Dell's Mini 12 dissected for your viewing pleasure
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 1st 2009 8:04AM
posted Feb 1st 2009 8:04AM
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The wifi chips are always the same size.... damn why can't they make it smaller?
Really though? Do you need it smaller? Not like it's ever going to be a factor in the total size of anything you put it into.
They already did make them smaller - Mini PCI express is about 1/2 to 1/3 of the size of Mini PCI.
Eventually there will be another standard for cards, but likely not for a while.
As for how much space there is - why didn't they put the HDD in the gaping space on the left? I still like the internal design - especially the lack of fan (impressive, especially considering it's Dell). Lack of Copper heatsink is a terrible shame, though.
So much wasted space that could of gone to making the battery bigger which would have made it a much more attractive proposition even at the cost of a little extra thickness.
I can just imagine a 6 cell on this thing haha.... I like big batteries and I can't not lie =D
I never used no double negative!
adding things to the empty space increases weight and increases the price.
as far as I'm concerned, if the price passes $400, its no longer a netbook.
"Netbooks" are about (low) specs and small size. Price range has very little to do with it.
actually price has a lot to do with netbooks. Netbooks would have never gained any popularity whatsoever if it wasn't for the low price. Keep in mind that Sony has been making ultra-portables for a very long time only they used to cost $2000.
CPU and memory on a seperate board is nice. The connector it uses looks like a memory one.
Not really at all actually.
If the RAM goes bad, you're fucked.
Want to upgrade to 2GB? You're fucked.
Thanks Dell!
Empty laptop is empty.
Oh, and you'd also be pretty surprised how often RAM can go bad.
The CPU+memory is nice. These are the high-speed components, and they are put on a higher-quality PCB. The rest of the computer (which is much more surface area) can go on a low quality PCB. Notice that there are no BGAs on the rest of the computer? There's a reason for that, and that's cost.
Sure, if the memory goes out, then that's a problem. With a low-cost processor ($30), it's not much of a problem as long as the connector isn't proprietary (anyone know if it is?). But, you also get a new feature - the ability to upgrade the processor, too -- I can't do that in any of my recent laptops. In two years, you'll probably be able to double the processor and memory in this baby for $50.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/30/atom-processor-to-cost-intel-just-6-to-8/
This is a proprietary Dell design.
I guarantee you the module through Dell will cost half the price of the computer, if not more if you needed to replace it.
This is incredibly stupid.
Lotza open space means the user can mod and add to their heart's content.
I still think this computer's pointless. Everyone complains that netbooks are close to the price of proper notebooks. Then again, we were comparing 9' netbooks, to 15' notebooks. The ideal mini 12 configuration is $599. For $650, you could get an Acer 12 notebook with core 2 duo, a 250GB hard drive, and 3GB of RAM.
Comparing 9' netbooks to 15's are missing the point, as its' an entirely different market. But comparing a 12 netbook is a 12 notebook is just pointless.
If this thing was $400-500 loaded, then the pricetag may seem more justified, but when $50 can get you a notebook of the same size with more power, it's not that logical.
The term "netbook" should be limited to devices weighing less than 4 lbs, 10" screen or smaller and a price less than $400. Regardless its CPU, Memory or HDD capacity.
In fact a 12 incher it's not a netbook, it's just a little underpowered, cheapo notebook.
Netbooks are 10" tops.
In my opinion my Vaio TT is not a netbook anymore (it's got an 11 incher) but the new Vaio P is a netbook even though it costs more than other machine in its class.
It costs more because it's a good netbook, or maybe just an expensive netbook, but a netbook nonetheless.
A 12 incher even if it costs 5 bucks or if you found it in the box of your breakfast cereals, is still a notebook: a cheap, shitty , useless one but still a notebook.
Phwoar! Yeah baby! Look at that naked netbook go!
looks ugly as shit.
Let me guess? Mactard?
Man, that Dell spokesman was lying through his teeth when he said there was no room for two speakers. And it looks like they could have fit in a 2.5 inch sata hd.
I hope the mini 10 doesn't blow it like this one did.
I think your definition of "lie" differs from that of the rest of the world. Lying implies that he knew there was room, but said there wasn't. Do you honestly think that spokesperson had ever seen the inside of the device?
Having a real job in a real company, I can completely understand how he was probably told that (or someone above him was, and the information given to him) because he/they didn't understand why there weren't two speakers. People are dumb, and sometime you have to lie to them just to shut them the hell up. Did SOMEONE lie? At some point, probably, but it wasn't the spokesperson, and I doubt it was to pull the wool over the consumers' eyes. It was probably just to get some manager or salesperson to STFU.
search something and dress it up
Looks like it was design by a 3year old, 40% or more is just empty space but hey what else can you expect from dell.
reminds me of the insides of a macbook for some reason
how?
Having just looked at the inside of my new MacBook, I think you are clueless.
Mini 12
Maxi "Meh"
Nice PRON. Pron is a werd I made up btw. Some sites back in "Tha Day" wouldn't let you write porn.
nothing to see here... same as any other netbook built by the foxconn,etc..
I hope more netbook manufacturers jump on the 12-inch wagon. The day theres a 12inch netbook with 1280x800 res, 250gb hd, 2gigs ram, 8+hours battery life, dual-core atom, a graphics chip capable of something, mobile-broadband, and a GOOD KEYBOARD [so hard to find on netbooks] for $450 or less, I will officially deem thee netbook utopia.
I want to see OSX on this one!!!
Doesn't this thing have a crippled CPU (1.33GHz vs 1.6GHz) and graphics chipset, as well as RAM soldered to the board? Shouldn't going from 9" to 12" have given Dell the opportunity to put *BETTER* internals in it, rather than downgrading them? What a POS.
wake me up when there's a mini 17.