Dell Inspiron 910 mini-laptop to be a hardware hacker's dream?
Set to launch tomorrow, says mole
Is Dell going to launch its Small, Cheap Computer, the Inspiron 910, tomorrow? That's certainly what one newspaper is claiming today, and there's evidence to back up that claim.
According to the Wall Street Journal, someone who knows what the PC giant's planning claimed the mini Inspiron will be announced on Thursday.
Inside Dell's 910: SSD (1), WWAN module (2), memory (3), WLAN module (4)
The device, due to compete directly with the likes of the Asus Eee PC series, Acer's Aspire One, the MSI Wind, LG U110, Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini and Lenovo S9, will sport a classic SCC design and spec, the source indicated.
It lights up - and we're not talking explosive batteries
So we're looking at a unit with an 8.9in display, choice of Linux or Windows XP, and a price tag of "under $400" (£226/€277).
Confirmation, of sorts, comes from Dell's own website. The company has been adding support documents for the Inspiron 910 over the last few days.
The 910's keyboard
The site reveals that the 910 is highly accessible for hardware modders, with a base panel that can be removed to expose the solid-state drive, the cellular modem, the memory and the WLAN adaptor.
It also notes that the 910 has just two status lights: one for the battery, the other for the mains power. "There are no Num Lock, Scroll Lock or Caps lock LEDs on this computer," Dell notes - and presumably no wireless light either.
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COMMENTS
Well, it's on Dell.co.uk now...
"Inspiron Mini 9" - but, being an Inspiron, it's down as "Home User" only.
But... £299
OK, so it's "home", so at least that price includes VAT & delivery, and there's no options other than 1 or 2yr (£29) warranty. 1.6GHz Atom, 16Gb SSD, 1Gb RAM, 2200Ah battery, XP.
@Matthew
One more reason a sub-notebook/netbook like this is desirable is for the frequent flier.
A netbook will fit on even an economy-class airline tray table and still leave room for the coffee.
Try that with a 17" laptop!
Mine's the one with an EeePC in the pocket!
I like 'W's' Analysis of Need and His Decision Tree
...It reduced the selection process and decisions based on need down to an almost mathematical equation!
Out but too expensive
It's out but £299 as a starting price, more if you want a 2 year warranty. Dell have missed the point slightly as the cheapest Dell non submini notebook is only £25 more.
1gb Ram 120GB hdd and xp home. Not bad but your paying the Dell name tax.
Balanced response
Nope, I wouldn't buy one either:-
1) I'm a Mac person (fanboy, even)
2) It wouldn't suit my needs
But then, I wouldn't buy a MacBook Air - for reason 2) either.
However, I can accept that this (and the Air) are machines designed to address a specific market area. I would not denigrate them just because I happen to be outside that area.
They're both good machines - if they address your specific needs: if they don't - then don't knock them, but buy what does.
