In addition to the new Atom processor, the 2010 refresh of Mini 10 claims up to 9.5 hours of battery life (6-cell), a new Broadcom HD media accelerator, surround sound, an optional built-in HDTV tuner, Bluetooth, and  WiFi with a GPS module. The Mini 10 is also available with Mobile Broadband as well. The current lineup looks like it will be available in 6 colors: Blue, Red, Pink, Green, Black and White.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Specs:

• Processor: Intel Intel Atom N450 @ 1.66 GHz
• Display: 10.1-inch 1024×600 or ‘HD’ 1366×768
• Sound: Built-in speakers with SRS Surround sound
• Extras: HDTV tuner and location-aware GPS
• Media: Broadcom Crystal HD for smooth HD playback
• Wireless: WiFi b/g + Bluetooth + Mobile Broadband
• RAM: 1GB DDR2 @ 800MHz
• Storage: 160GB or 250GB HDD
• Battery: 3 or 6-cell integrated with up to 9.5 hours
• OS: Windows 7 Starter, XP Home, or Ubuntu
• Weight: About 2.75 – 3.1 pounds (with 3-cell batter)

As Dell expects the starting price to begin at just $299, these should be a big hit. It might be time for me to upgrade my Dell Mini 9 soon. In addition, just about every other laptop maker should have a new iteration of their lineup freshly packed with the Intel Atom N450 available at some point next month. We’re publishing a few reviews of the Netbooks in the coming week. Plus, we’ll be on the show floor of the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2010 bringing you the latest.

Link: Dell.com | Netbook Gift Guide

< $1000: Dell Studio 15

The Dell Studio 15 is a great pick for an affordable performance laptop. For about $700 this 15 inch notebook with a default configuration features Windows 7 Home Premium, a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6600, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD, and a 500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive.  You can even customize the appearance of the case. This a great deal for someone looking for an affordable entertainment center.

Link: Dell.com Studio 15 | Buy: Dell Studio 15

$1000: HP dv6t Quad Edition

The HP dv6t quad edition notebook packs quite a bit for a grand. Without paying any more than the base price, the 16-inch multimedia powerhouse kicks off with Windows 7 Home Premium, a top of the line Intel 1.6GHz Quad Core i7-720QM processor, a free upgrade to 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M graphics card, a 250GB 7200 RPM, HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive, and a free upgrade to a Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM. While there are other laptops in the same class which feature Intel’s new i7 processor for a similar price, they’ll also charge you quite a bit to upgrade to Blu-Ray ROM and a high performance graphic card. This is certainly one of the best bangs for the buck.

Links: HP.com dv6t

< $1500: ASUS N61Vn

Most entertainment laptops are loaded with the fastest processors, lots of memory and excellent graphics performance. What’s not mentioned and often been neglected is high quality audio. That is what separates the ASUS N61Vn from the rest of them. It features ASUS Sonic Master which uses Altec Lansing speaker with 22mm-wide paper foam cones supported by SRS premium sound. Another unique feature is Nvidia CUDA GPU computing which allows for faster transcoding of music, videos, DVD playback, and editing. It’s equipped with Windows 7 Home Premium, a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, a 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 240M graphic card and a Blu-Ray drive. No entertainment center is complete without quality audio and that is why the ASUS N61Vn stands out.

Links: Asus.com N61Vn | Buy: Asus N61Vn

< $2000: Toshiba X505-Q850

The Toshiba X505-Q850 is one of best deals for a high performance gaming machine. While the base price is slightly more than that of the Alienware M17x, it already comes with top line specs straight out of the box so you won’t have to pay extra. Packed in a stylish light up fusion black and metallic red case, this 18.4 incher comes loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium, an Intel 1.6GHz quad core i7-720QM processor, a IGB Nvidia GeForce GTS 250M graphics card, 6 GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM and a Blu-Ray ROM. The most distinguishing features include an LED lit keyboard for night playing, the ability charge your wireless gadgets like MP3 players and phones while it sleeps. In addition is a dual storage configuration which boasts both a 64 GB solid state drive partnering a 7200 RPM 320GB hard disk drive to give the best of both worlds. Right now this arguably the best deal on the market for a gaming.

Links: Toshiba.com Qosmio X505

No $$$ Limit: Alienware M17x

For those of you who have some serious money to spend, the Alienware M17x is the ultimate gaming monster. Said to be the fastest available gaming laptop out there, the 17 inch powerhouse neatly packs a wide array of ultra souped up features in a sleek anodized aluminum case. If you want to soup it up to the max, it can be customized to have an Intel core 2 extreme processor, dual ATI Radeon graphics cards, 8 GB of RAM and a 256 solid state drive. In addition to the sleek looks is a personalized laser etched nameplate on the bottom. They start with a base price of 1700$, it can go up to the 5000$ range depending on what customizations you choose. This monster is the flagship of them all.

Link: Dell.com Alienware M17x

How should I choose a Laptop?
When you shop for a laptop, be aware what your needs and uses are. The laptops I’ve selected are fairly high-end. Start by choosing one with an operating system suited for your needs. For example, someone who needs to use Windows XP applications for work should choose computer with Windows 7 Professional. That’s because it sports an XP Mode to emulate those old programs. Next, choose one with a sufficient processor. You’ll need a faster processor for gaming and multimedia, as well as if you plan on running many applications at once. I would recommend something with at least 3 GB of RAM. If you plan on watching high def movies or gaming it’s very important to have a high performance graphics card because you don’t want your screen freezing. You should take into account the wireless adapter choices and hard drive space. If you plan on doing lots of downloading, a wireless adapter with faster transfer rates may be desired. There are now two types of hard drives: solid state drive and the traditional hard disk drive. Solid state drives load faster and more reliable because of the lack of spinning parts, but they are more expensive for the amount of storage space you get. For the more common hard disk drive, faster RPMs generally means faster load speeds. Other features important to keep in mind are optical drives and battery life. If you want to watch high def movies, get one with a Blu-Ray drive. One of the other most important things to consider are dimensions. Anything with screen larger than 16 inches is pretty big and can be a hassle carrying around on a regular basis. Last but not least I suggest trying out the computer or a similar model from the manufacturer at a local store before buying it.

Note: This article was edited by Sahas Katta.

This is a part of our ongoing Skatter Tech Holiday Gift Guides.

An average brand-name Netbook (e.g. Dell, HP) with a standard 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and 1GB of RAM costs about $300. Cell Phone carriers including AT&T and Verizon now offer subsidized Netbooks with a 3G Wireless Broadband card built in. So the big question: “Is it worth purchasing a Netbook with a contract?” The simple answer is NO.

For example, let’s take a look at the HP Mini 110. It retails for about $300 excluding tax straight from HP.com. Verizon Wireless offers the same configuration of the Mini 110 for a subsidized price of $150. Half-off seems like a great deal, but it’s not. First there’s a $35 activation fee. Next you’ll have to sign-up for a data plan that costs $60 per month for just 5GB of data. I should note that there’s also a $40/month data plan that offers just 250MB of data. Considering that I feel 5GB itself is too little, 250MB is just ridiculous. Plus there’s also a 2-year contract associated with the device. To get out, you’ll have to pay the $175 early termination fee. So if you add that up here’s what you get:

$150 (HP Mini 110) + $35 (Activation Fee) + $1440 (5GB Plan, $60 x 24 Months) = $1625.

Keep in mind that I didn’t include tax either. That’s nearly the cost of a fairly high-end Dell XPS laptop or MacBook Pro. Although Netbooks are a great tool, it’s not a good idea to spend that much for one and be stuck with it for two years. The technology is evolving and new models that run faster and longer keep coming out. Dual Core Atom processors are probably going to hit Netbooks within the next few months. Your Netbook will be outdated in no time. Unless you need a computer with 3G Broadband at all times, it might be better just to use hotspots when you need access. If you decide to upgrade your netbook every year, you can do so and still end up paying less than half of what a contracted Netbook costs. If you really need broadband on the go, either try to add a tethering plan to your current phone, grab a MiFi that works with multiple devices, or a separate 3G USB Modem.

Links: AT&T Netbooks | Verizon Netbooks

Feature Comparison:

Price Comparison:

For the prices, the totals were the cost shown after configuring the machine straight off Apple.com and Dell.com before taxes were calculated in. Both companies are offering free shipping which is a plus. Dell is offering the next generation Operating System, Windows 7, for free. Apple will charge just $9.95 for those who purchased a qualifying computer after June 8th, 2009 to upgrade Snow Leopard. Even with those details set aside, the Studio XPS 13 totals in $273 less than the same configuration for the MacBook Pro 13. Plus if you are willing to shell out more cash, there’s a lot more features Dell seems to offer with their model than Apple does. What are your thoughts on this?

Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Dell Studio XPS

Note: This article was co-written by Sahas Katta and Sharath Shroff

Update: Since publication, we have updated a few elements of the chart and article. These changes include: Apple OS X Snow Leopard Price is $10, not $29 for purchases of MacBook Pros since June 8th, 2009. The screen resolution is WXGA for 16:10 aspect ratio, meaning a 1280×800 resolution, not 1366×768. The Studio XPS also has a multi-touch trackpad, similar to the MacBook Pro.

Early this morning, Dell announced over seven new models to their Latitude lineup during their press event. Although each of the models has some amazing new features such as their 14-inch laptop with 19 hours of battery life, I’ll be focusing on their 12-inch Latitude E4200 which weighs just 2.2 pounds. Dell has taken a whole new approach to everything from battery life, hardware, security, software, and style before building these machines and it is all looking pretty good.

Starting with the tech specs, this laptop has got just about all the latest circuitry. The Latitude E4200 uses the Intel Core 2 Duo Ultra Low Voltage Processor running at 1.4 GHz which is the first aspect to conserving battery life. Next, the 12.1 inch WXGA LED backlit display and the 128GB Solid State Drive, which supposedly performs better than a standard 7200RPM HDD, also demand less power than their traditional counterparts. Since this laptop comes with a flavor of Vista, most consumers will demand a good amount of RAM. With the new chipset, the E4200 Latitude has 1GB built-in onboard and supports up to 4GB in the extra slot. In addition to the standard goodies that come with most laptops the notebook also has USB port with “PowerShare” which allows charge devices even when the laptop is turned off and an eSATA port for high speed data access to external storage. The laptop is completely networked with Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/n, Mobile Broadband & GPS, and Bluetooth 2.1. Every Latitude series is also compatible with a set of newly designed docking stations. You definitely won’t be left in the dark with lack of ports, however one thing this laptop does lack is a built in optical drive.

Even with all these features packed in, the laptop weighs around just 2.2 pounds with the standard battery pack making it the lightest consumer laptop Dell has ever produced. If you are aiming for 16 hours of battery life, you’ll need to attach an extended battery and a new “battery slab” which attaches to the bottom of the laptop, meaning it won’t be so “lightweight” anymore. Also, for the first time, customers will have the opportunity to customize their Latitude with their choice of color: Regatta Blue, Regal Red and Quartz Pink. The ultra portable Latitude also comes with optional features such as a backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors, a contact-less Smart Card reader, a Trusted Platform Module for encryption, and a fingerprint reader. Since such a large number of laptops are stolen, another item Dell focused on was protecting data. They do that by offering hardware-based encryption to prevent data from being viewed by those without proper access. In addition they include services which will help track & locate a stolen laptops and offer the ability to remotely command a wipe all data if it were stolen.

Finally, Dell also included new instant Operating System entitled “Dell Latitude On,” which may or not be a hit. But according to Dell, it boots within seconds and offers access to email, calendars, contacts, files, and the web without having to load your full Vista operating system. This instant OS is much faster and demands much less power for performing most simple tasks such as watching a movie or listening to music. Dell claims that by using this technology along with the new low-voltage processors and new batteries their laptops can offer “multi-day battery life.” This laptop isn’t yet available for purchase, but should appear on their online store within a couple of weeks. We are also trying to get a unit for review, so check back for more updates!

Links: Dell.com – Latitude E4200

I was in the market to buy a new laptop earlier this year and I came down to comparing to machines: the Dell XPS M1530 and the Apple MacBook Pro. I compared both of them to every aspect I could possibly come up with. Anyways both machines recently have received some upgrades so I thought I should update both comparison lists for those of you who might be looking for a new 15-inch notebook.

Update 4/20/08: Dell is now offering a 1440×900 LED and 1920×1080 Full HD displays.

I gave Apple a point for the Screen since they offer a non-glossy option which I truly prefer due to glare. Dell was expected to push out a LED screen over a month ago, however it hasn’t happened yet. The body of the MacBook Pro is cleaner, simpler, and lighter compared to the XPS 1530. In terms of Operating Systems, if you want OS X Leopard, chances are you won’t be able to get it working on a XPS; however it should a breeze to install Vista/XP on a MacBook Pro with Boot Camp. Leopard can use 4GB of RAM; however you’ll need 64-bit editions of Vista or XP to utilize all of it. Dell offers many more options for HDDs including a 64GB SSD which would be unusual for a 15-inch laptop. Dell also lets you turn your XPS into a Blu-ray player with an optional Blu-ray read/write drive which is great for watching high definition movies. I was irritated to find out that the XPS didn’t have gigabit Ethernet, which is great for transferring large files on a local network, especially when most new laptops have it. Apple won the keyboard war with its beautiful backlit keyboard with an ambient light sensor. However the XPS makes up with a Finger Print Sensor, which is great for bypassing typing passwords when people are around, and a better Web Camera. The XPS comes with a media remote control which tucks away into the express card slot while Apple now charges an additional $20 for their Front Row remote. The XPS M1530 can also be configured with a Sprint or Verizon mobile broadband card which will utilize the laptop’s antennas for better signal gain. I choose the 6-cell battery for the XPS since it was the best one which didn’t stick out. It offered only 2.5 hours of work time while the MacBook Pro gets about 3 hours.

If you didn’t already notice, there’s one major factor I left out on the chart: price. This part is what made me make my final decision which was to go with the Dell M1530. Dell offered a pretty good student discount in addition to their constant promotions. Apple also offers such discounts, but are incomparable to what Dell offers. With both configured to the highest similar specifications, the MacBook Pro was getting very close to $3000 while the Dell XPS was about $500 cheaper costing about $2500. In addition for those of you on a strict budget like I was, there’s more flexibility to remove unneeded components with the Dell to bring the price down. Anyways, that’s my two cents so please feel free to make comments.

Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Dell XPS M1530

Last week, Home Media Research released a study revealing that Blu-ray had just outsold its competitor, HD DVD, by 2-to-1 for the first half of 2007. To be specific, HD DVD movie sales only reached about 795,000, while Blu-ray reached 1.6 million. To be even more specific the popular Spartan epic, ‘300′, which became the fastest selling High-Def movie, sold 190,000 Blu-ray discs and 97,000 HD DVDs (approx 2-to-1 again). Even the popular movie rental service, Blockbuster Video, which began offering rentals of both formats in late 2006, announced in June 2007 that they have decided to drop HD DVD and stock Blu-ray in all stores.

Although it may seem as though Blu-ray now has the upper hand, HD DVD is still in the game. While Blu-ray has the support of many large corporations, including HP, Dell, and Apple, HD DVD has secured more deals with major movie studios. If HD DVD continues to grab exclusive content from Universal, Rouge, Paramount, DreamWorks, and Warner Bros through the Christmas season, they might just be able to take down Blu-ray for the 2nd-half of 2007. Despite this, as of this week, there are 322 Blu-ray titles while HD DVD just falls a bit short, with 273 movies.

Another factor which makes it difficult to tell which format will come out on top is the pricing of the stand-alone players. HD DVD players are now available for as low as $250-350, while the cheapest Blu-ray player is still $450-550. This also reveals that the high amount of Blu-ray sales are mostly due to PlayStation 3 sales, since the console supports HD optical media right out of the box, whereas Xbox 360 users are required to purchase a $180 HD DVD drive. Companies such as Samsung and LG, who would much rather reap profits from both formats than subscribe to a futile war, have already released hybrid players which support both formats. Unfortunately for us, these units have price tags of $1,000.

Finally as for the technical side, the Blu-ray has a much larger storage capacity holding up to 50GB total (25GB/layer). The HD DVD can only hold 15GB/layer, therefore totaling a max of 30GB. As far as replicating the ultimate movie experience, both formats are practically identical, statistically speaking, as well as to the average eye. However, Blu-ray has the upper hand, in my opinion, since it can store more data for games. Luckily for Sony, as of now, the Blu-ray format is most definitely not heading in the same downhill direction as their Betamax did about 20 years ago.

Links: HD DVD | Blu-ray Info