Dell's Mini 10 getting GPS / WiFi tracking upgrade next week

Dell's Mini 10 already offers GPS with an integrated 3G chip, but if you're not interested in mobile broadband, starting next week you can opt instead for a wireless 700 location solution, a hybrid of Broadcom's assisted GPS and Skyhook's WiFi positioning technologies. We had a chance to sit down with a few of the product managers working on the device, and even within a brick-laden office building it did a pretty fine job of finding us within 30 meters and integrating with Flickr, Loopt, and Yelp using the Loki plug-in for Internet Explorer / FireFox. Impact on battery life was said to be "immaterial" although a ballpark estimate was about a five percent hit when in use. For $70, it'll come bundled with CoPilot turn by turn navigation software. It requires the $30 HD display upgrade, but even then, an extra Benjamin total for a large-screen navigation device is hard to pass up if you're looking to get a netbook anyway. If you're still not sold, Dell promises it'll be available for other Mini options, with and without the HD upgrade, in the near future. Now how about a few words on the Mini 11, eh Dell?

[urdaddy @ Jun 30th 2009 9:07PM]

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! Here I COME Mini10!!!!

[Bob Patel @ Jun 30th 2009 8:26PM]

Can the GPS help me find where Dell's customer service went?

[Templarian @ Jun 30th 2009 8:50PM]

Dell has one of the best costumer service out there. They can repair a computer in 2 days in home/office is something goes wrong.

(although I tend to think all companies are getting better at this as their infrastructure grows)

[Templarian @ Jun 30th 2009 8:51PM]

customer* if = is*

[Agent .25i @ Jun 30th 2009 9:50PM]

Dell had my graphics card replaced in less than 17 hours. At my house. No charge. (other than the initial warranty coverage charge)

[Jon Doe. @ Jun 30th 2009 10:35PM]

Templarian . Customer service does not equal turn around time. When you have to argue with the damn person on the other end of the phone to get a tech to come out instead of sending in your laptop for repair and they bounce you from department to department to department. And it takes over a month and get nowhere. I'm a Dell repair tech and I hear this over and over and over again.

[Sonic_13 @ Jul 1st 2009 2:02AM]

Over the past few years I have needed several repairs for my Dell Laptop and I have to say that the customer service has been phenomenal. It never took me more than 10-20 minutes online or on the phone to get a new part and technician sent to my home.

[GBeatzRecrds @ Jun 30th 2009 8:26PM]

yes, Bob.

[Karen L @ Jun 30th 2009 8:28PM]

Wow, Skyhook for wireless location services! I think Mikey Dell owes Steve Jobs a big thank you for that idea.

[BlurMagic @ Jun 30th 2009 8:32PM]

Is Steve Jobs going to then, in turn, thank all the companies that Apple has jacked ideas off of for years?

I think not.

But thanks for bringing Apple into a post that had nothing to do with Apple. I love you people.

[ncb1397 @ Jun 30th 2009 8:48PM]

I am pretty sure that Skyhook Wireless invented "Skyhook for wireless location services", not Apple. Skyhook by its very nature is a wireless location service, so it isn't like Apple did something creative with it.

[Charles Winchester @ Jun 30th 2009 9:09PM]

And where would Skyhook be without Apple? Skyhook who? Exactly. It's not the idea, it's knowing how to create something useful from it. That is why the eggheads get paid squat and the marketing/sales folks get the big bucks.

[Leo @ Jun 30th 2009 8:28PM]

Waiting for Mini 11, hopefully it will be my first netbook.

[Cheesus(Crust) @ Jun 30th 2009 9:43PM]

Get an Aspire One instead, or a REAL 12" lappy

[Leo @ Jul 1st 2009 11:32AM]

I need it with Vista (so I can upgrade to Windows 7) and with 2 GB of RAM and a higher res screen and a bluetooth and this GPS chip. Plus, I had an Acer TravelMate 15" notebook, and no longer trust Acer :)

[dagamer43 @ Jun 30th 2009 8:35PM]

I wish these netbooks would work with OS X without too much fuss. Sigh, Mini 9, we still miss you!

[DB @ Jun 30th 2009 8:56PM]

ETA is 3:14...
Pi!

[Kushal Patel @ Jun 30th 2009 9:12PM]

i would have bought this back in march... not im holding off until windows 7 and all the new chipsets coming this fall/winter

[Ruffy @ Jul 1st 2009 8:35AM]

now if we can just get that 2gbs of RAM

[Bryan @ Jul 3rd 2009 5:44PM]

Dell mini 10 w/ upgradeable memory is never going to happen. :'(

[dylanand @ Jun 30th 2009 9:27PM]

Yes, Dell's customer service is fantastic. i bought a dell mini 10 because I wanted a tv tuner software and hdtv antenna and the Hd screen. Well my system arrived 3 weeks late. I called customer service and talked to 8-10 foreigners who all said that I wasnt supposed to get an external antenna or that it was on the order and I should have it, only to find out today that I got a note that says the tv tuner and antenna didnt ship with my order and it should arrive in 17-21 business days. So getting a GPS device and software should take you about 3-4 months and several annoying conversations with some nice but pakistani's. now if something breaks I find dell to be ok and i get quick support but I have had it with dell on this one.

[Ervserver @ Jun 30th 2009 9:35PM]

that is good service dylanand

[Agent .25i @ Jun 30th 2009 9:42PM]

"Now how about a few words on the Mini 11, eh Dell?"

At what size do these stop being netbooks, and become laptops?

[tmarks11 @ Jul 1st 2009 7:23AM]

It becomes a notebook when they start putting a real mobile processor in it instead of the slothful atom which can't really handle much beyond IE on XP.

I think they are making the larger screen models to trick unwitting customers into thinking they are getting a really great deal on a notebook. Atom Inside!

[idiscuss @ Jun 30th 2009 9:56PM]

Assisted GPS? Not real GPS? What is that? Does it need constant WIFI connection?

[West @ Jun 30th 2009 10:39PM]

If that's the case then it's not really of much use to me. Anyone know?

[ncb1397 @ Jun 30th 2009 10:53PM]

Assisted GPS is a better form of GPS. It gets a location determination quicker using cell tower triangulation to assist the gps chip.

[Garst @ Jun 30th 2009 10:27PM]

Wouldn't buying something like Microsoft's Strees & Trips for $70 be a better investment?

[Cassini @ Jul 1st 2009 12:46AM]

"Dell's Mini 10 already offers GPS with an integrated 3G chip."


Well, no, Engadget, actually they don't. There's no option for GPS in their configurator as of yet.

[Maneki Neko @ Jul 1st 2009 11:13AM]

Not sure about Dell, but a lot of 3G chips actually have a built in GPS chip as well, which tends to be wholly unadvertised. You can often only find out about it by searching on forums. I know of Sprint and Verizon mini pcie cards, that can be had for like 10-30 bucks on eBay, that can be used as GPS without service.

[Sonic_13 @ Jul 1st 2009 2:03AM]

Although I should add that was a funny comment.

[Paul @ Jul 1st 2009 11:54AM]

There really isn't much difference between Brick (mostly sand) and Glass (mostly sand). Neither creates much electromagnetic shielding. Therefore, why would you be surprised if this worked in your "brick-laden" office building? The bigger problem would be steel structure buildings and elevators.