When TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington put out a call for the creation of a sub-$200 net tablet that took the netbook idea, threw out the keyboard, and added a little Kindle flavor for good measure, I was excited by the idea, but humbled by the slim chance that this thing had to actually make it to market.
Well, six months and two prototypes later, there’s apparently a working model of what this device might become:
Using a Via Nano processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of flash memory, a touchscreen for onscreen keyboarding and Ubuntu, the unit boots, connects, and surfs just like you would want it to.
Unfortunately, it looks like the sub-$200 price point may have been too ambitious for the first go-round, but with a realistic target of $299 now set, it looks like this might actually see the light of day.
They did however add that:
The real question for us is whether this project has legs and should go forward towards production units, which is a very big step from a working prototype. That would require spinning the company off from the blog and building a team around Louis. It’s a decision we haven’t made yet.
Despite the challenges that this device still faces, I hope that someone picks it up and runs with it, because I wouldn’t mind kicking back on the couch with the Internet at my fingertips for a hair under $300.
Dell calls it the “Ideal Internet Buddy for Surfing, Shopping and Chatting” (and “Your New Best Friend”, and a “Light, Highly Mobile Device Built For Easy Online Browsing and Entertainment” and an “Internet Companion” and a “Small, easy-to-carry device” that’s ready for “teens, tweens, travelers and Tweeters”, so I guess even Dell can’t figure out what this thing does or who it’s for), but if you’re in the market for a mini-notebook (or as many are calling them, a netbook) that’s perfect for on-the-go travel and/or anyone who doesn’t need a full, desktop capable computer sitting on their lap at all times, then you might just call it yours.
Weighing in at just 2.28 lbs., and with a price of just $349 (in Ubuntu flavor), the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is designed to be the perfect computer for “surfing the Web, chatting with friends, blogging, streaming content, uploading photos or enjoying favorite online videos, music and games”.
It’s also meant to be a durable computer that you can toss in a bag and not worry too much about, with a fully sealed keyboard, and solid state drive (SSD) memory storage.
The 8.9-inch LCD gives you plenty of room for full-sized web browsing, and built-in Wi-Fi means you can connect to any hotspot for instant Internet access.
Options include a built-in webcam for video chat, Bluetooth for wireless connections, and even Windows XP for full software support.
Nifty touches include a free subscription to Box.net for 2GB of online storage, and a full range of colors in the coming months.
The Inspiron Mini 9 is definitely not for everyone, but with the success that Acer has been having with their EeePC netbooks, combined with Dell’s name brand and reliability, I think the Mini 9 is going to open up the world of netbook computing to a whole new audience that’s ready to embrace the change.
