Dell Inspiron Mini review roundup

Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 didn't waste any time going from its formal debut to hitting the review circuit today, and although its basic design didn't blow anyone away, it seems like an impressively put-together piece of kit for the price. Everyone laments the tiny keyboard, although it's apparently fine once you get used to it, but Notebook Review flat out says it won't cut it as a primary typing machine. PC Magazine says the 1.6GHz Atom and 1GB of RAM are enough for most tasks under XP, although multitasking is a chore; the Linux configurations seem similarly capable -- Laptop says the custom build of Ubuntu Remix is "smooth" and "sleek." The four-cell battery averaged around three and a half hours under both XP and Linux, which is decent, but several noticed that Dell hasn't made an extended battery available yet. We'd expect that to change soon, but overall it's a minor quibble -- could this be the netbook that finally makes you reach for your wallet?

Read - Laptop (3.5 out of 5)
Read - Notebook Review ("...fabulous netbook... [but] only 'your new best friend' if you're willing to overlook a few flaws.")
Read - Washington Post ("... isn't perfect, but it does offer a terrific design and a good price.")
Read - PC Magazine (3 out of 5)

[Nathan @ Sep 4th 2008 7:29PM]

Under both XP and Windows, really?

[ethana2 @ Sep 4th 2008 8:15PM]

Nilay, typo.

..but you know what they meant. XP and Ubuntu netbook edition.

[Gunn @ Sep 4th 2008 8:26PM]

With 8G, it's easy to stuff the both OS's in it.
That's exactly what I'm gonna do with mine.

[tom @ Sep 4th 2008 9:16PM]

Without dedicated F-keys in Windows??? The whole Windows experience would be SUCK.

Bye-bye Alt+F4

[d00b @ Sep 4th 2008 9:17PM]

I think whoever that handled the marketing for this Dell Mini model, deserves a raise. (S)he did great. First, was the peek-a-boo intro that was "accidentally" discovered by Gizmodo, a well-trafficked gadget blog. Next, came the follow-up Photoshopped pics of the model in glorious candy red that got everybody hot and bothered. Then, came the so-called "rumor" that it will be available for $299, that got all the fanboys drooling. Last, by launch day, we see simultaneous reviews from all the large tech sites & mainstream publications. And the advertising cost for all this attention and publicity? Pretty nominal.

Still, marketing can only go so far. Going by the scores alone, the Mini is in the middle of the pack. Single-word verdict: Average.

[Matt @ Sep 4th 2008 8:24PM]

The four-cell battery averaged around three and a half hours under both XP and Windows??

[Joey @ Sep 4th 2008 7:32PM]

irst and i wish canada had these

[Nik @ Sep 4th 2008 7:45PM]

sorry, econd...

[Jason @ Sep 5th 2008 12:26AM]

etard

[TJ @ Sep 4th 2008 8:27PM]

I fail to see the advantage to this model over the Acer Aspire One. The 1GB model sports a better keyboard and a larger hard drive right out of the box. Good luck finding one at Best Buy though...

[Jeff @ Sep 4th 2008 9:07PM]

Question. It seems like most people 'round these parts extol the Acer Aspire One. But I've read from other sources that the Wind has the Aspire beat for quality and a few other things. I realize that there is some subjectivity, but I'd like to know where more people stand on the Wind vs. Aspire debate.

[Darryl @ Sep 4th 2008 9:12PM]

Well basically I was looking for a EEE 901 that cost $100 less and had a more usable keyboard. This looks like it. Just as long as the SSD is the faster kind, not the one in the EEE 900 16G.

[Gunn @ Sep 4th 2008 9:36PM]

As Aspire One goes HDD. There's basically no need to compare it with Dell Inspiron Mini.
I believe it's still a big deal whether you think SSD makes a difference. I personally would rather choose SSD.
Noise from HDD (and fan) is something i'd rather not suffer from.
As to capacity, well, it depends how you will use the netbook.
Daily office computing simply doesn't require a 10G+ hard drive (correct me if i'm wrong).
Plus you can use an SD card as extra storage, just like what others did with the first batch of EEE.

[Phoenix987 @ Sep 4th 2008 10:56PM]

I agree, I don't see the cost of the SSD to the "benefits" from having one right now as beneficial, especially for what I would use a netbook for.

If you use the netbook for basic internet use and all that, you won't need a huge HDD. But to some people, if they use this in the office, they may have to use more than 4GB of SSD space (once you install the OS you've typically got like 1.6GB left, please correct me if I am wrong). 1.6GB of space is not a lot today, unfortunately.

Just a question that'll seem stupid, but this is the Dell E right? I can't remember if it got renamed or not, but if this is the E then the $299 price tag for an 8.9" screen and 8GB SSD with Linux went out the window a bit, didn't it?

[Matt Parkins @ Sep 5th 2008 3:47AM]

MSI Wind has 2.5 hours battery life (3 cell & a non SSD HD - NOT a good combo) if you're running it with as little battery use as possible - more like 1h20m if you're doing anything decent with the processor.

[Eh @ Sep 4th 2008 7:44PM]

Why didnt they give them HDD's? 4-8gb ssd is useless, my first computer with Windows 95 had a bigger hdd than 4gbs. How about some cheap 20gb and 40gb hdd options?

[diode3diode @ Sep 4th 2008 8:41PM]

It's because SSD is way better than HDD. And you don't have to pay at once. So Dell is only giving you the best.

[diode3diode @ Sep 4th 2008 8:45PM]

I kid.

[Gerardo @ Sep 4th 2008 7:51PM]

I think the upgrades are too expensive... but the "low end" is priced well though... Besides, Dell made a beautiful design :)

[Gunn @ Sep 4th 2008 8:24PM]

I totally agree. And it's easy to upgrade.
Many of the netbooks we've seen to date require a total tear-down just to add a DIMM.

[kccboy2004 @ Sep 4th 2008 7:53PM]

I can't buy this without Splashtop (or "Inspiron-ON" ?)

Come on Dell !!! This is not what I want or need. I need splashtop. Really need.

Asus put it in their Eee Box, why couldn't you ? Set yourself apart from the rest.

Splashtop is part of the raison d'être of the nettop for me; open it up and BAAMMMMM...into a browser or skype, all at minimal battery usage.

(please don't tell me to use hibernate or sleep, that is not going to cut the mustard. )

I will wait.

[Bill @ Sep 4th 2008 7:55PM]

[b]
hello nilay

Laptopmag gave it 3.5 / 5 not (4.5/5)

Dont misinform the croud :<
[/b]

[Nowire @ Sep 4th 2008 8:02PM]

I see 4.5/5 star...

whaddaya mean???

[Yay. @ Sep 4th 2008 8:06PM]

No, that's DEFINITELY 3.5/5!

[nobodycare @ Sep 4th 2008 8:12PM]

it's 3.5 stars (3 full stars + half a star = 3.5) can't believe someone would mistake that.

[Jstern @ Sep 4th 2008 8:14PM]

I see 3.5 out of 5 as well. Not a 4.5 star netbook.

[ncmach1 @ Sep 4th 2008 7:57PM]

Think I will keep my Eee PC 1000h. You beat around the bush to long Dell.

[DepecheSA @ Sep 4th 2008 8:03PM]

I ordered mine today can't wait to get it.

[Bill @ Sep 4th 2008 8:13PM]

@Nowire see it yourself its 3.5 stars not 4.5 as he says.....

http://www.laptopmag.com/images/3_5_stars.gif

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/dell-inspiron-mini-9-linux.aspx

[Mustaine @ Sep 5th 2008 8:54AM]

/Picard "There are 4 lights!"

[krisjan76 @ Sep 4th 2008 8:10PM]

me too. i have to wait until october :(

[spekmaster @ Sep 4th 2008 9:40PM]

Yeah, I'll be waiting for 2nd gen I think... someone quick agree with me before I make an impulse buy.
=P

[JohnTitor @ Sep 4th 2008 9:44PM]

seriously, what am I doing with a classic number 2 pencil when I got my brand new Mini 9?

[Skazer @ Sep 4th 2008 10:34PM]

"it seems like an impressively put-together piece of kit for the price."

Says who, Nilay? The reviews show that this thing is plain old average. Nothing more. What's with the overly positive post?

[MrBoB @ Sep 4th 2008 10:29PM]

The interesting thing that Dell brings to the table is configurability. I ordered the Ubuntu model, and then maxed out the ram, upped the hdd to 8gb, and added the webcam. I think that the ability to customize everything about this computer is going to give Dell the edge.

On nearly every other netbook model, you have to choose between Linux on poor hardware, or Windows on good hardware.

The only downside is the lack of the red model which we saw earlier.

[Chris @ Sep 4th 2008 11:07PM]

I think i'm going to stick with my acer. for only 350, you get a better keyboard, 1 gig of ram, xp and a 120 GIG HARD DRIVE. Nice try Dell, but Acer is still on top.

[smeep2k4 @ Sep 4th 2008 11:51PM]

I agree. I'm sticking to my Acer. I got the 6-cell, 1 GB, 120 GB HDD, and I love it. If Dell had come in at $299, I could see this being a threat to the Aspire. At least they haven't gotten up the the over $500 price that alot of other netbooks seem to be running these days (most of the eeePC line and the 2133 from HP). I think most of these companies (other than Dell and Acer at the moment) are missing the point of netbooks. Sure, the small size makes it convenient for travelling around with it, but really, it was the price on the original eeePC that made it such a hot seller.

[cipp209 @ Sep 4th 2008 10:41PM]

If SSD isn't a selling point, I think the upcoming aspire one w/ 6 cell battery for $399 is a better value.

[Sean @ Sep 5th 2008 12:51AM]

But it's only got an 8GB SSD :(
If it was going to have a 16GB I'd pre-order one now... but... argh!

[ishism @ Sep 5th 2008 1:02AM]

I'm with you, brotha
I like large capacity. 6cells, 160GB HDD, I'd like to put WinXp MCE, fill it up with Media, some games.Heck this could replace my 17" NB.
17" is too big to lug around.(don't even say it.) ;)

[chris @ Sep 4th 2008 11:01PM]

One of the review sites mentioned adding a 2gig RAM module after market. Any word on the max that the motherboard will support?

[bebop @ Sep 4th 2008 11:33PM]

The Intel chipset will support 2GB, but watch out since the max is 1GB in each slot. (no 2GB DIMMs)

[DssTrainer @ Sep 4th 2008 10:59PM]

without expressgate or "Blacktop" .. .Epic Fail....

[1999sel @ Sep 4th 2008 11:18PM]

"it seems like an impressively put-together piece of kit for the price."

Sweet build quality: http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3399

[Creativepart @ Sep 4th 2008 11:20PM]

I bought one today. In black, 16 gig and XP. $465 plus tax but free shipping. According to the email I got Sept 19 is ship date and since I live in Texas it should arrive the next day.

I was an early eeePC buyer (4 gig Black Surf). I put XP on it, an 8 gig memory card and 2 gigs of ram. My only real problem with it is the small 7" screen. It's too tiny.

But I love it for travel. So, I've been waiting for the Dell.

[vanity33 @ Sep 4th 2008 11:55PM]

i ordered the ubuntu version and upgraded ram to 1gb, ssd to 16gb, 1.3megapixel camera, bluetoooth. came out to a hair over $500. actually reading through the reviews it sounds like a really nice netbook.

cool thing about the mini: no fans, no moving parts at all, it's completely silent.

the lack of dedicated function keys doesn't bother me in the least. wow, you have to press FN and another key to access them. they are very, very rarely used by me. i'm really curious about the rest of the keyboard. the letter keys were made bigger, and some of the less-used keys like capslock were made smaller. looks interesting. reviews seem to indicate that after you use it briefly it's no problem at all. it's not like the acer's keyboard is outstanding or anything either -- and i've actually used it to confirm that. nobody is going to be writing their thesis on any of these netbooks.

has a better SSD than the acer.

all in all, for about $100 more i feel like im getting a lot of extra features that the acer doesn't offer, and it comes in a nicer looking package.

[vanity33 @ Sep 5th 2008 12:00AM]

other thing i forgot to mention

i think there are 2 reasons that the dell mini is catching a lot of flack from bloggers:
1) the early "leaked" info hinted at a 299 price. now it's out and to get a nicely spec'd model costs around $450. oh well.
2) acer aspire one fanboys.i almost bought one myself. it's nice, but certainly has its share of issues too. it all comes down to balancing the extra $$ of the dell and deciding which issues you'd rather deal with. i chose the dell.

i think once people settle down from realizing it's not $299 like they were hoping, and the acer fanboys calm down, people will realize that this thing actually looks pretty darn nice... and for most of us an extra $100 or so isn't the end of the world.

[Chris @ Sep 5th 2008 8:02AM]

it is true, there are some issues i have with my acer, but spending an extra 100 brings me to a price point where i can go to my local best buy, pick up a 14 inch laptop with a cd dvd drive, 2 gigs of ram and weighing at around 5 pounds. Of course it won't give me the size and weight i want, but it will give me much more functionality. I think that dell slightly missed the point of a netbook, but the market and the idea of a netbook is still young. Even though there is a flood of netbooks out there, with time the prices will get cheaper and cheaper, the hardware in it will get better and better, and the serious contenders will fight for our dollar. So its a win win situation for us.

[mypup @ Sep 5th 2008 12:10AM]

I read it will take two gig in the one slot it has for ram.
Next question what will be supported from the open pcie slot 3g or could you put another ssd in the slot? hmm cant wait till mine gets here I feel the 8.9 smallest form factor is the sweet spot for me. 10 inches is too big for me I already have a macbook for a mid this seems to be the easiest to upgrade (mod) and no-one is talking about it being fanless. I too wished for blacktop or instant-on dual boot option. Maybe it will boot from sd slot for a backup or not to wear out the ssd so fast under windows. I doubt that Dell was optimized xp for ssd this can be somewhat of a painful task as i remember from the epc 702 i had last year.

[ssrat_ @ Sep 5th 2008 2:21AM]

Nice, but the fact that Acer has such a price advantage on them, means I will be waiting for that to be available again.

6-cell +160g drive for Less than the highest Dell, (NOT an Acer Fan boy- want it in 10" as a reader)

I WISH that SSD had the original battery savings as was originally thought, but since it is almost dead even I throw my weight behind larger size HDD for the same price