The dust has barely settled around Intel‘s announcement of new power-sipping Atom processors with integrated graphics and memory controllers, but computer maker Dell take the wraps of a new Inspiron Mini 10 netbook based around the latest chips. The new Mini 10’s boast improved battery life and a wide range of options, potentially making them suitable for more than just basic email and Web surfing.
“The Inspiron Mini 10 continues to offer some of the best mobile entertainment options available in a great-looking, compact, and lightweight design,” said Dell mobile products general manager Brian Pitstick, in a statement.
The New inspiron Mini 10s will sport a new Intel Atom N450 processor running at 1.6 GHz and a choice of 10.1-inch displays: a traditional 1,024 by 600-pixel netbook display or a more-fully-pixelled 1,366 by 768 display. Another available option will be Broadcom’s Crystal HD media accelerator, which can be combined with an optional integrated HDTV tuner for watching over-the-air HD video. The systems will also pack 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking (mobile broadband will be available as an option), 1 GB of RAM, a 160 GB hard drive, and a choice of either a 3-cell or a 6-cell battery: Dell claims the 6-cell option can offer up to 9.5 hours of use. The Inspiron Mini 10s will be available with Windows 7 Starter, Windows XP Home, or Ubuntu Linux pre-installed, and the netbooks can be personalized with a broad range of colors and custom artwork.
Dell expected to begin offering the new Inspiron Mini 10s in January with prices starting at $299…although we expect the fully tricked-out versions will be a little pricier.
