After having officially launched its new Core i7-based Studio XPS 435 desktop behemoth, Round Rock, Texas-based Dell has finally decided to allow its customers to purchase the new 10-inch Inspiron Mini netbook. The new Inspiron Mini 10 has just gone on sale in the U.S. with a starting price tag of just $399. Unfortunately, users will still have to wait for their purchased systems to arrive, as the preliminary ship date is April the 2nd.

The latest Inspiron Mini 10 netbook comes as Dell's response to the high number of 10-inch netbooks that have recently been launched on the market. It still boasts Intel's Atom platform, but provides users with some slightly different configuration options, including a new processor. In fact, the Inspiron Mini 10 is among those few netbook systems that allow users to choose from either a 1.33GHz Atom X520 CPU, running at 1.33GHz, or a 1.6GHz Atom X530. The difference between the two options will up the price tag by $50,over the basis of $399.

Other system specifications are pretty much what you would expect from a netbook, that is, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB, 5400rpm SATA hard drive. Aside from these options, users will be left with choosing the netbook's coloring theme. The basic Inspiron Mini 10 model comes with a black color option, but for an extra of $30 users will be granted the opportunity to choose between “alpine white,” “new cherry red,” “ice blue,” “jade green,” or “promise pink.” If you decide to go for the last one, Dell promises to donate $5 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity.

Additional features include a built-in WiFi g connectivity option, integrated webcam and a 3-cell battery, which doesn't sound very promising if you are looking for a longer battery life.