Dell has brought its Inspiron 13z notebook to Australia and Japan, both with Windows 7. While basic specs differ slightly between the two offerings, buyers still get a 13.3-inch, 1366x768 resolution, LED-backlit screen and a choice of Intel's CULV processors.
Dell used the occasion of Windows 7's launch to unveil the first all-in-one desktop since Apple's new iMacs. Showing initially in Japan, the Inspiron One 19 returns to an easel-like design and is meant as a faster alternative to a notebook without taking up much additional space. The PC carries an 18.5-inch, 1366x768 display and uses desktop processors that scale up to a 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo.
Dell as part of its special event today upgraded its Design Studio edition notebooks with two design lineups. A Major League Baseball set gives most Inspiron, Mini and Studio notebooks a custom lid with artwork featuring a team logo. "Classic" versions put the logo in small form with a textured solid color; "Fan" versions have a large logo, while "Die-Hard" covers nearly the entire lid with logo-themed graphics.
Dell at a press gathering today briefly offered an in-person look at its Adamo XPS ultraportable. True to its teaser graphic, the system is overall thinner than the MacBook Air it's designed to compete against (0.4 inches maximum) and appears to rely on a unique, underside hinge to reach its dimensions. As with very early Adamo and Inspiron 11z teasers, the company didn't provide any specifications or release information.
Some specs and details of the upcoming Dell Zino HD series of nettops were revealed, thanks to a recent DellZinoHD search. Two models in the Zino HD series will be offered, including the Inspiron 300 and Inspiron 400. Both have potentially been readied for Windows XP, Windows Vista or the upcoming Windows 7, with the support page also including a manual for Ubuntu.
PC maker Dell and online music service Napster have come to an agreement that will see the two offering Inspiron and Studio models in Germany, the UK and the US with preloaded content from Napster's music service. Through the agreement, these models will include 60 MP3s of the buyer's choice as well as 12 months of unlimited music streaming from Napster's service. Dell estimates it should save buyers at least the $60 for the individual tracks.
Dell today said it has added more cosmetic and performance customization options to its Inspiron 11z notebook. Dell has now added expanded its range of color options for the 11.6-inch CULV system beyond the original black, including white, blue, green, red, purple or pink. There are also new processor, memory and hard drive options.
Dell at IDF revealed that it's about to ship a version of the Inspiron Mini 10v with Moblin Linux. The system is initially aimed at developers but will give everyone a simpler-to-use alternative to Ubuntu for web browsing and media playback. It specifically uses Canonical's Moblin Netbook Remix, a variant tailored for the screens and interfaces common to the mini notebooks.
Dell today grew its budding CULV (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage) notebook line with two mid-sized models. The 14-inch Inspiron 14z and 15.6-inch Inspiron 15z together use the slower but also much cooler and more efficient processors to both slim down significantly from the regular systems while also shedding weight and extending their battery lives: the systems can last over eight hours (8.5 on the 14z) on a six-cell pack.
The still-growing popularity of netbooks has likely robbed Apple much of its target audience for back-to-school Mac sales this year, a study from Retrevo found on Tuesday. Just over a third of notebook-buying college students, or 34 percent, plan to buy a netbook from any make for their return to class. About 49 percent of the total also specifically plan to buy a regular Windows notebook, leaving just 17 percent either buying a Mac or uncertain about what they will buy.
Dell on Thursday previewed several upcoming computers, the Zino HD and Inspiron Z series. The Zino HD is a mini desktop that closely resembles the form-factor of a Mac Mini. The overall height appears to be greater than Apple's product, potentially due to the use of a tray for optical media instead of a slot-load system.
Dell in an unusual evening launch revealed its first non-education PC aimed at kids. A Nickelodeon Edition of the Inspiron Mini 10v will have a "slime" color scheme both on the lid and palm rest as well as a custom, Stardock-designed Windows XP skin with colors and icons themed around the TV network's shows. It also gets multiple links to special web portals on Nickelodeon's website and an updating desktop widget.
Dell today in a low-key move shrunk its Inspiron Mini netbook line by dropping the Mini 12. The Texas PC builder hasn't explained the decision but now just leaves the Mini 10 as its lone netbook. It follows shortly after Dell's cancellation of the Mini 9, its first netbook introduced late last year.
Intel may be shutting down production of its Z500-series Atom chips early, a source from the PC industry says. Unnamed contacts for DigiTimes say the processor developer won't accept any more orders "soon" and that the only processors it will ship past a certain point this year are from at least the three key supporters of Atom-based systems, namely Acer, ASUS and MSI. Supply of the Z500 line should stop altogether by the end of the year for everyone.
AT&T on Monday grew its netbook lineup to include two 3G versions of common netbooks. Its version of Acer's Aspire One, Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 and Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 will all have built-in 3G modems for online use anywhere in a coverage area as well as free access to AT&T's Wi-Fi hotspots. The three have similar 10-inch displays, 1GB of memory, 160GB hard drives, Windows XP and multi-touch trackpads.
Dell today signaled that further revamps of its Inspiron notebooks were coming through the low-key Singapore launch of a new Inspiron 13. Borrowing design cues from the just-launched Inspiron 17, it also has a rounded design and a 16:9, LED-backlit display but a more modest 1366x768 picture. Besides the switch to a wider ratio, though, it also strips out the optical drive and drops nearly a full pound to reach 4lb. in standard trim.
Dell today filled out its mainstream notebooks with the Inspiron 17. The desktop notebook switches to the same 16:9 aspect ratio display and thinner, more efficent LED backlighting as newer Inspirons but, matching its 17.3-inch size, has a much higher 1600x900 resolution as standard. Processors are also generally faster in standard trim and scale up to a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo.
Dell this morning kicked off its first-ever offerings of fast-ship PCs. Offered under the FastTrack banner, the systems can't be customized but ship by the next business day, eliminating the delay of two weeks or more that often accompanies ordering a system from Dell. The approach is based on the popularity of Dell's custom-order configurations and should be continuously refreshed to mirror what customers actually want.
Wireless provider Cellular South on Wednesday announced it will soon sell its own subsidized 3G-capable netbook, the 10.1-inch Dell Inspiron Mini 10. Its version, like that for AT&T, holds an internal 3G modem that supplies long-range data access wherever the carrier has coverage. As a CDMA carrier, though, Cellular South will use EVDO instead of HSPA.
Dell at a Parisian event today briefly showed a mystery notebook likely to be the company's first based on Intel's Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) initative. Without naming the model or detailing its features, Phil Bryant and Michael Tatelman of the company told Engadget and observers that it's part of an "entirely new model line" of thin notebooks. No release information has been given and echoes the Adamo teaser at CES, which preceded an actual launch by months.
Intel at Computex today formally outlined the details of its mid-year refresh of its notebook processors, including its Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) platform. The new platform is intended to bring ultraportable designs to low-cost but still reasonably fast systems and centers on Intel's new GS40 mobile chipset. The technology is a fraction the size of the regular notebook platform, permitting far smaller and thinner systems, but still has a GMA 4500 graphics core capable of full hardware HD video decoding, higher-level 3D features and native HDMI output.
Super Talent made two product line announcements on Thursday, including new MasterDrive EX2- and IX2-series of solid state drives (SSDs) and a range of SSD upgrade kits for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook. The 2.5-inch MasterDrive EX2 and IX2 SSDs more than double the performance of their predecessors and are available in Multi-Level Cell (MLC) and Single-Level Cell (SLC) designs, respectively.
Dell this morning quietly expanded the options for the Inspiron Mini 10 and 10v to include both its first TV tuner and a pair of new color options. The company's promised USB digital TV tuner should be available today and, in North American form, will supply owners of the 10-inch netbooks with free over-the-air ATSC HD broadcasts. It should cost $50 in the build-to-order process for any Inspiron Mini 10 model.
Dell has quietly drawn attention to its netbook plans by demonstrating Google's Android 1.5 running on an Inspiron Mini 10v (video below). Company technology strategist Doug Anson describes the mobile OS as "small and snappy" on the Intel Atom-based portable but doesn't do more than show the operating system running on the 10v alongside another system using Ubuntu Netbook Remix. It continues to show the stock home screen and doesn't show signs of customization by Dell.
Dell today lived up to promises and put its new-look Inspiron desktops on sale today in the US. Now called the Inspiron 537 and 537s, the finished systems are distinguished by their option of several colors and range in speed from Celeron through Core 2 Quad processors for Intel systems and Semprons through Phenom X4 processors for AMD. They can all have up to 8GB of RAM as well as dedicated ATI Radeon HD video, though storage varies slightly with a slimline tower limited to a 750GB drive while the larger mini-tower holds up to 1TB.
Dell on Tuesday ended speculation and unveiled the Inspiron Mini 10v, a budget version of the regular model launched earlier in the year. The new version switches to the lower-priced 1.6GHz Atom N270 instead of the slower but more battery-friendly 1.33GHz Z520 and drops to a 120GB hard drive from the regular 160GB. As a result, the netbook also uses GMA 950 integrated video in place of the GMA 500 specific to the Z-series Atom chips.
Dell today inadvertently confirmed a recent roadmap leak by posting a flyer for the Mini 10v (PDF). Known earlier under its "Bear" codename, the system is a budget alternative to the regular Mini 10 and should drop the price to $299 by using a standard 1.6GHz Atom N280 instead of the newer 1.33GHz Atom Z520 used today. Its features also appear to have been upgraded from the roadmap at that price with 1GB of RAM and Windows XP as the baseline.
Mobile software developer Bsquare has potentially spoiled Dell's release plans by saying it was porting Adobe's Flash Lite animation plugin for Dell netbooks running Google's Android platform. The company specifically references the Inspiron Mini 9 and suggests that the 8.9-inch portable is the likely main target for the OS. Whether Flash Lite would appear in-browser, or when Bsquare expects the port to ship on a production netbook, isn't mentioned.
Demand from PC makers for Intel's Atom processor has started cooling in what may be a shift away from netbooks, industry sources said Monday. Instead of focusing its attention on supplying larger companies like ASUS or Dell, Intel is now believed by DigiTimes to be focusing on smaller builders, particularly those in mainland China, and using them to clear out supplies. The higher-end companies themselves are also turning away from the ultra-mobile chip as a whole.
Dell has recently given its Inspiron Mini 10 netbook new options via its US webstore. The latest upgrade being offered is a six-cell, 56Whr battery, priced at $30. Otherwise, Dell has added more color options to the netbook, including six solid colors and five artwork designs. The netbook is powered by a 1.33GHz Intel Atom processor in base guise, or a 1.6GHZ Atom as an option, and all versions get a 10.1-inch screen good for 1024x576 resolution.
Dell and China Mobile (CMCC) announced on Wednesday they have introduced Inspiron Mini 10 netbook in the Chinese market which benefits from the provider's 3G data network access via its built-in modem, allowing Internet and e-mail access from nearly anywhere in the country with a signal.
Dell's upcoming Inspiron Mini 11 ultraportable should ship in mid-summer, Taiwan's Commercial Times newspaper hints. Although the specific model isn't mentioned by name, PC assembly contractor Compal is claimed to have received orders for a Dell "ultra-thin notebook" using Intel's Consumer Ultra Low Voltage (CULV) processors that will be delivered in August, matching the description of the portable. Lenovo and Toshiba may also pick Compal to build CULV systems.
Dell on mid-Monday launcheed a major update to the look of its Inspiron desktops. The new models have sleeker redesigns and come in 8 solid colors for both slimline and regular mini-tower versions. The Texas PC creator also promises a wide spread between low-cost and mid-range systems ranging from either an AMD Sempron or Intel Celeron starter up to quad-core Phenom X4 and Core 2 Quad chips.
A leak on Friday hints that Dell is producing netbooks under the Latitude name. Gizmodo understands that the systems will be known as the Latitude 2100 series and will have the same style as full-sized Latitudes. Like the HP Mini-Note, though, its focus would be on the educational market and would involve bright color schemes like "Red Apple" and "School Bus Orange." It may also add a touchscreen that hasn't been present on any previous Dell netbook.
Although it's barely six months old, Dell's netbook effort has been advancing to where it's already on its third new design in the form of the Inspiron Mini 10. These early experiences have given Dell an opportunity to improve not only on what it did before but also weaknesses inherent to netbooks at large. That the Mini 10 is an improvement is certain; but, as we'll soon learn in the full Mini 10 review, it's possible that Dell has also been moving too quickly in some areas and not quickly enough in others.
Electronista has been fortunate enough to get an early review unit of Dell's Inspiron Mini 10, and we have some of the first impressions of the system from our (slightly dirty) sample. The overriding sense from a first glance is one of quality. Unlike most netbooks or even Dell's own Mini 9 and 12, the Mini 10 has a reassuringly solid construction that doesn't feel like it will fall apart. That extends to an aluminum palmrest and a wide, single-piece hinge that opens up smoothly and without wobbling.
Samsung has finished out its week by launching the NC20. Like its Inspiron Mini 12 rival at dell, the Samsung system is a crossover between netbooks and fuller-size systems and centers on a 12-inch, 1280x800 display that also affords a full-size keyboard and trackpad. Samsung, however, opts out of Intel chips for a 1.3GHz VIA Nano processor and its matching integrated graphics chipset; the move gives the system a claimed 6.5 hours of battery on a stock 6-cell battery pack.
As promised, Dell today started taking orders for the Inspiron Mini 10. The finished product has just one stock configuration at $399 and ships by default with a 1.33GHz Atom, 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and a 16:9 ratio 1024x576 display. Dell's earlier warnings about initial upgrades have proven true and won't let users upgrade either the memory or hard drive.
Dell has seen steady sales growth and low return rates with its Inspiron Mini 9 netbooks running Ubuntu, despite reports that MSI experienced substantially higher return rates with its Wind series running SuSE Linux compared to the XP platform, according to Laptop. A third of the Mini 9 devices are shipped with Linux. "We have done a very good job explaining to folks what Linux is,” says Jay Pinkert of Dell.
A set of images leaked by BGR today indicate wireless provider AT&T will begin carrying the Inspiron Mini 9 and Inspiron Mini 12 netbooks from Dell in its stores. The screen captures of AT&T's inventory system indicate the two netbooks will be shipping to AT&T, though no prices or concrete dates were indicated. It is expected, however, that the netbooks will cost $99 on a two-year contract, or identical to the prices at competitor Verizon.
Dell has volunteered to dispute Psion's "netbook" trademark itself, a petition (PDF) sent to the US Patent Office reveals. The filing asks the government body to retire the trademark as the original Netbook systems have long since been out of production and Psion has no plans to start building the systems again. It further accuses Psion senior product manager Herb Turzer of lying when he said Psion was actively using the term as late as 2005; the last model to use the name was the Netbook Pro, in 2003.
Dell today quickly followed up on yesterday's specs launch with an official website for the Inspiron Mini 10. Besides providing full photos of the 10-inch netbook, the site also confirms options not mentioned earlier such as the eventual ability to upgrade to 2GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive. Dell also now estimates that a 6-cell battery pack will net about 6.5 hours of battery life.
Dell this afternoon provided official details for the Inspiron Mini 10, including its final release details. The 10-inch netbook's trim levels mostly match those of earlier leaks and will carry a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 3-cell battery, a 160GB hard drive and HDMI output in all models. The system's 1GB of memory will be fixed in place, but users will have the pick of either Ubuntu Linux 8 or Windows XP Home as the operating system.
Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 could ship as soon as the end of this month, a conversation with a Dell online sales rep may show. UK blogger Paul Synnott has posted a chat log which suggests Dell agents have been told the Mini 10 will be available on the 27th, or the last Friday of the month. Publicly, the company has remained uncharacteristically vague on the release date for the 10-inch netbook and has provided only a small degree of information at a CES press event in January.
The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 shown at CES will be more flexible than originally suggested, a leaked presentation slide on Photobucket reportedly shows. The 10-inch netbook now appears to have options equal to and above the Mini 12 with the same choices of 1.33GHz and 1.6GHz Atom processors but with both a conventional 1024x576 LCD and a Dell's previously-mentioned HD display, which is now believed to output at 1366x768. Storage should also be much higher with a minimum 120GB hard drive versus the 80GB maximum of the Mini 12.
The recently introduced Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook has shown up in UK retailer Tesco's online store, shedding some light on its previously unknown specs. Like the majority of its competitors, the Mini 10 has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive preloaded with Windows XP. Less common specs include its distinctive multi-touch keypad, an integrated GPS sensor and the option of a wireless data network radio.
Dell today quickly acted on an earlier promise by launching its in-house version of the Inspiron 15. Unlike the fixed configuration shipping through Best Buy, Dell's own model can be optioned up to a modern 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo along with choices for a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, a Blu-ray combo drive and Bluetooth. Buyers can also pick from blue and red lids in addition to Best Buy's simple black.
Dell today at a press conference at CES revealed the Inspiron Mini 10 (not yet pictured), its third netbook. While only slightly larger than the Mini 9, the new portable is more advanced than either the smaller model or the Mini 12, including through its display. The namesake 10-inch screen is sharper than on other netbooks and produces a 720p (1280x720) resolution closer to full-size notebooks. The system also incorporates a multi-touch trackpad that not only helps with scrolling and zooming but also the ability to jump to a home screen or automatically scroll the contents of a page.
Continuing its efforts in Las Vegas, Dell today released the G2210 and G2410. The 22- and 24-inch screens are both LED-backlit and focus on eco-friendliness. While the lighting is their point of distinction and roughly halves the amount of power consumption at just 20W, the body itself is made partly of recycled material and is about 20 percent smaller, using less material. Image quality also sees a distinctive benefit and sees the contrast ratio jump from 1,000:1 in static mode to 1,000,000:1 when the LEDs' dynamic lighting is invoked.
Dell today chose to avoid a direct CES announcement for the Inspiron 15, its long-expected overhaul of its staple 15-inch notebook. The new model is cosmetically much closer to the wedge-shaped Inspiron 13 and switches from a 16:10 aspect ratio display to a 16:9, 1366x768 screen deemed better for movies. Extras that have been common to the Inspiron 1525 carry over and involve at least Blu-ray, Bluetooth and a webcam.
