubuntu, the second being Ubuntu Netbook Remix and the last (and most interesting) running Android v1.5 (Cupcake).

Doug Anzon, who is one of Dell’s software gurus, was quick to point out that there are no current announcement plans for Android. However, the speculation that Dell may be producing an Android netbook will only increase following this demonstration. Especially since his role is to investigate “future technology options” in Dells products. Check out the video after the break. Read more

Dell Latitude 2100 netbook options get priced up

Dell yesterday announced the 10-inch Latitude 2100 netbook targeted for schools. It seems that Dell has thought of everything to make it is kid-proof as possible. This includes a network activity light on the lid, rubberised case, a fanless bottom to avoid spills as well as some optional extras such as an anti-microbial keyboard, carrying handle and shoulder strap.

Dell now has the Latitude 2100 up on its site along with a multitude of options all price up. The netbook in its $369 base configuration is already not cheap, but a premium can be justified due to the design considerations undertaken. However, this amount can quickly start to add up once you improve the specs. Read more

Dell intros Latitude 2100 netbooks aimed at schoolkids

Dell has launched a new series of netbooks which will be specifically targeted for the education market. The colourful Latitude 2100 netbook, which was rumoured a while back, has been designed to be as kid-proof as possible. It comes with a firm rubberised exterior all the way round and has an optional anti-microbial keyboard (+$20), carrying handle and shoulder strap.

A network activity light on the lid that helps teachers identify those pesky kids who may be surfing the net. The bottom is also vent free to avoid any accident from spills. There are also some quirky touches such as a slot on the netbook’s hinge for the school log or owner’s name. Read more

Dell Mini 10 6-cell battery hits Europe

Dell has finally launched its 6-cell battery option for the Inspiron Mini 10 netbook across Europe. In the UK this 6-cell Lithium-Ion (56 WHr) battery will set you back £40, whilst in mainland Europe the upgrade will cost €45. Whilst the battery may not be the most attractive piece of hardware, it should give you 4-5 hours of use according to initial user reports.

I find it odd why this particular upgrade costs a lot more in Europe than it does in the US. The US 6-cell upgrade costs an incremental $30 (£20/€22), so it seems that we are paying nearly double here in Europe. Like the US, this upgrade only applies to the Mini 10 netbooks and not the new Mini 10v line-up. We’ve attached a screen grab after the jump. Read more

Dell Mini 10 TV Tuner heading for summer release; Mini 10v impressions

Dell is looking to add a TV Tuner option to its Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook this summer according to Engadget. The tuner will cost roughly $50 and will also include an external antenna. The few channels that they saw using the tuner were of good quality. This TV Tuner is one of the options that we were expecting at some point, judging from a leaked internal Dell roadmap. Other options that we have already seen include a high-res display, 6-cell battery and Linux Ubuntu.

Engadget also managed to get hands-on with Dell’s latest Mini 10v netbook. It seems that the lower price means a few compromises from the current Mini 10. Gone is HDMI, which is replaced by a VGA port. Additionally, the Mini 10v does not have a flush display found in the Mini 10. Impressions of the 6-cell battery also weren’t favourable, adding considerable bulk to the back of the netbook. For some reason, the TV Tuner option won’t be available on the 10v unfortunately. So there you go, the Mini 10v is much cheaper than the current Mini 10, but that is at the expense of quite a few trade-offs.

Dell wants your ideas for future Dell netbooks

In a move reminiscent of Lenovo’s request for feedback on what you think a Thinkpad netbook should look like, Dell has taken a similar route. In a post on the official Dell blog, it is asking the public, “What would you like to see in future generations of Dell netbooks?”

It is keeping things very open and looking for thoughts on form factor, operating system, battery life and HD capability among other things. Dell is looking to stay in touch with market trends and for this they should be commended. Some of the requests posted so far include booting from a SD card, having a GPS option, touchscreen displays, edge-to-edge keyboards and something that should be relatively easy to fix, “Ubuntu price must be cheaper than XP price with same config”.

“Certainly, we like to focus on topics that people are passionate about and netbooks happens to currently be one of those topics,” a Dell spokesman said. ” We look forward to what the community has to say and where it might lead us in the future.”

If you want to add your voice to the chorus then just head over to IdeaStorm. You can also post your thoughts to this Twitter channel. So, what would you be looking for in future Dell Minis?

Dell Mini 10v hits UK too – £279 with Windows or £199 with Linux

Normally it takes a while for items that appear on the Dell US site to make on appearance here in the UK, for example we are still waiting for the 6-cell battery for the Mini 10. Anyway, Dell hasn’t messed around with the Mini 10v, as we have just noticed that it has made an appearance on the UK site.

Two models are available. One that comes with Linux Ubuntu along with an 8GB SSD is priced from £199 whilst the Windows version with a 160GB HDD starts from £279. Given that the US price for this latter package is just $299, UK pricing has not worked out in our favour which is hardly surprising. Taking the current exchange rate and adding in 15 percent VAT should give a price of around £225.

Both models are available to order now, although I couldn’t find an estimated shipping date. These models have also hit Europe at a cost of €249 for the Linux version and €379 for the Windows version.

Dell Mini 10v now available to order at $299

The Dell Mini 10v refresh is now available to order in the US with prices starting at a very reasonable $299. Dell looks likely to set the cat amongst the pigeons with this particular model and that bargain headline price. Obviously as with all Dell products, once you’ve added the cost of a 6-cell battery, Bluetooth and a new colour the price creeps up. However, these are not necessary extras and there is no doubt that this price point will be welcome by consumers.

The reason for the $100 saving over the current Mini 10 is that the 10v will sport the 1.6GHz N270 Atom CPU as opposed to the power-efficient Z series Atom CPUs found in current Mini 10 netbooks. This should result in similar performance but at a cheaper price. It’s also worth noting that the 10v uses the GMA 950 chipset which is less powerful than the GMA 500 chipset found in the current Mini 10, which helps with HD playback.

The Dell Mini 10v options include either a 160GB HDD or 16GB SSD, Draft N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and a 56Whr 6-cell battery. There doesn’t seem to be an option right now for the HD (1366 x 768) display. The preliminary ship date is 6th June.

Via Engadget.

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