My New Dell Mini-10 Netbook

I wrote in my email newsletter recently that I had finally made a decision on whether to buy a new Vista notebook or wait for Windows 7. The problem was that I needed a backup for my 4+ year old Dell Inspiron 8600.

When I ordered my Mini-10, the scheduled ship date was May 7th and the estimated delivery (at the 3-5 business days $10 shippig charge I chose) was May 12th.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to receiving the netbook, especially since I sold my Asus Eee PC netbook last weekend.

It was a shock when I received a delay notice on the day that the netbook was scheduled to ship. Now, it wasn't going to arrive until May 16th!

The even bigger surprise was when it shipped on May 8th. Not only did it ship one day after the original shipping date, Dell upgraded the shipping to Saturday delivery, at no extra charge to me — so it arrived even before the original expected delivery dates.

I know that some people, including ones whose judgement I respect, have had problems with Dell. However, I've always been impressed with their quality and service.

While I could have picked up a basic Mini-10 at Sam's Club for $368, I chose to buy a more-capable model directly from Dell for a number of reasons. Interestingly, in the two weeks since I ordered my Mini-10, the options I picked to upgrade my Mini-10 are now standard items on the Mini-10. Dell still offers a more price-conscious model, but the options I picked are currently standards on their Best Value offer.

The upgrades I picked, which were not available in the models at Sam's Club were:

• upgrade to 1366x768 display from 1024x576 (78% higher resolution!)
• upgrade to 802.11n wireless networking vs 802.11g
• upgrade to 6-cell 56 watt-hour Lithium-Ion battery from 3-cell 24WHr
• upgrade to 2-year in-home service after "remote diagnosis" instead of the standard 1-year from Dell's web site or 1-year mail-in service with Sam's Club's repair service, if I bought from Sam's.

Of all the upgrades, the most significant one to me was the display. I like to have multiple windows on the display at the same time, and in a size in which I can work. The 78% higher resolution means that I can have a lot more on the screen at one time.

Since the Mini-10 arrived yesterday, I haven't had much chance to work with it. Look for a more extensive review soon.

Copyright © 2009 Terry A. Stockdale. All rights reserved.