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Dell Mini laptops were some of the best selling netbooks in the world. They has some different features which made them special compared to the rest of the netbooks on the market. When I say “Dell Mini laptops” I’m thinking about the Dell Mini 9 and the Dell Mini 10.
Netbook are preferred sometimes because they are cheaper and smaller. Since portability is an important factor for most people that buy laptops, netbooks are usually sized between 8.9 and 12 inches. They are also knows as mini laptops and they are light so weight isn’t a problem so throw them in your purse, bag, backpack and carry them around wherever you need them as you won’t even feel they’re there. Because they are so small, the components used a lot weaker in terms of performance. In consequence they can only be used for basic computing needs like surfing the internet and doing some word processing. They are ideal for people that travel frequently as you can pull them out of your bag even in an airplane and comfortably used them on your lap. They will help you keep in touch with people back home and who said you can’t check your e-mails even if you are away on holiday? These types on mini laptops usually come with Intel Atom processors which are weak, yet ideal for such a small gadget.
The Intel Atom processor comes in 2 common versions. First there is the N series and then there is the Z series. The difference between these 2 is that the Z series has a chipset with a much better graphics processor. The Intel Atom N series is not so keen on supporting the video accelerating technology which makes video playback run smoothly.
The Dell Mini 10 is an example of such a useful mini laptop which uses the Z series. It is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor. The starting price is $350 and but the unit reviewed cost about $534. The tested unit had 1 GB of RAM and other features like an Ethernet jack, a HDMI output, and a 10 inch display which has a native resolution 1366 x 768.
The display however is going to prove itself uncomfortable for people that are used to maneuvering big monitors. It’s going to take a lot of scrolling through web pages and big documents. It has 3 USB ports which is a lot for a netbook.
There are 15.4 inch laptops that have the same number of USB ports. The HDMI port allows you to connect an external monitor so you can enjoy a movie at home without having to stare at the small screen. The reviewed unit came with a HD TV tuner. It’s weird to put a TV tuner inside such a small laptop. TV tuners are common for bigger laptops because you can record certain TV shows and programs and then watch them later when you are on the road.
This is unlikely to be possible for a netbook because the hard drives are not only small, they are also slow. On the left side of the Dell Mini 10 there is a SD/Memory stick card reader.
Even if you use the Dell Mini 10 with Windows XP, the operating system will quickly become unresponsive. Performance is often missing from mini laptops so it’s not like any of expected to see a sky rocket when buying the unit. It has some serious competitors like the Asus EEE PC or the Acer Aspire One mini laptop. Like we said, the starting price is $350 and if don’t need the fancy features like the built in TV tuner (which is lousy and slow anyway) or the high resolution screen and this could lower the price to about $400. It’s not the best 10 inch mini laptop around so if you are looking for a netbook this size than you could do much better.
The capacity of the hard disk is different so you can choose from the smaller 32 GB of space up to 250 GB of space which is not available with all the operating systems. When you think about the extra portability that the Dell Mini 10 offers that you’ll never think twice before buying this laptop.
However, if you check out other models on the market from other manufacturers, you will find much better deals. Compare different mini laptops with different specs and prices and see if there is another one out there which is more suitable for your needs.11
Written by tweaklaptops, date Nov 12, 2010 in Dell
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