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Dell is readying Inspiron Mini 12

by on16 October 2008

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First 12-inch netbook


It looks like Dell is set to break the mold for what so far has known as a netbook with the introduction of its upcoming Inspiron Mini 12, as it'll be the first netbook to use a 12.1-inch display. With so many restrictions in place, both from Intel and Microsoft, you might wonder how Dell is going to get away with it.

The answer seems to be in the choice of processor, as rather than using the all so common Atom N270 combined with the 945GSE chipset, Intel has gone for a choice of either an Atom Z520 or a Z530, paired up with the US15W chipset that used to be known as Poulsbo.

The Z520 is clocked at 1.33GHz with the Z530 at 1.6GHz and both processors have 512kB of cache and operate on a 533MHz bus. The US15W chipset should allow the Inspiron Mini 12 to be quite power efficient, as it has a TDP of under 5W. Combine this with the Z-series Atom processors, which also have a lower TDP than the N270 and we should hopefully see some very good battery life.

The graphics core of the US15W, the GMA 500 should be able to decode HD video for H.264, VC.1, MPEG2 and WMV9, which means that the CPU doesn't need to be as powerful for those interested in watching video on their netbook. With a 1,280x800 display, this might actually be a decent option for watching movies on while travelling.

Other features include 1GB of DDR2 memory, 10/100Mbit Ethernet, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, a memory card reader, three USB 2.0 ports, a D-sub connector, a headphone and mic jack and a 1.3Megapixel camera. There's also an option for WWAN, but at this moment we don't know if this will be in the shape of a 3.5G modem or WiMAX.

The only downside we can see is that this system won't be very user upgradeable, as the memory seems to be soldered on the motherboard and there's no expansion slot. However, it does have two internal Mini Card slots and these might be able to be used for some custom upgrades. One interesting thing is that the CPU, chipset and memory are mounted on a separate PCB that slots into a connector on the main PCB and this might allow for some potential upgrade options.

Storage-wise, you're looking at a 1.8-inch hard drive if the service manual is correct and it connects via a ribbon cable to the motherboard, so you won't be able to pick up any old hard drive if you'd want to upgrade it.

More good news is the fact that Dell will offer 3 and 6-cell batteries. Dell will supply the Inspiron Mini 12 with either Ubuntu or Windows Vista, which we presume is the basic version. If the Inspiron Mini 9 is anything to go by, the lower system specs will end up in the Ubuntu system, while the model with Vista will get the higher specs.

We're still not sure when Dell will launch the Inspiron Mini 12, or how much it'll cost, but we'd expect it to launch soon.

You can find the setup guide for the Inspiron Mini 12 here (PDF) and the service manual can be found here which contains a lot of details of the various components.

 

Last modified on 17 October 2008
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