SSD producers, Active Media, have a range of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB SSDs that fit many netbook models. The company have created a video guides on how users can upgrade their SSD. The company has focused on showing how to do the procedure on the Asus Eee PC 901 and the Dell Inspirion Mini 9.

In the videos, the company shows how to open the netbooks to get to the SSD card and replace it. Unfortunately, instructions aren’t included for how to backup your data on to the new SSD and so you may need to re-install the OS along with backing up your files before hand and then moving them onto the new SSD.
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If security is one of your top priorities, this fingerprint scanner hack, could be for you. If you can’t afford, or don’t want to buy another netbook but, want your files more secure than password protected, or encrypted and own the Dell Mini 9, you can add a fingerprint scanner to it yourself. This is exactly what MyDellMini forum member, Rich2871 did.

He took a USB fingerprint scanner and connected it to an internal USB adapter. While he was in there, he added 4 other internal USB ports as well as a 64GB SSD. After that, he carved a piece of plastic out on the case to make room for the fingerprint scanner.

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In a partnership that aims to raise as much as $250,000 for breast cancer research and education, Dell have joined up with breast cancer charity ‘Susan G. Komen for the Cure’ and intend to raise funds by donating $5 for every netbook and laptop they sell in their newly released “Promise Pink” variation.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12 series of netbooks will both recieve the Promise Pink color variation along with models from the Studio, Inspiron and Latitude laptop ranges and the XPS M1330 and M1530 models, according to a press release from Dell. The Promise Pink line up is available now from the Dell website.

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They build our hopes up only to whip them from under us again after what seems to be a mix up in the listing for the Dell Mini 10 on the Tesco website.

We reported earlier that the Dell mini 10 had been spotted on UK retailer Tesco’s website. Dell had been a little vague prior to that regarding pricing and release dates for their 10 inch netbook but, the listing was there, unexpectedly but, live on their website and the price Tesco had the Mini 10 marked at was £349. Oops. Turns out the listing was all a mistake and customers that purchased the ‘Mini 10′ actually recieved a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook instead.

The incorrect product listing has been taken down now it appears and we’re still in the dark when it comes to pin pointing an actual release date for the Mini 10. Disappointment all round but, especially for those customers that bought what they expected to be a Mini 10 only to recieve it’s baby brother in it’s place.

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Buffalo Technology are the latest manufacturer to jump into the booming netbook components market by producing a 16GB and a 32GB SSD for the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook to accompany their recently announced 32GB and 64GB Eee PC SSD’s.

The official product page for the “after-market” drives, states that the 16GB SSD will be priced at 4,800 Yen (around $52 US, although on the announcement page the price is stated as 5,300 Yen which is around $57 US) and that the 32GB solid state drive will cost 9,400 Yen, approximately $101 US). That’s around the same price that Dell charge for the 32GB SSD upgrade when you purchase a Mini 9 from them now, so Buffalo are presumably aiming their product at current owners of the Dell netbook that wish to boost their Mini 9’s storage capacity.

Both drives are available from early this month, in Japan. There is no news on whether Buffalo will roll the SSD’s out to the rest of the world as yet.

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European Mini 9 owners have all the luck it seems. Dell have already announced that Vodafone will be teaming up with them to provide 3G mobile broadband support for the Mini 9. For US owners however, there is no such deal yet.

A spokeswoman for Dell has confirmed also that there is no chance of just placing a 3G module into your Mini 9 either:

“The Mini doesn’t have the internal antenna infrastructure needed to support mobile broadband”.

Basically, to include the necessary internal antenna would increase the cost of the Mini 9 way beyond it’s list price of $474. Dell won’t be fitting antenna’s to your Inspiron Mini either, when 3G is available the only way to use the service is to buy a brand new Mini 9 that will support it.

Not the best of news for anyone that has already ordered one of Dell’s first netbooks.

via: Gearlog

Dell is really up on its heel in trying to find a way to make its Inspiron Mini 9 netbook stand out from the rest of the netbook crowd. If the officially released specs, features and models of the Inspiron Mini didn’t excite that much, how about if we say that Dell and Vodafone are planning to release a 3G-capable version of the said netbook.

Said broadband-capable Inspiron Mini 9 will be made available in various Vodafone retail stores as well as on Dell online. Release date would probably late this September or early October.

Hopefully this sparks more interest to the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, or else we might not see an Inspiron Mini 10 perhaps?

Via Gadgetell, CNN 

Today is certainly Dell Inspiron Mini 9 day. Finally, after tons of rumors, leaked photos and what-have-yous, Dell has officially announced the release of its official entry into the netbook wars. The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 officially becomes an legitimate Eee PC Competor.

All the features that we enumerated were confirmed by the official release as well, including Dell’s tie-up with Box.net for exclusive web-based file storage, access and sharing for Mini 9 users. This includes a 2GB of remote storage which is part of Box.net’s free Basic plan. In addition, the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 will have direct link to Dell’s exclusive home page on Box.net/dell.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is bundled with Dell Video Chat which enables users to video cat, record and send video emails, make PC-to-PC phone calls and four-way calling features.