NetbookTech

Didn’t get a chance to post this on Thursday but Dell is now offering their new 12 inch netbook – the Inspiron Mini 12 – here in the U.S. The Mini 12 is a mixed bag for netbook lovers out there. On one hand you’ve got yourself a larger display, a thin form factor, and a sub 3 pound weight. Sounds great right? Well it’s countered by a max of 1GB of memory, a pokey 4800 RPM hard drive, and of course Windows Vista. Now granted, Vista isn’t exactly horrible on a netbook but if you’ve got a max of 1GB of memory and a slow 4800 RPM hard drive – things are just gonna hurt if you plan on running multiple apps.

Now in case you forgot the specs, here’s the summary:

• Choice of either the Intel Atom Z520 (1.33 GHz processor) or the Z530 (1.6GHz processor)
• Windows Vista Home Basic OS
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Intel US15W chipset
• Intel GMA 500
• Glossy 12.1 inch WXGA display (1280 x 800)
• One external speaker
• Up to 80 GB 4200 RPM HDD
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• Ethernet port
• 15 pin VGA video connector
• 1 audio line out and 1 microphone in
• 3 in 1 media card reader
• 3 cell or 6 cell Lithium Ion battery
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• 802.11 g Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Measures 11.77 x 0.92 x 9.02 inches and weighs 2.72 lbs

Dell currently has three featured systems. Here’s the breakdown:

On the low end, there’s the $549 model which comes with:

• Intel Atom Z520 processor
• 12.1 inch display
• 1GB RAM
• 40GB PATA HDD
• Intel GMA 500
• 802.11 Wi-Fi
• 3 cell battery

The mid-range $599 model comes with

• Intel Atom Z530 processor
• 12.1 inch display
• 1GB RAM
• 60GB PATA HDD
• Intel GMA 500
• 802.11 Wi-Fi
• 6 cell battery

Finally, on the high end, you’ve got the $649 model with:

• Intel Atom Z530 processor
• 12.1 inch display
• 1GB RAM
• 80GB PATA HDD
• Intel GMA 500
• 802.11 Wi-Fi
• 6 cell battery

I want to  like the 12.. it looks sexy enough.. but the pokey configurations are just driving me up the wall.

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