Dell announced in February 2009 that the Dell Mini 10 will be taking preorders from customers in the United States through QVC.

U.S. online availability through Dell.com will be available shortly; it's scheduled for February 26.  Dell will begin shipping Dell Mini 10 next month. The actual schedule will vary, but the Mini 10 will be available to Dell customers worldwide in the near future.

What Are The Tech Specs For Mini 10?

Standard color is Obsidian Black, but Dell also offer Alpine White, Promise Pink, Cherry Red, Ice Blue and Jade Green as color options. Mini 10 pricing starts at $399. With the 3-cell battery, its starting weight is 2.86 lbs.

Atom Processor Options:

• Z520
• Z530

Standard Features:

•     an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam
•     an HDMI out port
•     integrated 802.11g Wi-Fi
•     a 3-cell 24Whr battery
•     160GB 5400rpm hard drive
•     a 4-in-1 memory card reader

All Mini 10s will come with 1GB fixed RAM (which means it will not be upgradable), the Windows XP operating system, and a 16:9 edge-to-edge display that supports a maximum resolution of 1024 x 768.

The default screen resolution is 1024 x 576, which is a better fit for the widescreen display. As far as ports, the Mini 10 features HDMI out, 3 USB ports, an Ethernet jack, a 4-in-1 memory card reader, AC Power in and 1 line out + 1 Mic-in ports.

All Windows XP machines will ship with Windows Live Essentials and the Windows Live Toolbar. Microsoft Works will also be standard software. Microsoft Office Basic 2007 will be an option in the future.

Want A Mini 10 With Linux Installed?

If you prefer Linux, Ubuntu 8.04 will be an available option soon.

The higher resolution 720P panel will be available as an option in the future and the integrated digital TV tuner will be available on a future model. While I'm on the subject of future options, Bluetooth, integrated GPS and mobile broadband, will all be options down the road.

So How Well Does Mini 10 Run on Windows XP?

The keyboard is about  92% the size of a standard keyboard, it's a bit larger than the one on the Mini 9. I adjusted to it in no time. The other thing I noticed was that overall performance on Windows XP seemed really fast.

If all your work seems to revolve around e-mail and web-based apps, the Mini 10 will be perfect for you. You can install Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 and open up several tabs to mimic what I do everyday.

The Mini 10 performed well when uploading and viewing videos and  images on YouTube (even HQ and HD-quality ones) and Flickr.

Doing these kinds of activities, you will be able to get about 3 hours of battery life with the standard 3-cell battery.