There are a number of Netbooks or mini laptops available in the market today, but some of them only catch the attentions of tech-savvy users and generate good response. Compared to other famous and unknown laptop manufacturer, Dell launched its mini laptop late but all the important technology and laptop websites tried to review Inspiron Mini 9. Here, I have tried to collect the different views and opinions of 5 websites like NotebookReview, Cnet, PC Magazine, and PCWorld for, you will get better and more real idea about Inspiron Mini 9.
1- NotebookReview had its hands on a pre-production Inspiron Mini 9 (Linux version) with the price tag of $434. The system featured 1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB SSD, 8.9" 1024 x 600 WSVGA glossy LED backlit display, Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Ethernet/LAN, VGA, 3USB ports, 4-in-1 Media card reader, 4-Cell 32Wh Li-ion battery (three hours and 38 minutes), 1.3 MP webcam, and Ubuntu 8.04 Linux with Custom Dell Interface (Includes Open Office).
The writer of the review thinks that Inspiron Mini 9 comes with the following good sides and bad sides:
(Pros)
-Low price subnotebook or Netbook
- Small and light and easy to use
- It is easy to upgrade with extra RAM, or Storage or inserting an extra wireless mini card.
- The chassis is solid and durable; especially magnesium alloy is used in one location in side the chassis.
-The glossy LED backlit display is nice and comes with rich colors and good contrast.
-Responsive Synaptics touchpad with smooth tracking. The touchpad buttons have no “click” sound while pressing
-No noisy cooling fan
- Dell-developed custom interface acts similar to Windows. Thus, using Ubuntu has become as easy as using Windows. The system is preloaded with many useful applications that all are necessary. However, If you try to install new applications, you will require knowing some open source anyway.
- 3 USB ports sound good
-impressive speakers
(Cons)
-Gets a little hot
- Glossy plastic lid is easily smeared by fingerprints
- The keyboard is more spacious than the keyboards used in 7-in and 8.9-in Eee PC laptops but it is still cramp.
- No F11 or F12 keys, other function keys in strange location (in the middle of the keyboard rather than the top row)
- The sound in highest volume gets distortion
- The screen has some reflections and glare
- 4-cell battery is nice, 6-cell battery would be better
Benchmark result:
-The boot time is 20 second that is nice.
-The 8GB SSD buffered read speed at 26.91MB/sec is faster than the 4GB SSD used in the Eee PC 4G performing at 21.78 MB/sec.
2- Cnet had its hands on a Windows Version of Mini 9 prcing at $514 and featuring 1.6 GHz Atom N270 Processor, 1GB of RAM, a 16GB solid-state hard drive, 8.9" display, Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset, modem, Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Webcam.
The Cnet writer thinks that Inspiron Mini 9 is similar to Eee PC 901 and Acer Aspire One but with more customization options. Cnet considered it as a very good laptop and has given a rating of 7.3 out of 10.
(Pros)
-More configurable than other Netbooks in the market; It is a good example of a Netbook
- Good battery life;
- coming with standard set of connections like 3USB ports, VGA
-Bluetooth is a $20 option and mobile broadband coming soon
- Options running on XP or Linux OS
(Cons)
-Some awkward keyboard compromises;
-no SSD options larger than 16GB
- The glossy black finish is smeared by fingerprints easily
Benchmark result:
- iTunes performance test: Mini 9 was closely matched to Eee PC 901 and MSI Wind
- Video playback
3- PC Magazine had its hands on a Mini 9 with the price tag of $399.
The writer thinks that Dell mini doesn’t have any chance to overtake the Editor Choice “MSI Wind PC”:
Despite all the time Dell has had to develop a great product, the final result isn't quite enough to overtake the MSI Wind, our Editors' Choice in this category.
(Pros)
- Well-priced with eValue code
-The 8.9-inch display is bright and nice and some how it is similar to those of the ASUS 900 and the Acer Aspire One.
- It comes with better mouse buttons with less click sound than the other rivals mentioned in this review.
- The CPU 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 is a good choice. However, none of the mini laptops including Mini 9 can do multi-tasking operations with Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM.
- Mini 9 with 4-cell battery (32-WH) delivers longer battery runtime than Wind PC and Acer One with 24-WH batteries each.
(Cons)
- The keyboard is cramp. It is smaller than those of the MSI Wind and the HP Mini-Note
- Opting expensive SSD with short storage rather than bigger spinning hard disk with cheaper price especially compared to its peers like Wind PC and HP Mini-Note that provide 80GB HDD each.
- It doesn't have a built-in ExpressCard slot like the HP mini- note and the Lenovo IdeaPad S10
- The maximum RAM is only 1GB and there is no option for bigger RAM. Also, it doesn't offer an extended battery and large-enough storage options
Benchmark Result:
-Windows Media Encoder tests: Mini 9 scored 4-minute 58-second jus closely to Wind PC scoring 5minutes.
4- Laptop Magazine had its hands on Mini 9 with basic configuration (1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM, and 4GB SSD, and 802.11a/g Wi-Fi) and running on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron with custom Dell Interface and price tag of $399.
The mini 9 is bundled with 2GB of free online storage via Boxnet.com for the users who feel 4GB SSD is not enough for them.
(Pros)
- One of the smallest and lightest 8.9-inch mini laptops (lighter and smaller than Acer Aspire one and HP 2133 Mini-Note)
- Dell’s Ubuntu version makes it easier switching between different programs
- Simple, compact and sturdy design with Glossy finish. It feels more expensive than its price tag
- The glossy screen looks sharp from a variety of angles
- Loud speaker sound
- The keyboard is spill-resistant. The keys have good tactile feedback. The trackpad is solid and has a decent size.
- Good Wi-Fi
-Decent battery life: lasting 3 hours and 12 minutes with Wi-Fi on
-Configurable online
(Cons)
- It smudges with fingerprints easily
-Awkward keyboard and awkward placement of a few keys
-Solid state (SSD) storage only
- There is no ExpressCard slot
-Extended battery not yet available
- It gets hot
Benchmark Result:
- Boot time: 35 seconds that is 15 seconds slower than the Acer Aspire one with Linux
5- PC World had its hands on windows Version Mini 9 pricing at $474 featuring 1.6 GHz Atom N270 Processor, 1GB of RAM, and an 8GB solid-state drive and Bluetooth, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi.
The writer thinks that Dell Mini 9 reminds you the Studio line laptops. The mini 9 is a good basic machine to surf in internet, check e-mail and do some light computing works. The writer thinks this system is a nice option for kids and the users who looking for an on-the-go system.
Regarding comparison between Inspiron Mini 9 and Acer Aspire One the writer stated: “I would have a tough time choosing this over Acer's Aspire One, but Dell's first venture into the world of mini-notebooks has produced a worthy competitor.”
(Pros)
- It is a tiny Netbook
-The screen is sharp
-Dell's
-A free 2GB of storage with Box.Net for online file storage service.
-A solid mini-laptop
-Terrific design with a good price
(Cons)
-If you don't view the screen from precisely the right angle, the screen looks a little dim
- Except alphanumeric keys, very key is either in odd place or scrunched
- The speakers are not as good as the ones used in Asus's $650 Eee 1000H
- Short storage and no other alternative
- Lack of an additional SD slot to allow users to insert a second SD Card
Benchmark Result:
-Boot time with XP: 30 seconds
-Opening Microsoft Works 8 second
-Downloading a 77MB music in about 7 seconds
-
0 comments
Post a Comment