Dell Mini 10v refurbished for as low as $170 shipped.

I absolutely LOVE my Dell Mini 10v. I can't tell you how many I have bought for gifts, or for friends etc. So finally I'm going to just write out the steps to get one, so I don't need to be the one buying it for everyone.

Why do I love it? It is 2.5 pounds. It is fast, and even does video/youtube. Built in wireless. 92% keyboard (better than the Mini 12 keyboard actually). The charger is tiny like a cell charger. It lasts 3 hours on a regular battery (don't buy the extended!). You can get it in Purple! Just great for throwing around and traveling.

What it does not do is high end photoshop or other intensive stuff.

Ok here are the steps. It can be a pain. If you don't want the pain, just pay 80% more and get it new for $315 after shipping.

1. Sign up for BOTH the Dell Outlet Business and Dell Outlet Home newsletter/coupons. The 15% off coupon is only sent out a couple times a month, and you have to sign up 3 days before the coupon goes out.
2. www.Dell.com/Outlet is the place these are sold. From the front page, go to Laptops> Home Office> Mini 10/10v There you will see the inventory. The inventory changes daily and hourly during work hours M-F 9-10pm. The total available can be as high as 400, and as low as 50. The more inventory, the better lower prices.
3. Sort by Price! This will show you the cheapest stuff. And for the most part, you don't really need anything more. The cheapest I ever saw was $190 for a black, scratch and dent base model. This is perfect but rare. Usually they are $230, but avoid buying if they are $300 minimum.
4. Don't buy the wrong thing/features. (more below)

I prefer the Mini 10V because they are cheaper and faster. One drawback is the connection for projectors is HMDI and not the oldschool blue CRT plug that many projectors use.

WHAT NOT TO BUY

- Do NOT get the 6 cell (vs 3) battery. It makes it much heavier which defeats the purpose, and the bumpout is odd and takes up room. If you are in the outlet looking at computers and prices, click on the "View Details ZRBVMXZG" and look for (and avoid) the 6 cell battery.

- Do NOT buy the Linux operating system. These tend to be cheaper (only on the Mini 10). Only buy this if you are a hardcore programmer and know what you are doing. The best option is the Windows XP (Don't get the Vista as it runs too slow on this computer)

OTHER FEATURES

- There are 3 harddrive options. The 120 Gig, 160 and the 16 "SS". The 120 is fine if this is a 2nd computer, and why not keep it cheap. The 16 SS is a Solid State Drive. No moving parts. It IS faster and more responsive and uses less heat and has NO noise. But it adds $30 and can sometimes be "only" $250 (vs $170). I'm trying to get a 16 SS, but it is harder to get, they are rarer. You have to sort by hard drive size to find these.

- Bluetooth. A few have this. I guess would be neat for syncing, but not too necessary. 

- Other software can make it run up to $500, that isnt necessary

- COLORS! You can get Pink, Purple, White, blue. But the colors add $30

- Modem. There are 2 modems, the cheapest is the Dell 1397 b/g. For $10-20 more you get the Dell 1510 a/g/n/. This has the "N" channel which only a few modems can use, but in theory is 2x faster (that could be wrong) when it comes to download speeds.

- There are 3 quality computers 1) Scratch and Dent, these are the least expensive 2) Certified Refurbished and 3) Previously Ordered New. I try and get #1, but those are rare. When I do, yes it has a little 1 inch scratch, but I dont care.

OTHER COUPONS Sources 

- Ask me. I signed up for like 8 newsletters so I tend to have extras.

- www.Twitter.com/delloutlets  they sometimes posted  limited offers.

- Dell Outlet Facebook page. If you just missed a coupon, oftentimes people will post the coupon on the wall.

- Ebay , they sometimes sell 15% off coupons for $5 that are emailed to you. Make sure it is for the Outlet Laptops.

Once I get them, I take these steps to get it up and running

- For the Computer name, I skip it

- For the User name, I put Dell or User

- I change the mouse size to Extra large (under control panel)

- I go to pack.google.com and ONLY download Adobe Reader, Chrome Browser, and Picasa Photo editor and nothing else (the firefox is OLD)

- I check the microphone, which by default is on MUTE, which is a pain. Check this by finding the sound recorder program. And also clicking on the dark orange speaker icon in the lower right and look for a Muted symbol. (email me if you can't unMute it)

- I do the recommended updates, but then I shut down the pop ups to check for new updates daily.

- I hate having 15 icons in the lower right, so I "hide" most of them forever

- I remove the annoying Dell docking system (large icons on the front page)

- GO to add remove software and remove unwanted stuff (don't do this unless you know what you are doing)

- I remove all the annoying shortcut icons on the Start button like MSN, Free Tour, etc.

Other software I sometimes put on:

- GetFirefox.org to get the latest Firefox browser

- Digsby.com or Trillian for a cross platform IM chat system

- Sometimes I also get the Safari browser from Apple.

- Sometimes I download OpenOffice.org free version of Microsoft's office suit.

- Virus protection. Google AVG FREE and dont get tricked into their pay version.

- Adaware.com  Not as important as AVG, 

- www.Mozy.com free online back up up to 2 gigs, and $50 a year for your entire computer to be backed up daily (more on this later, so subscribe!)

So that is it! Finally all the steps down!