Dell's Mini 9 tear-down reveals a modders' playground

Here you go modders and Eee PC lovers: Dell Mini 9 tear-down gore courtesy of the boys from Round Rock themselves. The Dell service manual has been posted on-line and reveals the Mini 9 as a modders paradise. So go ahead, impress us, we'd like some extra memory and disk space by the end of next week, k thanks.

[Via jkkmobile]

[Haikibutsu @ Sep 5th 2008 8:24AM]

I've been split between a netbook and a PSP.

Since bringing my MacBook to school is a bad idea (The area around the school = not very nice).

Its a good thing I far away from that school, and I take a bus there.

[kccboy2004 @ Sep 5th 2008 9:22AM]

give the boy a quarter somebody please.

[Miles @ Sep 5th 2008 8:29AM]

While the misses is out, dam, that just got the modder-penis hard.

Dell maybe useless, but they've just gained the status of kings after that. Eye spy with my little eye, a sim reader.....

[Craig @ Sep 5th 2008 8:30AM]

Where's teh joystick port???

[Pumping_Iron @ Sep 5th 2008 8:42AM]

What year u live in ???? "Gameport"???? Dude most of the joysticks now are USB 2.0 and besides....thats a netbook, its not for gaming !

[Tpat @ Sep 5th 2008 8:51AM]

I think he was kidding.

I hope.

[JohnTitor @ Sep 5th 2008 8:55AM]

actually with a GMA 950 netbook you can do some decent gaming with classic games mostly < 2000

[scott @ Sep 5th 2008 4:51PM]

rofl, pumping what year do YOU live in....as I suppose it was before sarcasm was invented.

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 5th 2008 8:32AM]

I had ordered my Inspiron Mini 9 fully decked out and it came in around $500. Then I heard you could basically do all the upgrades yourself and last night I was on the cusp of cancelling my order, grabbing a cheapy and doing it myself.

But, realistically, it turns out that upgrading it to Dell's highest spec on your own will wind up costing you a little more than letting them do it initially via the website.

It's nice to know that the thing has some tweakability though. Good going, Dell.

[Chad @ Sep 5th 2008 8:39AM]

It'll be a nice modder's playground when they drop the price to a friendlier plateau. Like the Eee has finally reached it's originally announced price of $299! At least it has over at Buy.com

http://www.buy.com/prod/asus-eee-pc-4g-surf-7-screen-800-mhz-intel-celeron-processor-512mb-4gb/q/loc/101/206529449.html

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 5th 2008 9:13AM]

Celeron?

No.

[Nirmal @ Sep 5th 2008 8:40AM]

Could a GPS be shoved in there?

[John Bailey @ Sep 5th 2008 6:16PM]

You could use one of the bluetooth modules instead. No battery drain except for the bluetooth dongle if it doesn't have one built in.

[AJ @ Sep 5th 2008 8:50AM]

I am not really a netbook manufacturer's target audience.. but are they really that closed, that simple upgrades warrant such excitement?

[Mike Peluso @ Sep 5th 2008 8:55AM]

AJ - yes, simple upgrades are a big deal b/c we were all expecting a completely closed system. By having it modular, it makes me (and many other's i'd wager) 95% more likely to try out the low end model knowing that if I am unhappy with storage, i can upgrade. It's the perfect couch laptop!
msp

[Urza9814 @ Sep 5th 2008 9:44AM]

I don't see why this is a big deal. Dell notebooks have always been this easy to take apart and upgrade. The hard part is finding replacement parts to put in there. Short of upgrading the RAM and hard drive, there's really not much you can do.

[Kizorblade @ Sep 5th 2008 9:16AM]

Engadget, I believe the proper term for your parting words are:

"KKTHXBAI"

[xxdesmus @ Sep 5th 2008 9:20AM]

This is such great news that it's easy to upgrade/tweak. I was worried Dell would suck about this.

[majortom1981 @ Sep 5th 2008 9:34AM]

Isnt that all typical for every dell released in the last 3-4 years? Who expected anything diff from dell. This is just a smaller version of your typical dell machine. Why is everybody so surprised?

[Narf @ Sep 5th 2008 9:43AM]

And easy replace keyboard...
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins910/en/sm/keyboard.htm#wp1183262
now I need know where i can buy a Spanish QWERTY keyboard, buy a customize US computer and forget the 1€=1$ conversion :D

(I know other cheap way is buy stickers for the keys)

[Jeebus @ Sep 5th 2008 1:12PM]

Or learn touch-typing and completely ignore the key faces, although that may be harder on a non-standard keyboard.

[john @ Sep 5th 2008 9:59AM]

Ok, we know that the device has a 3G capability... even though I didn't see it listed anywhere on Dell's page to add it (but didn't some Euro carrier, like Vodaphone, say that they're going to sell the dell mini directly, with 3G built in?).

So, rather that see a waste of type on "here's how to increase the memory/disk/whatever", I want to see "here's how you cannibalize a USB dongle or ExpressCard based 3G card, and connect its innards to the inside of a Dell Mini 9". Esp. if it covers devices that work with each carrier, and with cards that will work with both ubuntu and xp.

Or other, similarly novel and not-offered-directly-by-Dell add-ons that aren't as pedestrian as upgrading memory and disk. I don't need GPS, but a how-to for that one would be cool. What other useful novelties can people think of?

[Mojo_Yugen @ Sep 5th 2008 10:50AM]

Integrated 3G is a must to get me interested in this type of device. Having a USB dongle hanging off it all the time isn't going to fly.
Integrated GPS would be a very nice to have also.

[Pete @ Sep 5th 2008 10:54AM]

From the service manual:

"Your computer supports two Mini-Card slots:

Two Full Mini-Card slots - for WLAN and Mobile Broadband or WWAN"

Looks like you could order any of the mini cards tht they use in the full size laptops.

[john @ Sep 5th 2008 11:33AM]

I wouldn't call it a must, but it's a HUGE bonus. Give me an unlocked GSM/UMTS card for this thing!

[Calagan @ Sep 5th 2008 10:17AM]

@majortom1981 and Urza9814

Since this lovely toy is not manufactured by Dell, but by Taiwanese Super ODM Compal, it was legitimate to think that this would be more of a closed system.

[Fredrik @ Sep 5th 2008 1:51PM]

so what's this? 3G?

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins910/en/sm/minicard.htm#wp1183058

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 5th 2008 3:58PM]

Very interesting!

[Jon Doe. @ Sep 5th 2008 10:57AM]

moddability and configuration there is where Apple fails.

[John Bailey @ Sep 5th 2008 6:19PM]

Oh no.... If it doesn't do everything you want already, you are obviously the wrong type of customer for an Apple.. Or so they keep saying.

[BD @ Sep 5th 2008 11:06AM]

Realistically, the pressing thing to up, once prices drop, is that dippy little 16SSD drive. I nice 40SSD is far more useful. Another gb of ram....maybe.

[BOGRASH @ Sep 5th 2008 11:35AM]

asus destroys this weak offering

[Michael @ Sep 5th 2008 11:15AM]

So let me get this straight, it's cheaper and more easily modified than an Eee? I've got to get one of these :)

[Chris @ Sep 5th 2008 11:47AM]

I'll stick with my $289 Aspire One thanks.

[AlphaTeam @ Sep 5th 2008 12:16PM]

Looks like it includes the WWAN antennae, but no the card.

[mykie @ Sep 5th 2008 12:19PM]

Is there a mod to put the F'in keys where they should be?

The keyboard on this thing is the one very obvious dealbreaker for me.

Other than that, the Mini 9 is awesome.

[Kelley D. @ Nov 20th 2008 2:57PM]

I bought one of these after using it once and the keyboard is actually functional...very few typos

[Xenoterranos @ Sep 5th 2008 1:02PM]

I just want to get one so I can tear it apart and shove it in my truck!!

[Fanfoot @ Sep 5th 2008 1:06PM]

I wonder if you can make the speakers better...

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 5th 2008 1:10PM]

*ehem*

I can mod it to dispense PEZ ®

Did I win anything?

[Hellaphunt @ Sep 5th 2008 4:00PM]

I guess the answer is, yes.

http://hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=11612&cid=

[ssrat_ @ Oct 7th 2008 6:50PM]

Let see, EXTERNAL touchscreen (or someone who will do THAT mod for me), a GPS would be a nice add on, doubtful.. would be a graphics card switcher, since only one company has tried one yet this year.

[James @ Oct 13th 2008 8:49AM]

Does this mean a wireless-N card e.g. Intel 4965 could be fitted in place of the existing card? I did this to my Dell 640m