Dell netbooks are known for their sleek designs and their numerous customization options. However, the battery life and ergonomics of previous Dell netbooks leaves a lot to be desired. This was, of course, until the new Dell notebook Inspiron mini 10 was introduced into the marketplace. This newest version of their netbook takes advantage of Intel’s new atom N450 processor. The major difference of this processor is a far more efficient CPU and this netbook is also able to offer up to 9 hours of battery life.
The Dell mini 10 netbook offers a far more distinctive design and is available in various colours. It encompasses a 250 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM and even includes the Windows 7 starter edition. When you consider that this dell netbook is available for under $400, it is easy to see why it is so popular. The new netbook offers a wedge shaped design and a lid that sits directly on top of the deck rather than falling behind the body. This specific dell netbook weighs 3 pounds which is only slightly heavier than most average netbooks at 2.8 pounds.
You will notice that the mini 10 netbook is made of white plastic with a glossy finish which surprisingly is able to hide fingerprints. It comes in a range of colours that include black, blue, green, pink, purple, and red. You also have the choice of up to 229 different lids that are available via Dell’s design studios. You are able to personalise the type of lid you wish to have on your netbook and these range from artists’ designs, to numerous colours of lipstick and even a New York Yankees pattern. However, you should be aware that if you do wish to personalise the lid design of your netbook you will have to pay up to $85.
The Dell mini 10 netbook has a completely new keyboard. Rather than the standard flat design you will notice that the keyboard is now terraced which means that the top is far smaller than the base. With that said, you are still able to comfortably type on this keyboard without any unnecessary stretching. However, Dell have retained the touchpad that offers integrated mouse buttons, which is fairly large at 3 x 1.4 inches, although you may find that the buttons are fairly small. In addition to this, Dell have changed the type of driver that they have typically used for previous versions of their netbook. The mini 10 no longer has an Elantech driver and the new style of Synaptics driver is being used. This type of driver will not support certain multi-touch gestures that include two finger scrolling, rotating or pinching to zoom. However, many users may consider this a good thing as some of these gestures can be fairly tricky to use. If you are someone who typically uses both hands on a touchpad you may actually find Dell’s book touchpad rather difficult to use.
Some of the more favourable features of the new dell netbook include HD resolution, mobile broadband and a TV tuner. These simple features in conjunction with the favourable price and extended battery life make this one of the best versions of netbooks that Dell has ever managed to produce. You have an additional option of adding a USB sound bar that will typically clip onto the lid just above the web can. As the Dell netbook only has very small speakers, this addition will definitely improve the sound quality, although it is still likely to lack any bass.
On the side of the Dell netbook you will notice three USB ports, a VGA port, headphone jacks and mic. Additionally you will also find card readers for both SD and MS Flash media. There is an SIM card slot that is hidden in the battery compartment. You will find that there is no specific access panel on the bottom of the netbook, although there are numerous vents. This would actually mean that should you ever wish to upgrade the RAM or any other components you will initially need to perform some minor repairs on your netbook. Another favourable addition is the single piece power adapter. The majority of netbooks and laptops will typically come with a power brick and also a separate cable. However, the dell netbook merely has a single cord which means that it is far easier to carry around with you.
The performance of the dell netbook is very much what you would expect from a netbook that has an Intel atom N450 processor. It can quite easily handle 720p HD video playback, but anything above this may cause you certain problems. Unfortunately, this will mean that this specific netbook is currently unable to support HD Flash video, but Adobe and Broadcom are currently working on a solution to this.
This Dell Netbook - Best Brand to Buy Review is Written/Updated on Apr 1st, 2011 and filed under Computer Hardware. Both comments and pings are currently closed.