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Product summary

The good: More configurable than alternative Netbooks; great battery life; XP as good as Linux OS options.

The bad: Some ungainly set of keys compromises; no SSD options incomparable than 16GB.

The bottom line: Dell’s entrance in to the Netbook marketplace equates to it’s time to take these low-cost, low-power PCs seriously. The Inspiron Mini 9 is an glorious e.g. of the form, if not in essence opposite from the competition.

Specifications: Processor: Intel ATOM (1.6 GHz); RAM installed: 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM; Display: 8.9;

CNET editors’ review

• Reviewed by: Dan Ackerman
• Reviewed on: 09/05/2008
• Updated on: 10/27/2008
• Released on: 09/04/2008

Editors’ note: We have revised the rating of this product to simulate the becoming different rival Netbook landscape.

We’ve good known for the little time that Dell was operative upon the Netbook-style laptop–the same kind of small, low-power, cheap complement done renouned by Asus as good as the Eee Personal Computer line. And even yet there have been not most surprises in the brand brand new Inspiron Mini 9, it’s still an glorious e.g. of the form, though any of the deal-breakers (older CPU, not sufficient storage space, hard-to-use hold pad) that have kept alternative Netbooks from being some-more zodiacally useful.

While component-wise, the Mini 9 is identical to alternative brand new Netbooks, such as the Eee Personal Computer 901 as good as the Acer Aspire One (which all make use of Intel’s Atom CPU), in customary Dell fashion, there have been some-more customization options than we’ve seen alternative Netbooks.

Our exam section arrived with 1GB of RAM, the 16GB solid-state tough drive, as good as Windows XP. That pattern costs $514 as good as comes really tighten to attack the benchmarks we set out in the “Building the Perfect Netbook” feature, that asked for identical components, though may be the rsther than bigger SSD tough expostulate as good as an impulse-purchase $499 price tag.

You can get the Inspiron Mini 9 down to as low as $349 by opting for the not as big tough expostulate (4GB or 8GB), 512MB of RAM, an Ubuntu Linux OS, or knocking down the Webcam to the lower-resolution option. Or, supplement couple of bucks for the choice inner Bluetooth antenna, that wasn’t in the set up (but is utilitarian for tethering the dungeon phone for mobile broadband access). As an engaging note, the Mini 9 assumingly includes an dead inner mobile broadband antenna. According to Dell, it will be announcing the conduit as good as coverage sum in the entrance weeks.

In person, the Mini 9 is identical in pattern to Asus’ 9-inch Eee PC. It’s rsther than thinner, during about 1.25 inches during the back, tapering rsther than toward the front. Our complement had the silken black finish (which is really fingerprint prone), as good as white is additionally available. Interestingly, most of the leaked product shots we’ve seen up to right away uncover the red model.

The plea for any Netbook is to fist as most set of keys as probable in to the really little space, as good as the Mini 9 does the great pursuit with it. The Dell minute keys have been incomparable than upon the 9-inch Eee PC, though sure keys–Tab, Caps Lock, as good as so on–are marked down to little slivers. In addition, the complete duty pass quarrel has been removed. F1 by F10 have been right away swap keys of the A to L row. It’s an engaging concede to get the most aspect area for bland typing, though creates the little tasks, such as jumping in between Web page fields with the Tab key, rsther than awkward.

Opening the lid, the 8.9-inch 1,024×600-pixel shade shares space with the Webcam upon top of as good as dual little orator grilles below. The arrangement offers usually sufficient space for displaying Web pages as good as Word documents, as good as we consider the 9-inch distance is the undiluted fit for Netbooks, rsther than than the not as big 7-inch or incomparable 10-inch screens upon alternative systems.

The Inspiron Mini 9 has 3 USB ports, headphone as good as mic jacks, the VGA out, SD label slot, as good as an Ethernet jack–a sincerely customary set of connectors in the Netbook world. Integrated Bluetooth is the $20 option, as good as Dell is approaching to make known the mobile broadband devise soon. We’d adore to see mobile broadband in some-more Netbooks, though it’s typically prohibitively costly as an choice upon the sub-$500 system.

With Intel’s brand brand new 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, privately written for low-power Netbooks, you’re not starting to find the same turn of opening you’d get from even an cheap Core 2 Duo laptop. Still, the Intel Atom processor achieved about as expected, closely relating the Asus Eee Personal Computer 901 as good as MSI Wind in the iTunes opening test.

In anecdotal testing, we found the Mini 9 to be rarely serviceable for Web surfing, e-mailing, as good as even personification song files (its speakers were surprisingly loud, if predictably thin-sounding). The combo of Intel’s Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, as good as Windows XP found in roughly each stream Netbook functions good for simple tasks, as prolonged as we keep expectations medium as good as do not thoughts occasional slack if we try as good as open as well most browser windows during once.

The Mini 9 ran for 3 hours as good as twenty-one mins upon the video playback battery empty test, regulating the enclosed 4-cell battery. That’s second usually to the 6-cell battery in the Asus Eee Personal Computer 901, as good as simply beats the Asus Aspire One as good as MSI Wind.

Dell includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor guaranty with the system, with mail-in service. Upgrading to the two-year devise will price an additional $128. Support is permitted by the 24-7 toll-free phone line, an online believe bottom as good as motorist downloads.

written by General Product Manager \\ tags: Dell, dell mini 12, Dell Mini 9, Laptop, Netbook, notebook