dell mini 10v

Battle of the $300 Netbooks

You say you want value in your mobile computer? You say you want something super cheap? Not one year ago, we visited a very similar subject and found most Netbooks averaging $499. Now Netbooks are available for $299 or less, thanks to incredibly affordable new offerings from Acer--the just-reviewed Aspire One AOD250--and Dell's Mini 10v. A line has been drawn in the sand, and now we answer the question: what can $300 get me in a new Netbook?

The Dell Mini 10v was the first mainstream Netbook to come out of the starting gate at this sub-$300 price, followed by the new Acer Aspire One AOD250 and the HP Mini 1115NR. Below, check out our chart comparing the features each will give you in terms of CPU, hard drive, RAM, screen size, and other basic specs.

Dell Mini 10v

Acer Aspire One AOD250

HP Mini 1115NR

CPU

Intel Atom N270

(1.6GHz)

Intel Atom N270

(1.6GHz)

Intel Atom N270

(1.6GHz)

Hard drive

120GB (5600rpm)

160GB (5600rpm)

80GB (4200rpm)

RAM

1GB

Windows XP

Screen

10.1 inch

Battery

3-cell (not tested)

110 (minutes)

150 (minutes)

Network

802.11 b/g, Bluetooth

802.11 b/g

802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, Verizon 3G broadband modem

Price

$299

$298

$199 (with a 2-year Verizon mobile broadband contract)

First off, you might notice a lot of similarities between devices. Might we say nearly identical specs?… Read more

Delicious Dell Cupcake...(Android Cupcake, that is)

Care for a Dell Cupcake? We knew you would. Credit to Dell for not only listening to reader suggestions, but for doing their own video hacking. At their own labs (hey, those kinda look like ours), they demonstrate the newest Android update, "Cupcake," on a Mini 10v, being quick to announce that "they have no plans" to announce such a thing...but that it "runs really nicely." So says Doug Anson, a technology strategist who works at the office of the CTO, who demonstrates.

We see no sign of it running nicely on the … Read more

Dell undercuts Netbook competitors with the $299 Mini 10v

Dell has released a revamp of its Mini 10 Netbook, that "delivers on value," says the company. Accordingly, the new product's name is the Dell Mini 10v. Starting at $299, the Mini 10v is a bold shot across the bow of the competition, notably Acer's $349 Aspire One. We've seen talk of $199 or cheaper Netbooks bundled with mobile phone company contracts, but nothing this inexpensive as a stand-alone product.

The $299 base price Mini 10v includes An Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, a 3-cell battery, and Windows XP. … Read more