Dell Inspiron Mini 12 reviews

Dell's latest netbook is the Mini 12, which was previously called the Inspiron 1210. It's the biggest netbook yet, with a 12.1in screen, the same size as those used on many fully fledged ultra-portable laptops.

The standard version comes with Windows XP Home installed on its small 80GB hard disk. It has an Intel Atom processor running at 1.6GHz, but only 1GB of RAM. There's no option to increase the amount of memory in the Mini 12. Because of this, you should try to avoid loading lots of applications at once. Its larger display makes it more suitable for creative work than other netbooks, but the Mini 12's hardware struggled with both image and video editing. However, for web browsing and email, it's more than capable.

Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 might have turned up fashionably late to the netbook party, but that's not to say it was unwelcome. While other manufacturers had all but abandoned the netbook's original tiny footprint in favour of 10 inch screens and keyboards you could touch-type on, Dell's little wonder reminded us why we liked netbooks in the first place. Compact, light, portable and almost comfortable to use; Dell did a very good job with its first attempt.

It's a success that Dell would no doubt like to replicate with its latest addition to the Mini range - the Inspiron Mini 12 battery. Leaving a convenient, 10 inch sized gap in Dell's netbook line-up, soon to be filled by the recently-announced Mini 10, the 12's most significant novelty is its screen size. Where other netbooks make do with native resolutions of just 1,024 x 600, the Mini 12 stretches a comparatively generous 1,280 x 800 pixels across a bright, 12.1 inch display.

Dell Inspiron Mini 12 Specifications :

Processor : Intel Atom Z5301,6GHz (Cache L2 512KB, FSB 533MHz, Hypertrading Support)
Memory : SODIMM 1GB (maximum)
Chipset : Intel Poulsbo
Graphic Card : Intel GM 500
Harddisk : Samsung 1,8” HS092HB Ulta-ATA 100 3600rpm 80GB
Optical drive : Not Available
Features : LAN, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g, Bluetooth, 3-in1 card reader, 3 USB, kamera Web 1,3MP, port VGA, port Ethernet 10/100, jack mic, jack headphone
Screen : 12,1" WXGA 1280x800 pixel
Sound Card : Intel Poulsbo High Definition Audio Controller
Operating System : Windows Vista Basic SP1
Battery : Li-Ion 3-cell 26WHr
Dimension : 29,9x22,9x (2,2 - 2,4) cm
Weight : 1,268kg

There is one problem with the Dell Mini 12, and the way in which you use a netbook should dictate whether this is the model for you. For a laptop (noun: lap top), it has a very strange centre of gravity, which sits somewhere on the hinge line — both the CPU and screen weigh about the same. For tabletop use this isn't a problem — it sits fine on a flat surface — but put this on your lap and you'll find it can tumble off.

Apart from this usability issue, it otherwise works in a similar way to the Dell 9, albeit with Windows Vista Home Basic instead of XP. Which leads us to another point — the combination of Vista, a meagre 1GB of RAM and the Atom processor leads to a sometimes sluggish experience. Windows don't always open when you ask them to, and boot-up seemingly took forever at one minute nine seconds before the desktop appeared.

Dell hasn't made the same compromises as Sony in order to cram everything into a slender form factor – instead, the company has opted for the bigger 12-inch form factor with dimensions of 299mm x 229mm (width x depth). The decision to go down the Silverthorne route has enabled Dell to create a mightily thin netbook though, as it measures just 28mm at its thickest point – that's quite a bit thinner than the NC10’s thickest point at 31mm, for example, and the NC10 hasn’t ever been referred to as a fat heffer. The Mini 12 also weighs less than the NC10 too – it’s just 1.25kg with the three-cell Dell Inspiron Mini 12 battery attached, while the NC10 is about 1.3kg on the scales with the default six-cell battery.

On the plus side, the touchpad is much larger than on other netbooks and even many ultraportables, and its pebbled surface makes mousing comfortable and accurate. The Mini 12’s port selection is typical for a netbook, which is to say, basic: three USB ports, Ethernet, VGA, headphone, and mic. Dell has also included a three-format memory card reader and a Webcam, but—as with other netbooks—no fingerprint reader, optical drive, or PC Card/ExpressCard reader. You do get a 60GB hard drive (which is about 100GB less than its smaller competitors, and there is no solid state drive option), as well as 802.11g and Bluetooth wireless.

The Dell performed a little better in PCMark05 with an understandably low 891 marks, but tests on its integrated graphics demonstrated that this isn't a gaming device. 3DMark06 ran, but the textures were so corrupted, and it ran so slowly, that gaming would be impossible. The program rewarded it with 76 3DMarks in the end — every child wins a prize.

Despite having a bright, high-quality screen, this isn't a multimedia device. Not only are there no dedicated controls — apart from volume — but the on-board speakers are also unimpressive. But these are netbooks, after all.

Starting at under $600, those who have dreamed of owning a seriously thin laptop will be tempted by the Dell Inspiron Mini 12. We don’t expect this netbook to perform like a MacBook Air (especially now with its upgrade to NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics), but we do expect it to be able to handle e-mail, Web browsing, video calling, music, and browsing photos just as well as the number of other Intel Atom netbooks we have tested. The Dell Mini 12 battery will fit in a manila envelope and run you at least $500 less than any high-end ultraportable on the market.

Mini 12 and Mini 9 are fighting for their debut. It may be worthwhile for the Dell team to push away the mini 9 plan and get going with the apparently better mini 12. This might turn out to be a better business idea.

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