[cbrguy]

I have been lurking for a few days and reading. I had decided to go with the 9 over the 10 simply because of the smaller size.

I intend to use the Mini on motorcycle trips. Next year I am going on a trip from Nashville to California. So far it looks like 6,000 miles and 2 weeks to do it. I have an Android phone, but I wanted something with an actual keyboard.

I may add a GPS to the thing but I may not need it as I have as stand alone GPS. I have a general question about GPS but I will save that for the correct forum.

Can't link the eBay auction because this is my first post. Ha!

However, here is the eBay item number. 150908848515

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 1.6Ghz 2Gb 16Gb SSD BT 16Gb SD External DVDRW | eBay

[lswartz]

Either Mini would be good for a bike trip. Congrats on your Mini 9 purchase, mine is on every day, 7 AM - 9 PM.

[cbrguy]

Yeah, I was not sure which Mini 10 to get (I am pretty sure it's the 1011 or 1012) and this Mini 9 seemed like good price.

It has a 16GB SD card, external DVD writer and Atheros Wifi PCIexpress.

Nice little add-ons.

[grungysquash]

I have a gsxr750 the mini 9 would be perfect for this and would handle the twisty roads without and hard drive damage. I have not checked the auction however if you have purchased the one with an internal WWLAN then you already have a gps that will work in XP.

[cbrguy]

I really like the GSXR 750. I have a 2002 CBR954. The wife and I rode down to Nashville, got married and proceeded to ride out to Deals Gap for a 4 day honeymoon. She enjoyed it so much that she wanted to return for our first anniversary. We are leaving on Friday for our second anniversary. =)

Not sure about the WWLAN, but I would prefer a genuine GPS receiver.

[lswartz]

That sounds like a great 1st anniversary plan.

[grungysquash]

Originally Posted by cbrguy

I really like the GSXR 750. I have a 2002 CBR954. The wife and I rode down to Nashville, got married and proceeded to ride out to Deals Gap for a 4 day honeymoon. She enjoyed it so much that she wanted to return for our first anniversary. We are leaving on Friday for our second anniversary. =)

Not sure about the WWLAN, but I would prefer a genuine GPS receiver.

OK typo WWAN - this is the dell 5530 card that came std with 3g equipped mini 9s it had a built in GPS receiver which works fine in win xp. The drivers never work in win 7. Go figure but will run like a normal GPS in xp. Used it myself for a while streaming Google maps via the 3g connection using the GPS for position. Only stopped because I purchase a win 6 cell phone which had a GPS.

[cbrguy]

Originally Posted by grungysquash

OK typo WWAN - this is the dell 5530 card that came std with 3g equipped mini 9s it had a built in GPS receiver which works fine in win xp. The drivers never work in win 7. Go figure but will run like a normal GPS in xp. Used it myself for a while streaming Google maps via the 3g connection using the GPS for position. Only stopped because I purchase a win 6 cell phone which had a GPS.

Thanks for the info. Do I need 3G for the GPS to work?

What GPS software did you use?

[grungysquash]

Originally Posted by cbrguy

Thanks for the info. Do I need 3G for the GPS to work?

What GPS software did you use?

No, but there is very little mapping software for computers as opposed to cell phones which was why I never really found the GPS to be of much use. Hence the swap over to various cell nav apps. I have a ASUS TF700 which is far more suited to mapping software simply by tethering the pad to the phone get the best of both worlds.

As far as mapping software I simply googled there is some free stuff for XP but is limited when compared to modern apps on phones & pads.

[cbrguy]

The problem is that I have Sprint and the service is very spotty. I suppose I will have to get a real GPS. If I don't have service with my phone it can't lock on me, which sucks.

What I would really like to have is a GPS that does not require a 'net connection. I have done a search for Linux GPS apps and that looks somewhat promising. Downloading the maps to the Mini in the areas I will be riding. Pull over and find out where the hell I am at and plan a new route. This is one of the many reasons I wanted a Mini. Then I found that the 1012 has an extended battery that does not create a huge bulge that makes the Mini much thicker. I am not concerned with doing a hackintosh install, so I think the 1012 would be better suited in the long run. In the mean time I will mess around with the Mini 9. =D

Thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated.