Comments on: Dell's Mini 10 Netbook debuting on...QVC?

We've been waiting for a 10-inch version of the Dell Mini 9 Netbook (still one of the most popular product pages on all of CNET) for some time now, and after a sneak peek behind closed doors at CES, it's finally here. Sort of.

[Zekeuyasha]

I never actually thought the netbook would ever take off. Quite surprised that they're popular, despite the lack of an internal optical drive.

[DJOmega6]

Yeah, I'm a little surprised, as well. Even I'm somewhat intrigued by these new netbooks from Dell, which I never thought would be the case for me a while back

[Myshkin57]

I have an Asus Eee PC 1000 and I think it's great. I'm not sure why it doesn't get more attention on this site, as it's really the closest to what they once said was the ideal for Netbooks.

Anyway, you don't really need an optical drive for that much when you're out and about and that's what these computers are for. My computer has an SSD and I can REALISTICALLY get 5-6 hours of use on one charge. I think it's silly that they're not making them all with SSDs.

I would also say that if you get one of any brand, you should immediately upgrade to 2GB RAM. It's really cheap to get RAM and the difference is monstrous.

[NCTARHEELS]

Processor?

[Jayayess1190]

Intel Atom Z520 (1.33GHz) or Z530 (1.6GHz)

[Esquirrel]

Who uses optical drives anymore? Those are so 2003. Computers are better with no moving parts.

[MrMurder]

Oh, just wonderful! Another one of Dell's netbooks gets stuck with Vista. I think Dell should put at least 2GB more of RAM. Sony somehow mangaged to cram 2GB into the Vaio P Lifestyle PC, which is as small as a business envolope. So why shouldn't Dell do the same? And we all know that it's going to be stuck with an Intel Atom processor. But I'm quite surprised to see an HDMI port on a computer this small. Also i'd buy it with the TV tuner built-in. Dell better give customers the option to customize it with XP or it will be a partial faliure for some early customers.

[cnet-og]

If it's like the Mini 9 (which I have), it'll accept 2GB of RAM. The Mini 9 was sold with 1GB max b/c of ULCPC constraints for WinXP. What I did was buy the Mini 9 w/ 512MB of RAM, then spent $30 for a 2GB stick from Crucial. On a side note: I LOVE the netbook... these are here to stay (maybe we'll see OLED displays in some of these in a couple of years).

[cnet-og]

If it's like the Mini 9 (which I have), it'll accept 2GB of RAM. The Mini 9 was sold with 1GB max b/c of ULCPC constraints for WinXP. What I did was buy the Mini 9 w/ 512MB of RAM, then spent $30 for a 2GB stick from crucial. On a side note: I LOVE netbooks... these things are here to stay (maybe we'll see OLDED displays in some of these in a couple of years).

[roperape]

The current 1GB ram limitation is due to the Poulsbo chipset.

The 1GB ram limitation that was originally part of the WinXP license requirements has already been waived by Microsoft. Depending on the chipset, some Minis (like the Mini 12) cannot accept more than 1GB of ram even if there is a free ram slot. I have read that the Poulsbo chipset has recently been recoded to allow more than 1GB of ram but that has not yet been released to the market.

[Dell-Bill_B]

"Oh, just wonderful! Another one of Dell's netbooks gets stuck with Vista. "

The article says it's offered with XP.

[DSTAR4]

This is definitely here to stay! Yes it is too bad they only come with so much ram. You can always purchase those memory sticks, and accessories though, try here <a href=" www.accessorygenie.com ">Click Me</a>

[MsManhattan]

According to the QVC specs info-- the battery is (only!) a 3-cell battery. I'll accept nothing less than a 6-cell battery, b/c I'd like to be online for more than an hour or 1 1/2 hrs, please. A 6-cell would give me probably about 4 hours or so. If I wanted to watch a DVD, and also check email (not simultaneously) I could do it. And I like the "future options" for watching TV on it! I agree with another poster--I'd love it to have the TV feature built-in....I guess I have to try and wait a little longer for these great goodies/features to exist....I hope it'll be soooon! The QVC advance order price is $559, w/FREE ship/handling. But, they are offering "A 5-pay, Easy-Pay", which means you can pay for this in 5 equal installments on your credit card. This is a nice feature....but I still will wait for a minimum 6-cell battery.

[chedrz]

A 3-cell will probably get you about 3 hours of battery life, even with web browsing. A Mini-9 with a 4-cell gets around 4 hours, sometimes even more. Mine's pushed close to 5 hours already. And watching a DVD is going to be a little hard without a DVD drive, unless you buy an external one. I don't like the fact that you'll have to upgrade to the 720p screen, and I'm a little surprised Dell's switching over to hard drives standard over an SSD. Of course, the SSD in the Mini 9 isn't the best, but I'd rather have less moving parts.

[dennisl59]

Nice toy for the gadget lovers who already have 2-3 systems but one pair of hands and more money than sense. Make sure you put the purchase on your credit card charging 23% interest. And good luck with legendary Dell Tech Support. Thank You.

[Dan7637]

enough with you stupid xp users: "Dell better give customers the option to customize it with XP or it will be a partial faliure for some early customers"

xp is an aging OS and vista and win7 will offer better security

[tcr071]

Wow. They certainly backed off the features they claimed it would launch with. They were touting internal GPS, 720p display, internal TV Tuner, and solid state drives.

I couldn't imagine the price tag with all of those options enabled. Extra $50 for GPS, $15 for bluetooth, $50 for TV Tuner, $150 for SSD (very low estimate, I'm being nice), $40 for 2Gb ram. Talking about spending around $700 for a 10" under-powered pile of crap with a teeny tiny keyboard. I guess there is an idiot born every day.

[Myshkin57]

Those prices you use are above retail if bought separately. You can find 2gb online for less than $20. You can get a 32 GB SSD for less than $100 and a TV tuner card for less than $20. Those are prices I can get myself, not what a manufacturer can get. I think a very affordable machine can be made that serves 90% of the needs of a laptop user.

[CliffK2]

This looks good, but I am holding out for one with a back-lit keyboard, as I am not a touch typist, and expect to use this to take notes in darkened places like seminars.

Anyone know of a netbook with a backlit keyboard?

[McCormick97]

I guess I have more money AND sense? My credit card could be 50% and it wouldn't matter - the trick is not to carry a balance.

I just ordered a Mini 9 to make ditching my landline easier. Hooking it up in the kitchen next to the phone and going to run Skype. That way I don't need to go boot my PC every time I want to make a call, or leave it on all the time (Netbook with SSD = low power consumption). If you get a switcher from Belkin ($10 after rebate) you can still use your regular handsets with Skype.

We make a lot of distance and International calls, but going with Vonage or Comcast for unlimited distance is a waste of money. $3 a month for unlimited calls to landlines anywhere in the US, plus $390 for the netbook - it will pay for itself in less than a year. Most of my friends and family in the UK use Skype, so completely free to talk to them (via webcam if we want). We might keep a basic landline for 911 and incoming calls ($10 a month).