Dell Launches 3G Embedded Mini 10 in China

As you've probably read, netbooks
have been all the rave this year. Many mobile enthusiasts, looking for a
portable companion PC, are seeing a variety of netbook flavors hit the market,
and research shows that this is expected to continue especially in China. A recent IDC report showed, China's demand for
netbooks will grow by 276% to 1.9 million by the end of this year.

Most people buy netbooks for a variety of reasons, but primarily for the
freedom of mobility so they can staying connected to friends, family and
social networks, emails and emails no matter when or where. However,
finding an open WiFi spot in China is not as easy as it is in the US or Europe.
On the other hand, China has the largest number of cell phone users and one of
most extensive and reliable mobile network coverage in the world. Naturally mobile
broadband becomes an important option for Chinese customers to stay connected
all the time.

Today, I am very excited to see the
launch of Dell Inspiron Mini 10, a stylish 10-inch netbook with
built-in high speed 3G wireless from China Mobile, the largest telecom operator in the world.

You can read more about the Inspiron
Mini 10 in Lionel's previous post. In China, Mini 10 comes standard
with Atom Z530 processor, 1 GB fixed memory, 160 GB hard drive, edge to edge
LED display, roomy keyboard and useful features such as built-in webcam, HDMI
output and internal WiFi/blue tooth/3G connection. Starting today, it is
available in three different colors-white, black and red, through China Mobile
and major consumer electronic retail stores such as Gome , Suning and Hongtusanbao.

Mini 10 is the first official 3G and
in fact, the first mobile broadband ready laptop Dell offers in China. 3G is
not a new concept and you might be wondering why it has not arrive earlier for
such an important market. Let me give you a bit of background on this.

 With its telecom market strictly
regulated, China only started to grant 3G licenses to telecom carriers at the
beginning of the year. Since then, Dell has been busy working with the partner
to test and develop 3G-compatible netbooks. China Mobile is the largest telecom operator among all carriers, and
widely known within the country for its better service and network coverage.
Its 3G network runs on TD-SCDMA,
a telecom industry standard developed by China to compete with other Western
formats such as CDMA 2000, WCDMA and WiMAX. NetEase, a major Internet portal in
China, did a comprehensive testing of Mini 10 on China Mobile's 3G network. The
average download speed ranged from 400-800kpbs, similar to the 512k broadband.
Check out the full report here.

China has the largest number of Internet users in the world. With the
growth of laptops, the need to stay always connected will grow tremendously given
China's huge population and phenomenal economic growth.

Tell us what you think. We will
continue to listen and deliver unique products to meet the needs of our
customers in a connected era.

About the Author: Jacqui Zhou