I'm Almost Pursuaded

AnandTech's review has almost convinced me to order the new $349 Dell Inspiron Mini.  The author says the Mini 9 feels like it's worth more than you're paying for it, because of material choices on the inside making it look more expensive that also hide fingerprints on the keyboard. The overall style brings to mind MacBook Air meets Eee PC.

What I want to know is why do I have to pay $25 more for the white case? Apple has the white case as standard and the black version is pricier. I don't get these companies - why is one color case more expensive than another? If I really had a color choice - I'd prefer that glossy red case that I've been seeing all summer.

Dell netbook release this week?

Wall Street Journal says Dell's mini netbook is finally going to be released this week. Some say Thursday and others Friday. Rumor has it that the price is under $400 to compete favorably with the eeePC, but that is higher than the $299 price that was previously hinted. There probably will be a range of prices based on operating system installed, drive size, webcam, etc. - will just have to wait until announcement is official.

Acer lowered the Aspire One to $329 (Linux version) almost in anticipation of Dell's release, but I keep reading about Wi-fi problems with the Aspire and Wi-fi is really the whole point of my buying a netbook. I hope my expectations for this new product are realized this week.