I normally consider Dell to be a corporate behemoth who panders to the mainstream and is hopelessly out of touch with what high-tech consumers want, but they have surprised me with the Inspiron Mini. First it was Ubuntu, and now…it’s available in pink! I’d think they could have come up with a more creative name than “Pretty Pink,” but hey, it’s something. Just in the past month, they’ve come out with a number of other improvements over their launch model:
- The Mini 12, a slightly larger version with a (duh) 12″ display and a 6-cell battery option. At 11.8 x 9 inches and minimum of 2.7 lbs, it is probably too large for me to carry everywhere, but it is still only about 1″ thick. The dealbreakers for me are that it has a slow 4,200-rpm hard drive instead of a solid state drive, and it runs Windows Vista. Seriously, Dell? Vista?
- The Mini 9 now has an optional 32GB SSD, for Ubuntu systems only. It will set you back an extra $100, but IMO is probably worth it. If you want to order one with Win XP, however, you’re limited to a 16GB SSD.
- If you do select a Win XP Mini 9, you have the option of adding built-in AT&T mobile broadband. It’s an extra $125 but includes a $120 VISA Reward Card mail-in rebate. Of course, you have to sign a 2-year AT&T DataConnect Unlimited contract to get the rebate, but if you need mobile Internet, it’s there.
So the pink Mini 9 with 32GB is tempting. However, thanks to the amazing folks over at Eee PC User Forum, yesterday I caught wind of a pink Eee PC S101! 
Doesn’t it make the Dell pink look like a Barbie toy? According to a Taiwanese message board, the “Diamond Crystal” pink S101 is a limited edition and doesn’t seem to actually be for sale anywhere, but now that I’ve seen that it exists, it may be worth holding out for. Since there’s a little heart on the cover, perhaps it’s a Valentines’ day release?
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