Buy a Dell notebook, get a Dell Mini for $99

Get Dell's wee PC for just $99 when you buy a regular notebook.

(Credit: Dell)

Today, Dell launched the much-anticipated Inspiron Mini 9 netbook (a.k.a. mini-note, ultra-note, or whatever we're calling this category). Tomorrow, you'll be able to score one for just $99 with the purchase of a Studio 15, XPS M1530, or XPS M1330 notebook. This according to Dell's own blog.

The Mini joins teeny portables like the Asus Eee PC and Acer Aspire One in offering basic computing in an ultra-light, ultra-compact package. It's available exclusively with Windows XP or Ubuntu Linux and solid-state storage (up to 16GB). CNET hasn't done a full review yet, but gadget site Crave just posted some first impressions.

A few thoughts. First, this obviously isn't an impulse-buy deal, but if you happen to be in the market for a new notebook anyway, it's almost too good to pass up. The Mini starts at $349 (not sure which model is being offering at the $99 price point, but it's a good bet it's the 4GB Ubuntu version), while Dell's Studio line starts at $649. In theory, you can get out the door for as little as $748. Not interested in the Mini? Take it straight to eBay, where you'll probably be able to sell it for close to the list price. Or give it to the kids.

Second, I honestly don't understand the appeal of this whole netbook category. Much as I like to travel light, I don't like cramped keyboards, small screens, and slow performance. That said, for 99 bucks I'm willing to forgive all that. The Mini might be perfect for those times when I just want to do some "light" computing (pun intended).

According to the Dell blog, this deal kicks off at 6 a.m. CT Friday and runs through Tuesday. Think you'll take advantage of it? Hit the comments and tell me why or why not.

Update: Sorry, folks, but it looks like you need to start with at least the $1,048 Studio model to qualify for the $99 Mini. Sigh.

[timhodgson]

Looks interesting and the price of $99 is a good deal.

A laptop/notebook at this size and weight is something that would be great to have when just running out and about. Not sure the full sticker price is going to have me buying it just yet.

To me, a laptop this size is a good compromise: my current laptop is large and a pain to lug around and a Blackberry is way too small for my computing tasks. $200 is my target price.

[tsweet9000]

I am definitely going to take advantage of this deal. I am a college student and my parents already planned on buying my little brother a dell laptop for Christmas. My birthday is next week so I am having them go ahead and buy him a Studio laptop and I will get the netbook as a birthday present.

[jcvesq]

I don't need a big laptop and a small laptop. I need a regular desktop and a laptop (don't particularly care what size) as a backup and for travel. I suspect there are many others in a similar boat. Why didn't Dell offer this deal to those who would buy a desktop? Or maybe that will be the next incentive scheme after this one?

Or better yet, why don't they forget the sales, coupon codes, "This Weekend Only" discounts and the like and just sell their products at a consistent, fair price all the time? That would make me a loyal customer.

[make_or_break]

Took a look at Dell's Mini 9 pages.

Obviously, the web page staff at Dell need to learn the distinction between a solid state drive and using 'hard drive' to describe said solid state drive. That said, I would've preferred the option of having an actual HD available, like Asus has with some of their EEE models. 16GBs is half of what my 32GB Zen X-Fi has; more storage isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially considering how physically SMALL actual hard drives can be (iPod Classic, Zune 80). Makes the Mini 9 more of an actual computer than merely an internet device with a computer's OS (and a poor one at that, if you choose to download very much).

As for the two for $99 extra offer...only worthy for those actually in the market for one of their 'regular' notebooks. I'd rather the Mini 9 take the place of the regular computer. Did notice that these regular XPSs ship with an nVidia G84 series mobile card, so should we expect a vid GPU crash and burn somewhere down the line, like MacBooks have been suffering through? Or is that something that Dell contends that is confined only to the 8600 series cards like those Apple ships with MacBooks? Or that the vid card issue is all Apple's fault?

Thanks Dell. You make the ASUS alternative even more palatable than it already is.

[shawn1313]

I'm signed up for email offers from dell and I didn't even info on this offer...
I've been in the market for a notebook computer and I've considered getting a netbook... this way I can get both! Once again you've done a fine job, Mr. Broida.

[jgvillan]

If I was in the market for a laptop, I would go ahead and purchase a D830 and cash out the extra $99 for the Mini. Seems like a sweet deal for what it can do, mainly create docs, surf the web, and go wireless. Assuming that this has a built-in cam, can have a video conference as well. I can throw in an OEM of XP, unless it's native OS is to my liking. If anything else, like what has been stated before...a good 'throw-away' gift. For me, that's either for the wife or daughter....most likely to the daughter. =)

[solitare_pax]

My iPod has more storage than the middle range specs for this little gem - and for travel, forget it - one reason I lug a laptop around on trips is to save all the digital pictures off the SD cards and go out to take some more. My advice to Dell: drop one of the 3 USB ports and stuff in a larger hard drive.

[MrChickenLeggs]

No thanks, but no. I don't like small notebooks at all. I am the kind of guy you would see very happily lugging a 17" or 20" inch laptop. I want big screen and nice size keyboard.

Almost 20 years in IT and I have always bought the biggest screen laptop there's. I used to fly weekly from San Francisco to all over the East Coast as a project engineer, and my big laptop always travelled with me.

[rickbroida]

Hmmm...as of 8 a.m. ET, I'm not seeing any sign of this deal on Dell's site. Stay tuned... I'm looking into it.

[jbailey3]

I am chatting with a Dell agent right now. He says that is has to be a specific configuration of the Studio 15 in order to get the deal.

[tsweet9000]

You have to buy a rediculously over priced studio 15 to get this so called "deal". Sounded great in theory I was going to purchase a nicely configured Studio 15 for 800 bucks and get the mini 9 for 99, but no way I will pay over 1000 dollars for a crappier studio 15 just to get the mini 9.

[sticks1839]

Do they mention what that "specific" configuration is? I can't find any links or ads about the deal besides the blog.

[jbailey3]

I was given the configuration. However, I could not figure the machine myself, so here is the invoice I received in an email:

Item Number Quantity Item Description

223-9776
1 Studio 1535, Intel Pentium Dual Core T2390, 1.86GHz 533Mhz, 1M L2 Cache
320-6465
1 Midnight Blue
311-8611
1 3GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm
330-0497
1 Standard Keyboard
320-6869
1 Hi Resolution/Bright, glossy widescreen 15.4 inch WLED display (1440x900)
320-6516
1 ATI MOBILITY RADEON HD 3450
341-6692
1 250G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
420-8566
1 Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium Edition, English
330-0495
1 DELL RESOURCE DVD,BACK-UP INSP 1535
420-5769
1 Internet Search and Portal
420-8223
1 Dell Video Chat
463-2282
1 Dell Owners Manual installed on your system,click on icon after system set-up to access
420-9100
1 Dell Dock Consumer
420-6436
1 Vista, PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
420-7622
1 DELL SUPPORT CENTER 2.0
420-7468
1 ADOBE ACROBAT READER 8.1 DIM/INSP
313-6229
1 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)
420-8183
1 Roxio Creator DE 10
330-0496
1 MEDIA DIRECT 4.0 For DVD RW
313-4783
1 Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
430-2929
1 Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini Card
320-6653
1 Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
410-1163
1 McAfee Security 9.0, 3-Year Subscription, for Dell Inspiron / Dimension
312-0694
1 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
412-0934
1 Earthlink
412-0935
1 NETZERO ISP
412-0933
1 AOL for Broadband
412-1397
1 No Productivity Software requested
950-3339
1 3 Year Limited Warranty
412-0359
1 Soft Contracts - Qualxserve
950-5442
1 Warranty Support,2 Year Extended
960-2780
1 Warranty Support,Initial Year
990-5778
1 Dell Hardware Warranty PlusOnsite Service, Extended Year(s)
990-5837
1 Dell Hardware Warranty PlusOnsite Service, Initial Year
987-9922
1 Type 15- Third Party At Home Service with Nights and Week ends, 24x7 Technical Support, 2 Year Extended
988-3970
1 Type 15- Third Party At HomeService with Nights and Weekends, 24x7 Technical Support,Initial Year
988-0099
1 To activate your online backupaccount, go to Start, Programs, DataSafe Online
988-7707
1 2GB DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 FOR SDO/DIM/INS/XPS
420-9518
1 DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 2GB FOR DIM/INS/XPS
330-0171
1 S and P Drop-in-Box Marcom forDHS Notebooks
313-6225 1 NO FINGER PRINT READER
320-6880 1 Hi Resolution / Bright, glossywidescreen 15.4 WLED LCD (1440x900) w/ 2.0M pixel Camera
420-8310 1 Creative Camera SW
310-8628 1 You have chosen a Windows Vista Premium System
310-9752 1 Intel Pentium Dual Core Label
467-5470 1 Staples Coupon Book worth over$350 in coupons included with your new Dell System
* -DISCOUNT/COUPON APPLIED



224-0776
1 Inspiron 910 Intel Atom processor N270, 1.6GHz, 533Mhz512K L2 Cache
311-9264
1 Obsidian Black Color with Gloss Finish
311-9262
1 512MB,DDR2,533MHZ,1 DIMM
320-7130
1 8.9 inch Wide Screen WSVGA TL
320-7126
1 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
341-7611
1 4GB Solid State Drive (mini-card Module/PATA)
420-9205
1 Mini OS powered by Ubuntu 8.04
430-3223
1 Base LCD Assembly
430-3225
1 Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
320-7127
1 Integrated 0.3M Pixel Webcam
312-0776
1 32WHr 4-cell Battery
992-2067
1 Dell Hardware Warranty Plus Return To Depot, Initial Year
990-7989
1 1 Year Limited Warranty and Mail-In Service,Notebook
991-0320
1 Type 12- Mail-InService, 24x7 TechnicalSupport, Initial Year
960-2780
1 Warranty Support,Initial Year
950-3337
1 1 Year Limited Warranty
988-6059
1 No Warranty 2 and 3
900-9987
1 Standard On-Site Installation Declined
313-7127 1 Base LCD Assembly in Black




Subtotal: $1,063.00
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $87.72
Environmental Disposal Fee: $0.00

Total Price w/Discounts: $1,150.72

[SightlessOldFoggie]

Rick,
Regarding the buy a Dell laptop and get a Mini9 for $99: After 30 minutes on the phone, I was told: The cheapest qualifying laptop is the Studio 15 costing $949. Your "in theory" was aptly chosen as Dell has loaded the Studio 15 to achieve it's required margins. The base price is $649 for the "15," but no deal on the Mini 9. According to the Dell sales rep., a lot of folks read your blog entry and gave them a call. Bait and switch? No, just a lack of detail from Dell's blog and your article.

BTW: I logged in for the fist time with my email address and user name (mudwart) but the note at the top of this page indicates I'm logged in as "SightlessOldFoggie, e.g., don't blame him for my statements.

Best regards,

Muddy

[rickbroida]

I do apologize for the confusion, though I was only going by what limited information was on Dell's blog. In the future I'll try to get confirmation from the company, or at least some more specific details.

[itskevinm]

Another "nothing is as it seems" scenario. You make up for the price of the mini within the overpriced Studio 15 model.

[PaulE1003]

Go to this link:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?cs=19&dgvcode=ss&c=US&l=EN&vw=list&oc=DNDOUM2&dgc=CJ&cid=7420&lid=0

That's the cheapest config I have seen. The mini is under Add My Software and Accessories

[ksopher]

There's no deal here. I purchased an XPS 1530 configured the way I wanted last week for $1674. I should point out it took 2 days to get it configured for this price - several other paths through the Dell site resulted in the same config for up to $300 more. To see if I would be better off cancelling my order and re-ordering with the Mini-9 promotion, I priced out the same XPS 1530 using the Mini-9 promotion code link and it came to $1974 - $300 more than I had paid for the same laptop last week. I then configured the laptop myself through the "Home Deals" link and was able to price out the same laptop for the original $1674 price. However, when I tried to apply the Mini-9 promotion code, it informed me that the code was not valid with the computer I configured. Um, hello, it's the exact same computer.

So, I can either (a) buy the laptop for $1674 without the Mini-9, or (b) buy the laptop for $1974 with the Mini-9, plus $99 ($2073 total). Wow, so I can get a $349 Mini-9 using the promotion for only $399!!! And this makes sense how? Hell of a bargain Dell.

[shawn1313]

OUCH. DISAPPOINTMENT. Oh well, you tried, Mr. Broida. I guess when you stay on the cutting edge of cheap every once in a while you might come across something that didn't really get slashed.

[PaulE1003]

This one is not bad:

223-6998 1 XPS M1330, Intel Core 2 Duo T5750(2.0GHz, 667Mhz, 2M L2 Cache)
310-9240 1 Matte Black Casing XPS M1330
311-7311 1 4GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm, for XPS M1330
310-9023 1 Dell USB Premium Optical Mouse
320-5585 1 13.3 inch Wide Screen WXGA TL CCFL Backlit LCD with Camera, XPS M1330
320-5602 1 Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 3100, XPS M1330
341-5709 1 320G 5400RPM SAMSUNG Hard Drive
412-0946 1 Dell Travel ExpressCard Remote Control, IR
420-8566 1 Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium Edition, English
313-5361 1 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive for XPSM1330
313-4783 1 Integrated High Definition Audio 2.0
430-2577 1 Intel 4965AGN Wireless-N Mini Card
312-0561 1 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery, for XPS M1330
430-2566 1 Dell Wirless 355 Bluetooth Module (2.0+EDR)
310-9273 1 Fingerprint Reader
320-5777 1 Standard LCD with Tuxedo BlackCasing and Camera XPS M1330

224-0776 1 Inspiron 910 Intel Atom processor N270, 1.6GHz, 533Mhz512K L2 Cache
311-9264 1 Obsidian Black Color with Gloss Finish
311-9263 1 512MB DDR2 at 533MHz
320-7130 1 8.9 inch Wide Screen WSVGA TL
320-7126 1 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
341-7613 1 4GB Solid State Drive
420-9205 1 Mini OS powered by Ubuntu 8.04
430-3225 1 Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
312-0776 1 32WHr 4-cell Battery

Total Price w/Discounts: $1,223.20
No tax, free 2 day shiping

I chose the XPS M1330 from here:
http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/sale_laptops?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

I upgraded the HD to 320GB on the XPS M1330 and upgraded the Wireless Card to the Intel Nest Gen just to get the price over $1599.00 to use this coupon code: JD2BSBJQDWF?4L

I upgraded the mini to 1GB ram, 16GB HD, Bluetooth, and 1.3 webcam

My total was 1328.20 with an additional 3% off using my dell preferred account.

It wasn't that bad

[techman21]

An interesting thing to note: the Ubuntu version of the Mini actually costs _more_ than the Win XP version. What?! If you configure them with the same options, the Windows version is $25 less. MS kickbacks anyone?