Review: a weekend with Dell's Inspiron Mini 9
Dell's netbook, the Inspiron Mini 9, doesn't feel like a compromise. Unlike the cheapest EeePCs, and even low-end UMPCs, the computing experience is neither frustrating or unduly limited. You don't have to check expectations at the door.
Of course, it is a compromise for those who expect it to replace a desktop PC or a high-end notebook. Performance-intensive applications like Photoshop will be painful; recent video games will be pathetic, should they even run at all.
Day-to-day work, however, ran smoothly. Multiple browser tabs with a handful of idle apps and iTunes chugging away didn't become a trudge. Its combination of a 1.6 GHz Atom CPU and a gig of RAM built up enough steam to handle the basics.
Other features include up to 16GB of flash storage, 3 USB ports, 100Mbit Ethernet, 802.11g and an 8.9" display set to 1024x600 pixels. It's about 10 inches long and 7 wide.
I've yet to use the MSI Wind, which I'm quite certain is the equal of this machine. But it's also a little larger, at least in the U.S., and it, like Asus' mainstays, lack something else the Dell has: style. It's come a long way from the dull design that used to characterize its output. While the Mini 9 is no better (or prettier) than the Mini-Note, HP's extras, like an ExpressCard slot and 802.11n, make it much more expensive. The Dell can be had for under $350, though you shouldn't get any computer with less than 1GB of RAM.
Moreover, the Mini-Note comes with Suse or Vista, both less appetizing than Dell's choice of Ubuntu or XP.
Hacking possibilities also abound with the Inspiron Mini 9. Getting OSX on it is reportedly not difficult, and it has an empty slot for a 3G Wireless adapter. Though it is disabled, it's easy to snap in a generic Novatel WWAN card and get your show on the road. Vodafone plans to offer Mini nines with cards (and 2-year service contracts) pre-installed.
Personally, I'd like it to be even smaller. Next to an EeePC900, which has the same-size screen and a dinkier keyboard, its swooping curves seem rather bulbous.On the other hand, it feels sturdier and somewhat better-made as a result.
One caveat is the keyboard layout: it doesn't have dedicated function keys, and the apostrophe/quote key is in an odd spot.
Later today, this machine gets mailed off, and I'm sad to see it go. Bought as a gift for my nephew and reviewed en passant, it almost stayed right where I wanted it: in my possession.
$429 as reviewed — Mini Inspiron 9 [Dell]
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About 1/3 of Function keys get used so much, how well can you cope without them?
If you liked that, you should look at an Acer AspireOne. I picked one up a couple of weeks ago for $400 CDN, it comes with pretty much the same spec as the Dell, except mine has a 120GB drive instead of the SSD. Different models of the AspireOne come with SSD drives if you like. Also, the keyboard is very similar in size to the Dell and the Eee 900, I find it totally usable as a travel laptop. It's much better than the keyboard on my Eee 701 I bought in January, I must say. Also, the model I got came with the 6 cell battery, which gives about 5 hours of use with wifi or about 6 without, and those are my real-world observations, not marketing fluff. Very happy with this purchase.
Long story short, how would this one compare to the Wind?
Just wait until the OSx86 / Hackintosh crowd get their hands on the MSI Wind U120 with included "3.5G" WWAN.
Also, this is interesting:
Relevant question: Are you a touch typist?
I can't believe that I could stand that quote key placement. It would make me hurl that thing across the room in short order, I'm sure.
I am a touch typist, but years of reviewing UMPCs and the like has made my right pinkie agile.
As for the extra slot for a WWAN card, my mini 9 does not have a connector soldered on the board for a card. The plastic part that has the slot where the card slips into is just not there. It looks like one could be soldered on without too much trouble, but if people think they can add on later, they will be in for an unpleasant surprise.
Ray
I've been using my mini for the past few weeks, and the ' relocation is only annoying when i'm IM'ing someone as the enter key is where the ' should be. Still, i adjust to it better each time I use it--the last few times I've switched back to my desktop, I've been hitting . instead of ', I'm so acclimated to it. I don't find the relocation of the function keys to be much of an issue (while I use them, it's as a special action, not touch typing, so having to hit a second key at the same time isn't a big deal), but as far as I can tell, the f11 key is missing, and that and the f5 are the only two I really use, so I'm a little sad there.
I picked it largely because the reviews I'd seen mentioned the 'toughness' of it, and I felt that no moving parts (other than the hinges) was a good thing given my track record.
Seven years later, Dell finally reinvents the iceBook! See, sooner or later, the slow kids do catch up.
Rayperkins, you have to remove the WiFi card to add the WWAN card for that exact reason.
From jkkmobile's video, it's then relatively easy to get the wifi working in the connector-less WWAN slot.