Any chance of a review and tear down? I just bought one for $90 and would like to know the possibilities of modding this laptop. It seems like a decent system, with an Atom processor, 512mb/1g of ram, 1.3mp webcam, 4/8/16gb ssd, and your choice of ubuntu or home edition.
Yeah I read about this deal online... if you go for this "package" Dell actually inflates the cost of the laptop by ~$200-300 to absorb the price of the Mini 9. Article: http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/05/doing-the-math-on-that-99-inspiron-mini-deal/ Key Excerpt: "Dell's charging close to full price for the large machine in order to absorb the cost of the Mini -- so while a $1,259 Studio 15 with a 1.86GHz processor, 3GB of RAM, a 250GB drive, and a 3 year warranty goes for $699 on Dell's fall deals page, it's $1098 with a Mini. Hey, the difference is just about the Mini 9's $349 list price, isn't it? Same story with the other Studio 15 and XPS M1330 / M1530 configurations that apply for the $99 Mini deal -- you can find cheaper deals, but they're all about $300 - $400 less than the CTO price, so adding in a Mini 9 essentially washes out."
I figured that too. But a few days before this offer was available I had assembled a Studio 15" for he same price, and when i went to add the Mini 9, I just subtracted the $150 resolution/screen upgrade and got the $90 Mini 9. Also, here is a guide to taking it apart http://www.hackaday.com/2008/09/06/dell-shows-you-how-to-mod-your-new-mini-9/
I know for at least now that I am upgrading the ram and figuring out an easy swap for the hdd's. I'm also looking into a touchscreen and a Wireless N card.
Woohoo! I got it today. That little thing is tiny, yet bulky. After having a look around the intertubes, I have decided I will add a 32gb hdd, gps, and maybe install OSX on it to see how it goes. The keyboard on it is rather nice, I like it more than the g/f's fathers eee900. There seems to be plenty of space inside, and I think I will mount a 4port usb hub where the WWAN slot is supposed to be, and tie it into the usb channels on the mini pci-e. Here's my inspiration: http://mydellmini.com/forum/integrated-gps-on-my-mini-9-t167.html http://uneasysilence.com/archive/2008/10/13519/#comment-639526 And I will add a touchscreen after I add the usb hub Found a touchscreen.here, ebay