Dell Starts Selling Mini 10 Netbook

Dell on Thursday added the Mini 10 to its line of mini-laptops.

The computer maker started selling the 10-inch system on its Web site, along with the Mini 9 and Mini 12.

The ultraportable features an Intel Atom processor, 1 GB of memory, an LED screen, and up to a 160-GB hard disk drive. The system ships with Windows XP, supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology, and weighs 2.86 pounds with a three-cell battery. The Mini 10's keyboard is 92% the size of a standard laptop.

In the future, Dell plans to offer an optional 720p high-definition display, 2 GB of memory, and a 250-GB hard drive. Upcoming systems also will have an optional global positioning system and an internal digital TV tuner.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, Dell executives said a Mini 10 with a 3G option would be sold exclusively by Dell for $99, with a $350 mail-in rebate. To qualify for the discount, buyers would have to sign up for a two-year service contract from AT&T, which costs about $60 a month.

AT&T has partnered with other computer makers in offering to subsidize purchases of systems, if the buyer signs up for its DataConnect service. In October, for example, AT&T and Lenovo offered up to $150 off any ThinkPad notebooks bought with a two-year service contract. The deal was aimed at corporate buyers.

Mini-laptops, or netbooks, are 10 inches or less and cost less than $500. Many systems, however, cost as little as $300. Sales of the low-cost laptops are the fastest growing in the PC industry.