Dell Mini 9 Battery fiasco

Per a MyDellMini thread started by pmjzzz postulated that Dell Mini 9s are being shipped with two types of batteries, one with a design charge 35.5 Wh and a smaller one, with just 24.4 Wh.

He returned the smaller one for a replacement but got a similar unit. Both smaller batteries had serial numbers that started with KR, and were made in Korea / assembled in China, whereas the good battery's SN started with CN - made and assembled in China.

The ensuing issue elicited a lot of response (161 posts in two days) as other users began to contact Dell for replacement. Unfortunately, Dell's response wasn't exactly satisfactory for a lot of them, causing some negative feedback to be posted.

Further tests were ran and the updated results indicated the two battery types weren't actually as different as first assumed. Unfortunately, the damage has been done, prompting the forum admins to lock down the thread.

You can read the entire MyDellMini forum thread here.

Buffalo Offers New SSDs For Dell Inspiron Mini 9

From ubergizmo -

Buffalo is now offering 16GB and 32GB SSDS for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook. The extra storage won't really improve performance but at least it enables you to store your data, music and video.

Dell adds $100 32GB SSD option to Inspiron Mini 9

From Engadget -

Dell is now giving the option to Mini 9 buyers to buy a 32GB solid state drive upgrade for just $100.

Dell Product Page here.

Dell Mini 9 Netbook with a TOUCHSCREEN!

Uploaded by unaclocker

"Disclaimer: Not my video, I didn't do this mod, I'm not taking credit for it. Simply posted the video up on YouTube to widen the audience for Deldotb from the MyDellMini forums. Other than that, I think the video speaks for itself, he has installed a touch screen in his Dell Mini 9 Netbook"

Dell adds artwork, new colors to Minis

From Electronista -

Dell is now offering Tristan Eaton designed skins for both its Inspiron Mini 9 and the Mini 12. Add-on Prices range from $24 to $50.

Product Order Page here.

Dell's 32GB Inspiron Mini 9 netbook blushes pink and red in Japan

From Engadget -

Dell has released red and pink Inspiron Mini 9's - but only in Japan so far. It has also intro'd an Inspiron Mini 9 Platinum Package that features a 32GB SSD for ¥54,980 ($565).

Integrated GPS on Dell Mini 9

acabtp of MyDellMini has modded his Dell Insipiron Mini 9 to add a GPS receiver. Not wanting to have a dongle or any other external device, he went with a USB SkyTraQ-based GPS receiver, dismantled that, and managed to install it inside the chassis.

You can check out additional photos and more photos here.

Run Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) on a Dell Mini 9

UNEASYsilence and his good blogging buddy Kevin Tofel was able to painlessly install a special slipstreamed version 10.5.5 on a Dell Mini 9, which uses a very similar processor/chipset combo as the proven Leopard-compatible MSI Wind.

They first downloaded and burned the 3.2GB slipstreamed ISO to a DVD and then used that to install it to on the Dell, booting it up via an external drive (Press 0 (Zero) at the BIOS screen). Then they downloaded the drivers for the Broadcom wireless adaptor and audio chipset and installed those as well.

Unzip the archive from the previous step and open Terminal in Leopard on the Dell mini. Type in sudo and drag the bcm43xx_enabler.sh icon to the Terminal window. Press the Enter key, type in your admin password on the keyboard and follow the instructions. (For those who don’t like to read - basically press Enter four times and restart).

For more details, including the download sites, check out Uneasy Silence.

Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini 9, HP 2133 3G Bundles

According to the Boy Genius Report starting in November in Taiwan, the Acer Aspire One is expected to ship with integrated 3G for just USD95 (NT$3,000) more than the standard nmodel. Add in some bundled 3G service through Taiwan Mobile and you can save $155 (NT$5,000) instead. Woohoo!

In addition, a post at jkOnTheRun has the newspaper flyer (above) offering Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and the HP 2133 mini notebook with a respectable $370 subsidy. The subsidy requires a two year commitment to a 3G data plan with Emobile.

Buy One Dell, Get Inspiron Mini 9 Going for Only $99

According to the Direct2Dell Blog starting Sept 5 6am (US Central Time), you’ll be able to get a Mini for only $99 with the purchase of a Studio 15, XPS M1530 or XPS M1330 laptop through 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9 (U.S. only)

More details available here.

Dell Launches Inspiron Netbook, Hides 3G Feature

From PC Mag -

After announcing it back in May, Dell has finally launched the Inspiron Mini 9, a "companion device" for the "grab-and-go mobility person", designed to access the Web while on the road. It has the same physical dimensions as the Asus Eee PC 900.

The Inspiron Mini Windows XP Home will be priced at $399 while a Xubuntu based model will be available soon at $349.

Base features include 1.6 GHZ Atom N270, 512MB RAM (expandable to 1GB), 4GB SDD (upgradeable to 8/16GB), Intel 965 chipset, 802.11g, Bluetooth, 4-cell, 32W/hr battery, three USB ports, 4-in-1 card reader, lock 1024x600 8.9" LED. Webcam is optional. In addition, the Mini 9 comes with a hidden bonus - an integrated 3G card.

Dell Inspiron 910 Gets Release Date: This Friday, Sept 5

Per Gizmodo, Dell's Inspiron 910 be released on Friday, September 5. However there's no word on pricing yet.

Leaked: Dell Inspiron 910 (Mini Note) Specs and Release DateFrom

The folks at Gizmodo have gotten their hands on a Dell Inspiron 910 (aka Mini Inspiron and Inspiron Mini) full (internal) 910 web documentation. It contains several photos plus revealing details - support for SSDs up to 16GB and what looks to be very moddable internals (large Phillips-head screws hold that SSD in place).

The system will go on sale on August 22nd our source but the starting price of USD299 has not been confirmed.

For more details and photos, check out the source article here.

Weird details about those Dell Mini-Inspiron photos

By now most readers are familiar with those photos of Dell's yet-unnamed Mini-Inspiron looking subnotebook the company has let loose on the Internet. While there are apparently very little details yet, we can hazard some guesses. But first, why is the Dell logo upside-down in the photo below?




Next, if you look closely at the next photo, and as pointed out by Liliputing, there are no Function keys. Although a comment posted by m on that site noted there is a large blue FN key, indicating function key mapping should be available.




Photo Source: Slashgear