Just Ordered Dell Mini? Buyers Remorse. Did I get a good deal or should I have waited?

Since it wont ship till the Sept 19th I guess I have 2 weeks to get a refund on it.


Item Number Quantity Item Description

224-2669 1 Intel® Atom Processor® N270 (1.6GHz/533Mhz FSB/512K cache)
311-9256 1 Obsidian Black
311-9255 1 1GB DDR2 at 533MHz
320-7125 1 Glossy 8.9 inch LED display (1024X600)
320-7124 1 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950
341-7610 1 16GB Solid State Drive
310-8624
420-5769
420-7622
420-8223
420-9191
420-9249 1 Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
420-7468 1 Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1, English
430-3223 1 Base LCD Assembly
430-3219 1 Wireless 802.11g Mini Card
313-6897 1 Integrated 1.3M Pixel Webcam
420-8051 1 Microsoft Works 9 DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
410-1160 1 McAfee SecurityCenter 30-day Trial
312-0775 1 32WHr Battery (4 cell)
950-3337
960-2780
988-6059
990-7989
991-0320
992-2067 1 1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service
900-9987 1 No Installation
412-0148 1 No ISP requested
430-3221 1 Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 capability
313-7127 1 Base LCD Assembly in Black


Dell EPP Members save $55 off select Inspiron systems! - $55.00

ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS AND COUPONS

Dell Members receive 2% off systems priced less than $800 with 1/2yr At-Home service. - $9.58


Order Subtotal: $469.42
Shipping and Handling Total: $4.99
Tax Total: $23.71
Total Charges: $498.12

 

Just get an Acer Aspire One man.

 

I would have waited so I can get to know it better through some user feedback over the netbook. It's also a little overpriced when compared to the competitors.

But it really all boils down to how badly you need it and your experience with Dell.

 

Um, buy a Studio/XPS tomorrow and you get it for $99.
If you go with one of the 17" models, you have a desktop replacement and an ultraportable.

 

I'm just worried we'll see a phantom price hike just like I see sometimes with these super saving deals. Oh well, I'll hope for the best for those of you wanting it. I know I probably would bite for $99.

 

do you know if it comes with a case like MSI Wind?

 

don't think so it wont ship till the 19th

 

Better deal to get it with the 15'' Studio
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...code=ss&c=US&l=EN&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643

You can add the Mini inspiron on the accessories tab for $99. You can test your luck by changing the quantity in your cart to 5. So you get 5 Mini Inspirons for $99 each.

 

i think the mini needs better battery life.

Sure would be nice to get a 6cell or 9cell
id buy one then.

 

I don't think I can get the funds together before the 9th when the bundle deal is supposed to expire. Does Dell place a hold charge for the full amount while the systems are being built? This would be the first time I've purchased direct from Dell. Is it likely for this deal to be extended or offered again in the near future?

 

Yes, the hold the funds and when it is shipped they charge it fully. I'm guessing what you get for $99 is just the base model.

 

Yep you get the Ubuntu OS with the bare minimum of everything. So you save $250 on the mini but end up paying that much extra on the Studio 15 .

 

That figures. It is kind of like when they give out the Outlet coupons, but raise the prices.

 

My advice to you... keep your order in right now. Try your hardest to find an Acer Aspire One in stock at a local store and play around with it. If you like it, buy it and cancel your Mini order.

The only problem will be finding one to play with. I have tried over 15 BestBuys so far and have had no luck

 

that $498 is a regular laptop price lol

 

There is no point in fully speccing out a dell mini. That's like pimping out your taxi cab when you have a main car. Your taxicab (mini) is meant for IM, Browsing, and word docs. If you have the ubuntu version that should be more than enough at the lowest specs. Dell is making pretty good profit on these mini's if people are actually fully speccing them to 500 dollars worth when none of that power will help them on the tasks the mini is meant for.

 

Agree with tential... just pick the base model and bare bones unit and you still will get a great performing unit at a lower cost to do what this netbook is meant to be doing 'surf the web and check emails'... In Canada, we get just have one model for the IM9... 1gb, 8gb ssd, xp only version for cdn$399... no point in paying extra more for the 16gb ssd... so ok price...

 

I agree with you, to a point. There are many people out there that still wouldn't be comfortable with a Linux OS - no matter how simple the interface. Then once you upgrade to XP, a SSD upgrade is very likely, as XP takes up more room than the Linux installation. The 1.3MP webcam can be justified if the system will be used for communication - be it standard Skype calls (1.3MP comes with a digital mic) or video chats.

I don't think there is a very good reason to upgrade to bluetooth or change the color to white.

So, some of the upgrades can be justified, but in general you are correct.

 

I'm still mystified as to why people are still configuring the mini at those prices.

That's bordering on the EEE 1000H/Wind pricing and those are so far superior (perfect sized screen keyboard and the 6 cell battery) in specs to the Dell. Unless, you're deadset on getting a Dell because maybe you're using their credit card (?), I can't see a reason to go with the mini versus any of the other vast assortment of notebooks.

 

whats so special about the Acer Aspire One vs the dell?

 

The AAO uses a traditional hard drive (on the XP model), so you get 120 or 160GB of storage, rather than 8 or 16GB on the Mini. Also, the AAO's keyboard is a bit larger than the Mini's. I think those are the main physical differences... then there is the price. You can get a model with XP and a 120GB drive for $350 or a 160GB drive and 6 cell battery for $400.

 

who sells the Acer Aspire One with a 6cell?

 

Practically no one has them in stock right now, but they can be found at BestBuy and Amazon.com (when in stock).

 

the only reason why anyone would buy a dell over the aspire one is that the aspire one has a very noisy fan. However, the dell is essentially noiseless (I hope) since it has no fan. The aspire one is a really good computer, good looks, nice keyboard, decent build quality but the crazy loud fan just drives people crazy.

 

As I posted in the other thread, the Acer also has a horrible problem with LCD screen flicker when on battery at lower brightness levels. I bought one and my friend bought one, both had the flicker so this is pretty wide spread. I'd wait for a hardware refresh at least before picking up the acer, unless you don't mind some screen flicker.

 

i hope i'm not overlooking the facts but i just bought a mini for my wife and i don't have any buyer's remorse. given the chance, i'd buy it again. i presume others are right about the hard drive size (i can't find one that has a hard drive as big as noted above), etc. but since the mini is not meant to replace a desktop, i don't see what the big problem is. it's small, light, and compared to a $2000 laptop, a bargain at about $450. 16 gigs is more than enough for my wife's purpose (web surfing, word processing when on the run); no noisy fan. i may change my mind as i learn more about the competition but so far, she couldn't be happier...

 

white color change is $0