Dell Mini 10 Finally Gets Fancy 720p Display

Dell finally makes good on its promise of outfitting the Mini 10 netbook with a 720p-capable screen.

We caught our first glimpse of the Dell Mini 10 netbook earlier this year at CES, and we liked what we saw with promises of a 720p display, integrated GPS, TV tuner and a multitouch trackpad. It sounded like a netbook that was a cut above the rest. Too bad about that 1 GB RAM maximum though.

Just before the Mini 10 launched, we learned that the 720p display would come in a 1366 x 768 resolution -- a welcomed bump up from the usual 1024 x 600 of nearly all other netbooks. When the Mini 10 launched, however, it was only available in the less desirable 1024 x 576 resolution; and to make matters worse, none of the TV tuner or GPS features were available.

While the full featured Mini 10 still isn’t here, Dell is now offering customers the upgrade to the much better 1366 x 768 display for just $35. A pleasant surprise is that all the display options for the Mini 10 are with matte displays, which is a departure from the trend of glossy-is-better. It’s particularly interesting considering that both the Mini 9 and Mini 12 are outfitted only with glossy screens.

Thanks to the Intel GN40 chipset’s HD decode capabilities, owners of the top line display will be able to resolve all of 720p video. Is this enough to entice you to consider the Mini 10 as a netbook option?