Technology Feast

Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 is joining the coming wave of netbooks that will use Intel's next-generation Atom n450 processor. It'll give you a longer battery life, but may not have much of an impact beyond that.

The n450 clocks in at 1.66GHz, and is about 60% smaller and 20% more efficient than its predecessor. Despite the new chip under the hood, the new Mini 10s will have largely the same standard specs as the current model: 160GB hard drive, 1GB memory, built-in 802.11 b/g Bluetooth support, and a 10.1" display.

Dell's also offering several HD-oriented features as add-ons. The refresh includes the same HD display option as the the Mini 10 does now, but you can also upgrade to a built-in HDTV tuner (the current only offers standard def). Dell also claims up to 9.5 hours of battery life with a six-cell battery running Windows Starter 7. But the best update may be the price cut: the new Mini 10s will start at $299 in January, fifty bucks cheaper than the current version.

DELL MAKES INSPIRON MINI 10 EVEN BETTER WITH NEW DESIGN AND LONG BATTERY LIFE.