Comments on: Wait, What? Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Packs Integrated 3G?

By: sue

sue — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:18:10 +0000

My dell mini 9 (received the beginning of this month, October 2008) came without a connector on the motherboard for the 3G card; all the traces are there and the mounting holes but they took the connector off completely. If it didn’t cost me a hundred dollars restocking fee I’d consider sending it back, they emasculated the motherboard, even if the 3G stuff isn’t going to materialize the modders were already salivating over what else could have been plugged into that slot (like another SSD) and Dell could have gotten sales off those upgrades if I’d been given the choice I would have coughed up another fifty for a motherboard with the connector still on it. Overall I like the machine and the battery life isn’t bad but there should be a real latch on it and not just the hinge and they should also have the 12v adapters out. Future upgrades are a touch screen and a bigger ssd (mydigitaldiscount.com has the bigger ones already I’m sure the price will come down soon). I’m using mine to run gps software in the car, once I can find a touch screen mod (they’re already out for the ASUS) this box will be absolutely perfect for that application.

By: The Word Was On The Street (Oasis)

The Word Was On The Street (Oasis) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:45:25 +0000

Truly clueless Backbeat. Didn’t I see you mopping floors at the mall? After all, a wrench would be too technical for you. Keep taking the pills.

By: raping backbeat bawbag

raping backbeat bawbag — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:12:06 +0000

Hey backbeat,
Why don’t you STFU noob?!!
Just relax, sit back, take a backsh!t and scratch my b@lls.
yo ABCD dimwit!

-raping backbeat bawbag

By: backbeat

backbeat — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:13:04 +0000

Nola, somewhere a village is missing you and your wrench.

By: backbeat

backbeat — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:51:23 +0000

We’re also not talking about hardware compatibility, junior. Still holding onto your Earth-Is-Flat belief system, _no_matter_what_? Poor thang. Possibly once you’ve exhausted all the subjects _not_ in discussion, you can focus on the topic? How many more to go, Skippy?

By: Nolatron

Nolatron — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:44:04 +0000

The cards are not limited to only enterprise hardware. They can be used in any laptop/desktop on the market that has a WWAN slot (such as the Dell Mini).

I’m not the one swinging here though. Cheers.

By: backbeat

backbeat — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:53:56 +0000

^ Nola, you ignorant slut …

Thanks for all the links to enterprise-class gear, but what does that have to do with a regular-Joe consumer? I seriously doubt soccer-moms have their very own community IT Dept to get installations done, Bunky. You may have conveniently overlooked the fact that every enterprise laptop was listed under Dell’s _Business_ customer.

Utility-biz slow? Keep a’swingin’, junior.

By: nolatron

nolatron — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:10:48 +0000

Here’s Dell’s internal card available from dell.com for consumers to purchase.

This is the AT&T Version:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Networking_Communication/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=430-3170

Also one for Sprint:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Networking_Communication/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=430-3169

And another for Verizon:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Networking_Communication/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=430-3168

and Telus Mobile:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Networking_Communication/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=430-2471

there’s a bunch more too:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&category_id=5584&p=13

By: backbeat

backbeat — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:52:24 +0000

^ Shovel your bullshit in Sierra Wireless’ direction, not mine. http://www.sierrawireless.com/product/oemmodules.aspx They were your source, afterall. Dontcha just _hate_ it when reality stops and backs up all over your sorry self?!

By: beatbeater

beatbeater — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:47:24 +0000

Wow backbeat, you’re a real jackass.

I mean, I thought that I was a jackass, but apparently I’m just a mere peon who trembles in the shadow of your jackassery.

In total awe,
beatbeater

By: nolatron

nolatron — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:40:24 +0000

^ If a consumer can purchase the WWAN card retail and install it using the supplied manual, it’s not an OEM part.

By: backbeat

backbeat — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:38:01 +0000

^ Geeee … What are the OEM guidelines for Asia, Dilbert? Still trying to make magic out of monkeydust with OEM parts, I see.

By: nolatron

nolatron — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:30:21 +0000

^ Access to the WWAN slot requires removal of 2 screws and removing the underside panel. It’s the same procedure used for changing RAM, which is located just above and to the right of the WWAN slot.

Here’s the documentation a traditional consumer will use to make such an upgrade.

http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins910/en/sm/base.htm#wp1223484

By: backbeat

backbeat — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:42:33 +0000

^ Thanks for the heads-up to the OEM fare, but Dilbert, no traditional consumer is going to bother dissecting their notebook. Geeks and Clowns, yes (which are you again?), but not general consumers. Which leaves the OEMs of the world. Whether screws are used or solder is a red-herring, yet you cleave to that flimsy excuse like it was guns and religion.

Changing the subject only further underscores your idiocy with your each and every post. By all means, please continue.

Don’t you have yet another generator to fix or are all the wrenches in use by the adults? Your forthcoming personal attack remarks will be duly ignored (once I’m finished belly-laughing at you).

By: nolatron

nolatron — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:29:55 +0000

@backbeat

Soldering? Who mentioned soldering. It’s an internal card slot that a card like this plugged into, and then you connect antenna to.

http://www.sierrawireless.com/resources/images/products/mc8775_med.jpg

http://www.sierrawireless.com/product/mc8775.aspx

There’s no soldering involved here. So who’s the one missing the point again?

By: backbeat

backbeat — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:28:51 +0000

@Nola:

You were _done_ before you even started, Scooter, as soldering an internal card into a laptop is not the topic of discussion. Clear?

By: Nolatron

Nolatron — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:59:36 +0000

@backbeat

Those are PCMCIA/PCI-Express cards that plug into an external slot. We’re taking about *internal* cards here, so you completely missed the point yet again, so I’m done.

By: backbeat

backbeat — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:43:28 +0000

@Nola:

Why would I have a need to shop for embedded wireless laptop cards? Laptop PC cards do the job, have their own antennae, are plug-n-play, and are pretty much troublefree. http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/phones-devices/all-phones/pc-card-modems/index.jsp

By: Ben T

Ben T — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:51:02 +0000

Hey AT&T,

You subsidize the Mini 9’s $349 price tag even as little as $249 out-of-pocket and you’ve got a new customer..So long as you keep those data rates <$50/month/2yrs

By: Gobi

Gobi — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:42:59 +0000

It is called Gobi ( short for global internet ), and it will allow all bands of HSDPA, CDMA and GSM to be used. This solution is what every manufactor is going to use.

So now we can all sit around the fire and tell stories about when you had to have a different card for the US vs the “rest” of the world.

By: nolatron

nolatron — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:42:44 +0000

backseat, have you ever shopped for internal wireless cards before? Most, if not all, simply have an onboard connector for an antenna and do not include a built-in antenna. Why? Cause then your antenna is wherever the card is, INSIDE a laptop case underneath the main components. Laptops are wired with antenna in the display to the card slot. This is standard practice.

Heck, even desktop models that plug into a PCI slot simply have a antenna connector on the outoside of the card where you can either use the supplied antenna or a 3rd party.

By: backbeat

backbeat — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:12:16 +0000

I stand corrected. However, I don’t necessarily agree with the notebook production-level premise that a Dell-included antenna is the best method of insuring best reception, maintaining the signal, shielding against interference, etc, but then possibly card mfrs are more willing to tailor their designs to standards set by the notebook mfrs to optimize performance.

By: Nick D

Nick D — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:02:24 +0000

Actually its very common for Dell to have an embedded antenna in their notebooks. All their business Latitude notebooks come with an embedded antenna for WiFi and some models like the Latitude D620/D630 all come with embedded 3G antenna as well regardless if it has the card or not. It makes adding a WiFi or 3G card easier after the purchase.

By: SLVR6

SLVR6 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:48:29 +0000

backbeat, I think it means there is an embedded antenna that can be connected to an appropriate card.

By: Andrewm

Andrewm — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:45:26 +0000

backbeat

If you look at the anandtech review he takes it apart. No hardware is shown that could handle 3g.

As far as antenna preinstalled, Thats very common with any system that has the capability. The old mac books had wifi antennae with the air card slot empty. Even the mac towers had an antennae run through them for anticipation of install of a wireless card later. You forget that these machines are mass produced and then customized very little once ordered. It would be more cost effective to run the antenna (which probably wraps around the top of the monitor) before assembly rather than once ordered where the entire system needs tore down to add the capability.

By: backbeat

backbeat — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:36:00 +0000

@doppler:

You’re off the grid, radar! Since when do antennae exist but do not process a signal to a card, as you allege, considering that every card produced has an antenna, embedded internally or protruding externally? Think before you spread such nonsense.

By: doppler

doppler — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:50:38 +0000

That lady is clueless. They ship with 3g antennas and the requisite slot, but no card. Also, the $99 deal is total balls, as you have to buy a laptop that is ~$400 more than if you used a coupon. Wait for a code on the laptop you want, and then buy both items separately.