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.