Engadget Reviews the New Dell Mini 10

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/25/dell-mini-10-with-broadcom-crystal-hd-accelerator-review/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/25/...lerator-review/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Michael Dell may not be a fan of netbooks, but you wouldn't know that from the newest Mini 10. Joining the current Mini 10v, Dell's completely overhauled the chassis and added Intel's new Pine Trail processor. But that's not all: come February the little laptop will be available with Broadcom's Crystal HD accelerator, which promises full HD playback on a high-res 1366 x 768 display. But does the $425 package rid us of our tireless complaints that Atom can't handle HD, and does it rival netbooks based on NVIDIA's Ion platform? And perhaps more importantly, can we count on the Mini 10 to be a valuable member of the growing Pine Trail netbook fraternity when it comes to battery life and ergonomics? Read on to find out!"</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1264545795.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I've got one of these on order from Dell, and am still waiting for it, but the gang at Engadget snagged one and put it through its paces. The most notable changes? It's a bit chunkier than the previous Mini 10, largely to incorporate a 6-cell battery into the chassis without having the hump out the back. That's a big leap forward - but there's also no longer an HDMI port (apparently the Intel Pineview chipset doesn't support it) which some may consider a loss. I'm not sure I like the white chassis - and it sucks that Dell is still charging $40 to change the colour of the lid. What do you think about the design?</p>

[ptyork]

Are you getting it with the Crystal chip? To me, that's really the draw of this thing. Otherwise I'd call it a step down from much of the competition. Especially looking at the battery run times. As for looks, the pictures to me make it look awful. Chunky and funky with the tri-color shell. However, I'm sure it looks much better in person. These things always do.

FWIW, though, I think that the ULV versions of the i3 are going to end up dominating these ultraportables/netbooks soon. A little more money. A little less efficient. A lot more powerful. At least for how I see these being used, I think a lot of folks would pay $75-$100 more and give up an 30-45 minutes of battery life for that much of a bump.

[Reid Kistler]

"It's a bit chunkier than the previous Mini 10, largely to incorporate a 6-cell battery into the chassis without having the hump out the back. That's a big leap forward..."

Actually, we find that the extended battery makes for a very nice HANDLE on our Mini 10v! :)

Also miss the point of making "Netbooks" Bigger, More Expensive, and with Less Battery Life - those are things I can already get in a Notebook, along with a much nicer (ie: Larger, Higher Resolution) screen, better keyboard, and (hopefully) a nicer touchpad....

[Macguy59]

The HD playback seems very limited at least in it's current form. I think I would go for an ION based netbook.

[Jason Dunn]

Are you getting it with the Crystal chip? To me, that's really the draw of this thing.

No, in typical Dell fashion, that option wasn't available to me at order time - and neither was the GPS, TV tuner, or any of the other options that are "coming soon". I don't understand why Dell can't just release the darn thing with all the options available. I too am really hoping it looks better in person... :eek: