Netbook Choice » Mini 10v

Hackintosher’s mourn as Dell Mini 10v netbook discontinued

Jet Sun — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:35:53 +0000

One of the best Hackintosh netbooks around has reached its natural end of life. Dell is discontinuing the Mini 10v netbook, in light of the new Pine Trail Mini 10 models. The Mini 10v came with a 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor.

If you were considering buying a Dell Mini 10v then fear not as Amazon is still selling the model, although you’d better act quick as it may not be around for long.

Via TUAW.

Dell demos Chromium OS on the Mini 9, Mini 10v & Latitude 2100 netbooks [Video]

Jet Sun — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:45:26 +0000

Dell’s Doug Anson has given his impressions of Google’s Chromium OS as well as demonstrating it in action on a number of Dell netbooks including the Mini 9, Mini 10v and Latitude 2100. With the latter, he even times how long it takes to boot to the login screen (15 seconds). It looks very quick and that’s just using a standard 250GB hard-disk drive rather than SSD.

His impressions so far are mixed. On the one hand it feels nimble and fast and uses new web technologies, but on the other hand, it is only really useful when connected to a strong fast network. Without a continuous network connection it’s pretty redundant.

If you want to try it out for yourself, the image has been recut and now comes in a 302MB download (rather than several GB). You can download it here, where you’ll find both the image and ReadMe text instruction files. I have also included Doug’s installation instructions after the break along with the video.

Chromium OS installation instructions onto a Dell Mini 10v netbook

Below are the instructions to transfer your Chromium OS onto your Mini 10v HDD from your USB flash key.

You will need a USB-connected CD/DVD player to do this.

!!!!WARNING!!!! THIS WILL *COMPLETELY* ERASE YOUR HARDDRIVE – SO, DON’T PROCEED UNLESS YOUR ARE OK DOING THIS.

These instructions & actions come with ABSOLUTELY NO SUPPORT from DELL of ANY kind and are for SERIOUS TECHNICAL users ONLY – IF UNSURE, DON’T DO IT.

IT WOULD BE WISE TO ENSURE YOU KNOW HOW TO RECOVER YOUR EXISTING OS & DATA BEFORE CONTEMPLATING THIS.

PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

1). Download and install onto a suitably sized USB flash key an image of Chromium OS

2). Verify that your USB key is functional by booting your Mini 10v with the USB key – ensure it boots OK and functions as expected.

3). Procure a LiveCD image from http://www.ubuntu.com for Desktop Ubuntu – create a bootable CD/DVD with this image.

4). Reboot your Mini 10v via the LiveCD image created in step 3). Choose the “try Ubuntu before installing it” option at the Ubuntu boot prompt 5). Once the desktop is up, Insert your USB flash key. Unmount any partitions that may be mounted from the USB key 6). Open up a terminal window 7). Type: “sudo fdisk -l” and note which device is your HDD/SSD and which is your USB key. For sake of example, my HDD is “/dev/sda” and my USB key is “/dev/sdc”

8). (!!!THIS STEP WIPES YOUR HDD!!!) Type “sudo dd if=/dev/sdc of=/dev/sda” – BE CAREFUL THAT the “if=/dev/sdc” references your USB KEY and “of=/dev/sda” references your HDD.

9). Once the command in 8 ) has completed, you can shutdown the Mini 10v, disconnect the USB key and CD/DVD drive.

10). Power on your Mini 10v – your Chromium OS image should now be on your HDD/SSD.

Via Dell Blog.

Dell Design Studio now available for Inspiron Mini 10/10v netbooks

Jet Sun — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:16:48 +0000

There are a lot of people that are not satisfied with their stock netbooks and look to personalize these through custom skins. A number of manufacturers have created ‘limited edition’ versions of their popular netbooks that come with a designer lid. Dell already has a wide choice of colours available for its netbooks, but it has announced that it has opened the Dell Design Studio for its Mini 10/10v netbooks.

What this means is that you can order a Dell Inspiron Mini netbook with one of 200 original works of art for an $85 fee. The collection includes everything from sports to RED (which donates $20 to fight AIDS in Africa). As well as these designs, Dell will also be launching more colours for its netbook range including colours such as “Dear Santa”, “Smitten with Mittens” and “Pompeii Purple”. There’s no word when/if these options will hit the UK.

Dell Mini 10v netbook gets Ubuntu Moblin Remix option

Jet Sun — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:51:32 +0000

Dell is now shipping its Mini 10v netbook with the Ubuntu Moblin Remix Linux distribution. This particular version combines the interface & applications of Moblin 2.0 with the internals of Ubuntu 9.04. It is priced at $299 and comes with the typical Mini 10v’s specifications (Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard-drive).

This version has been labelled as the “Developer Edition” as it is still a work in progress. Despite this, Dell is shipping the Inspiron Mini 10v with it factory installed. If you already have the Mini 10v and just want to download the image click here. Check out a video demo after the break.

Via Dell Blog.

Dell releases Nickelodeon themed Mini 10v netbook

Jet Sun — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:39:13 +0000

It looks like Disney isn’t the only company to release a netbook targeted to kids. Dell has introduced a new Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition netbook. It is based on the Mini 10v netbook but is aimed at kids, coming in three different designs. One is for fans of Spongebob Squarepants, another is for iCarly fans whilst the last one is a Nickelodeon slime version that features a green splash on the lid and key rest.

Apart from the design, the netbook will have a tailored UI developed by Stardock Systems that’s branded with Nickelodeon wallpaper and icons and offers quick access to Nick’s Web portals. Educational software from Whyville.net and LoJack’s anti-theft software will also be included. A 15-month trial of McAffee Family Security to monitor their kids’ usage should give parents peace of mind.

Dell hasn’t said whether any of the internal hardware will change from the existing 10v, which normally has a 1.6GHz Atom chip, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive and a 10-inch, 1024×600 display. The Nickelodeon edition netbook will be available in Walmart and at Dell.com starting at $300.

Dell Mini 10v shipping with 1024×600 display in Japan

Jet Sun — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:53:18 +0000

The quality and resolution of a netbook display is one of the major considerations when looking to buy a netbook, along with battery and keyboard in our opinion. The most common resolution found in 10-inch netbooks is 1024 x 600, however there are also a few that sport a 1024 x 576 resolution like the Dell Mini 10v.

This slight difference in vertical resolution can make a difference as much as two to three lines of text when browsing. The good news is that the Japanese Mini 10v SKU comes with 600 pixels of vertical resolution, rather than 576 pixels found in the UK, US and rest of Europe. At this point, it’s unknown whether other countries will this new display. We’ll keep our eyes open and let you know if they do.

Via Portable Monkey.

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

Jet Sun — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:35:17 +0000

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.

Via Liliputing.

Video: Dell Mini 10v shown running Android Cupcake OS

Jet Sun — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:55:57 +0000

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.

Via Pocket-Lint.

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

Jet Sun — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:19:19 +0000

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

Jet Sun — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:13:54 +0000

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.