If you’re in the market for a new netbook and are seriously eyeing the new Dell Inspiron Mini 10, you might want to avoid QVC. Dell started selling the units there last week for $559, which gets you 1.6GHz processor and your choice of six designer colors. QVC claims the Mini 10’s retail value is $688.

There’s just one problem with that. It’s not true. On Dell’s site you can pick up the exact same Inspiron Mini for just $479, ($487 including shipping) and the units start at just $399. That’s $72 cheaper!

Why such a difference in pricing? Could it be that QVC knows their views aren’t likely to be gadget geeks and won’t realize they can get the Mini cheaper elsewhere? Or perhaps they know money is no object to early adopters? Who knows, but the lesson is clear. Before you buy any electronic or big ticket item, do your homework and comparison shop before you buy. You could save quite a few bucks and in this economy that’s becoming more and more crucial.

Dell has recently announced via their Direct2Dell blog that customers can begin placing orders for the Dell Mini 10 netbook. But, instead of heading over to the Dell website if you are looking to place an order you need to visit QVC.

Initially the Dell Mini 10 will only be available through QVC, I guess they wanted to try and get the attention of the average person. Of course, they do plan on adding it to the regular Dell website, which as of now is scheduled for February 26. Finally, those that preorder the Mini 10 can expect the netbook to begin shipping out “next month.” As of now, the Mini 10 will be available only to those in the US market, however it was noted that it will be available worldwide “in the future.”

Keep reading for the Mini 10′s specs.

Dell has officially made their latest Inspiron Mini available in the US. Customers can now visit Dell and purchase the Inspiron Mini 12, but sadly the configurations seem a little limited and may not be ideal for everyone.

Dell is offering the Inspiron Mini 12 in three configurations, which begin at $549 and go up as high as $649. The main drawbacks are that (at least for now) the maximum amount of RAM that you can add is 1GB, and the only option for an operating system is Vista Home Basic. Personally, I would like to have seen some more RAM as 2GB is becoming more and more of a standard nowadays, but more important is that the only OS available is Vista Home Basic and that is sure to turn some sales away from all those Vista haters.

While there still has not been an official product announcement it seems that will not stop the details from slowly but surely slipping out. The latest news comes courtesy of Dell, so we can at least be safe to believe its accurate, and places the mini notebook to be ready for an August release. Aside more »