If you’re looking to upgrade from XP or Vista on your netbook, or perhaps you already have, then here’s some great news for you. Some netbook makers have already updated the driver download pages to include Windows 7 drivers which should work better than Vista drivers you may be using instead. Most Asus netbooks now have drivers for Windows 7 from their support page.
Other companies have updated their support pages but, not all companies support many netbook models. There is support from Toshiba for the NB205, while Acer are providing Windows 7 drivers for the Aspire One 751 and AOP531h with AOD250 to follow. Dell are listing drivers for the Mini 10v and Mini 10 but not the Inspiron Mini 9 or 12. HP on the other hand have support for discontinued netbooks, such as the HP Mini 2140. They’ve also got support for the 110, 5101 and other models. Lenovo have also updated their support page to include manuals but, no drivers yet. This could change soon though.
While Dell have proved very popular among the netbook world and bringing a high level of customizations to netbooks, it seems CEO Michael Dell doesn’t actually like the portable devices. He claims that users aren’t very happy with them. He also said that it may be cute and light but, after a day or two, users will want to revert back to a regular 15 inch netbook. He describes netbooks as being good for specific markets, such as schools.
Dell have released several different netbook models, with the Dell Mini 9 proving the most popular, especially amongst hackers and modders. Liliputing comment that it’s “kind of funny” considering that while Michael Dell isn’t impressed with netbooks, the company is creating innovative and top class designs to their netbooks.
GPS, Wi-Fi Geolocation, Geopositioning. Call it whatever you like. Thanks to the popularity of the iPhone and other mobile phones with this feature, demand for GPS-enabled navigation has steadily increased. So, won’t it be logical that netbooks jumps into the GPS bandwagon as well?
Dell knows this and is taking an early stride by launching the Dell Wireless 700 location solution to its Mini 10 netbook. To make this possible, Dell is integrating an internal GPS card with built-in WiFi locationing in the innards of the Mini 10 netbook. With this inside the machine, the Mini 10 can now calculate position using WiFi access points or using GPS satellites. The Dell Wireless 700 runs on Broadcom’s A-GPS and Skyhook Wireless WiFi position solutions.
Hardware alone won’t make this feature functional. Dell is also implementing the CoPilot navigation software that will provide the turn-by-turn directions.
In addition, Dell has also teamed up with SkyHook Wireless and Loki to push the location-based services. Loki is a browser plugin.
The Dell 700 Wireless location solution will support Windows XP, Vista and later on Windows 7.
Dell is beefing up the functionality of both its Mini 10 and Mini 10v with two upgrade options. Available now if you purchase the Dell Mini 10 from its online store is an option to pack the said netbook with a GPS module which you can get for $369. Nothing else change from its technical specs though besides this GPS.
Likewise, if you prefer the Dell Mini 10v which if you don’t know yet is different from the Dell Mini 10v by virtue of its Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz CPU as compared to the Mini 10’s Z520 1.3GHz., Portable Monkey was reporting that you can get an option to upgrade its CPU to the better N280. To get this you need to add an additional $25 from its list price of $349.
The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 when purchased from Dell, the standard options include a 10.1 inch display, 3 cell battery and a color choice of white or black for £299. Both the screen can be upgraded (for a HD screen) and the battery (to a 6 cell) along with the color. Black is the standard choice with white costing no extra. For £19 more you can get the Mini 10 in ice blue, cherry red, jade green or pretty pink.
However purchasing from PC World, while you may not be able to get the other upgrades on the machine, you can get the standard specification model in any of the colors all for £299.99. All models are listed as originally being £329.99 with a £30 saving, including the black and white models.
If you’ve wanting to have a netbook running on Ubuntu but wouldn’t want to go through the tedious process of installing the OS on your own Dell is offering a quick solution. But of course that would require you to purchase their Mini 10 netbook over the others.
Dell is offering an Ubuntu-powered Mini 10 netbook in the U.S. and Canada. For $399, you’ll get a sleek looking Dell Mini 10 netbook with a full running Ubuntu plus plus an additional hard drive storage options. This either a 64GB SSD or a 32GB SDD. The former will cost you an additional $125 while the later will cost you only $75.
But what would you get from an Ubuntu OS which you won’t get from a Windows XP OS? Nothing fancy really. Faster performance perhaps. Plus you’ll earn the prestige of owning a non-Windows powered netbook. And in the tech world that is tantamount to being a cool geek.
But that’s just my opinion really. If you want to find out the Ubuntu-powered Dell Mini 10 really works, watch this video instead.
Other upgrade options made available by Dell aside from the abovemention include:
Along with the Mini 2140 from HP, the Dell Mini 10 can also be upgraded to include a high resolution display of 1366 x 768. Initially the high res Dell Mini 10 has been available in the US for an additional $35 while European folks have had to wait. Fortunately the wait is over and the Dell Mini 10 can now be purchased from Dell’s French website. The higher resolution will come at a cost of 20 Euros ($26), making it cheaper than the upgrade fee for US consumers.
It looks like a feature that was supposed to be available out of the box on day 1 was just added to all available units of the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 all across the world. This high-res screen option was also introduced in the recently launched Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbooks in Japan, with the Intel Atom Z520 chips. It costs a $35 upgrade from the regular Dell Mini 10 configuration, but to some it may be well worth it. The options for configuration are available on Dell’s web site, linked below.
Since it first went up for pre-order, I’m sure some of you would like to know how exactly the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 functions in real life. Good thing Laptop has already finished reviewing their Dell Mini 10, and has shared their thoughts about the said netbook in a full-sized review. Overall, they’ve deemed the netbook good, especially when it comes to text input with the slightly larger keyboard it’s got than most other netbooks. The built-in HDMI port pretty much becomes an accessory because its use of an Atom Z530 processor couple with Intel’s GMA 500 graphics aren’t enough to handle 720p video playback properly. Otherwise, it’s a netbook worth taking a look at, if the odd trackpad doesn’t throw you off in the first place.
Dell has published photos with instructions on how to disassemble and upgrade or replace components of the Inspiron Mini 10. In these photos, it is revealed that replacing the hard drive and wireless card is quite difficult, as it requires removing the keyboard. And by removing the trackpad assemby, one can gain access to the spot for the optional TV tuner, Atom CPU and RAM. Unfortunately, the RAM is soldered to you won’t be able to upgrade it to a higher capacity. In any case, these photos will surely help out anyone looking to peek inside the Dell Mini 10’s innards. More photos at the link below.
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