NetbookTech

Dell Mini 12 – we hardly knew ya. That’s right folks. Dell has decided to stop selling the 12 inch netbook; instead focusing in on the 10 inch netbook marketing citing the fact that “for a lot of customers, 10-inch displays are the sweet spot for netbooks.” 

And based on Lionel Menchaca’s comments on the Direct2Dell blog site, it appears many customers are equating physical form factor size to CPU horsepower: “customers who buy  a 12-inch system expect a little more horsepower”.

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Could the Inspiron Mini 12 days be numbered? After a lukewarm reception at best (and that’s being generous here), it appears the Mini 12 could be heading to the chopping block – that is if you believe the folks at DigiTimes. The news site claims sources have revealed that Dell has suspended shipments of the Mini 12. Of course, this hasn’t been confirmed nor denied by Dell as of yet.

Would we be surprised by such a move? Not really. While featuring a super thin form-factor, the mini 12 suffered from a number of issues such as poor battery life, slow hard drive, and the inclusion of Windows Vista.

Truth is, we think you’ll see the Inspiron Mini 12 on the Dell website for some time to come. Our guess – they have an extensive inventory of the Mini 12 so there’s no need to order more right now.

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Looking for a netbook and not afraid of refurb systems? Head on over to the Dell Outlet website and look at some of their refurb Inspiron Mini 9/12 systems. The inventory is constantly changing so make sure to check on it often to see if the prices meet your criteria.

At the time of this posting, the lowest priced Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is for $249. Specs for this system include an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, Ubuntu Linux, an 8.9 inch display, 4GB SSD, 1GB of RAM, Intel graphics, and Wi-Fi. 

On the 12 inch side, the lowest priced Inspiron Mini 12 is currently at $379. The specs for this system include an Intel Atom 1.33GHz processor, Windows Vista Home Basic, a 12.1 inch display, 40GB PATA HDD, 1GB RAM, Intel Graphics, and Wi-Fi. For $50 dollars more, you can get a faster 1.6GHz Atom processor coupled with a 60GB PATA HDD.

Of course, if you look around, you just might be able to find some additional Dell coupons to lower the price even further.

via CNET News.com

A new review of the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 is out – this time from the folks at Stuff.co.nz. While there’s a lot going for the Mini 12, there’s also a couple of annoying features. The system supports a max of 1GB of RAM, has a slow, pokey hard drive, and comes with Windows Vista (not Windows XP or Linux like other models out there). Here’s a snippet from the review:

“For all that, the Inspiron Mini 12 isn’t as good as it could be.”

NotebookReview takes a look at the new HP Mini 1000 netbook here on their website. The Mini 1000 is HP’s second generation netbook featuring a larger 10.2 inch display, and the Intel Atom processor. I recently played with the Mini 1000’s keyboard and I must say, it’s quite good. Here’s what NotebookReview thinks of the Mini 1000:

“The HP Mini 1000 is a clear winner on the netbook front, offering a great design and being very user-upgrade friendly. It offers the best keyboard out of the entire netbook crowd, only matched by the earlier Mini-Note 2133 which uses the same design. “

Finally, DailyTech reviews the MSI Wind U100-483JP netbook here on their website. Here’s a snippet:

“Although the Eee PC 1000H is a solid choice for portable computing I think the MSI Wind U100 is the better pick.”

Enjoy!

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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LaptopMag has followed up their first look of the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 netbook with a full blown review now up on their website. The Mini 12, in case you already forgot, is the 12 inch big brother to the Inspiron Mini 9 – featuring an Atom Z530 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 92 percent keyboard, a 1.3 megapixel camera, 60GB 4200 RPM HDD, Intel GMA 950 graphics, Wi-Fi, media card reader, and Windows Vista Basic SP1.

Here were some of the pluses identified by LaptopMag:

• Six cell battery provides 5+ hours of battery life
• 92 percent keyboard with full dedicated row of function keys
• 12 inch 1280 x 800 resolution display gives room for two windows side by side

Here were the negatives:

• Built-in speakers were weak
• Max of 1GB of RAM
• PATA/ZIF hard drive interface
• Weak performance under Windows Vista
• Sluggish 4200 RPM HDD

Here’s the verdict:

But while we applaud Dell’s efforts to make Vista easier to use with its flashy dock, the Mini 12 doesn’t have the right hardware to handle this OS. Plus, the 12-inch screen costs a premium; its price of $654 is about $150 more than the 10-inch Samsung NC10 ($499), which offers better performance, a bigger hard drive, and longer battery life. We suggest that buyers hold off until next month when Dell offers the Mini 12 with Windows XP or its customized Ubuntu Linux operating system.

Bummer. I had high hopes for the Inspiron Mini 12 – if only because of the 12 inch display. However the combination of a max of 1GB of RAM, a slow 4200 RPM HDD, and the use of Windows Vista, tells me the Mini 12 might only be appealing when the price drops way below $500 dollars.  Of course, if you like the other of a netbook but want the 12 inch display, then the Inspiron Mini 12 is really your own choice at this time.

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Now that the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 netbook is official (at least in Japan), LaptopMag has decided to publish their first impressions article of an early pre-production unit that they came across a few months back. Being less than an inch thick and featuring a 12 inch display, one couldn’t help but compare the Mini 12 up against the MacBook Air. Of course the Air has a much more powerful processor but the Mini 12 has a lot going for it too – especially when you compare the system against smaller popular netbooks out on the market now. The display has a higher resolution, the keyboard i larger, and there are plenty of ports on the system. Most of all – all of this is provided in a system less than three pounds and costing less than $600 dollars. Not too shabby! It might end up replacing my IdeaPad S10 after all.

Make sure to check out the LaptopMag article for many more pictures of the Mini 12 up against the MacBook Air.

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One of the worst kept product secrets is finally official. Dell has finally announced the 12 inch Inspiron Mini 12 netbook. The system is making its first appearance in Japan with global availability starting in November. Prices are expected to start at under $600 dollars for the 12 inch netbook.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 12 features an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, your choice of either a 60GB or 80 GB HDD, built-in Bluetooth and 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, a 12.1 inch WXGA display, a built-in webcam, and Windows Vista Home Basic. It measures a mere 0.92 inches thick at its thinnest point and weighs only 2.72 lbs. Dell also announced that it will offer Windows XP and Ubuntu as alternative OS choices.

The full specifications are as follows:

• Intel Atom Processor Model Z520 running at 1.33 GHz or 1.6 GHz with 512KB L2 cache, 533MHz FSB
• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
• 12.1 TFT TrueLife WXGA (1280 x 800) display
• 60GB or 80GB SATA 4200RPM HDD
• 801.11 b/g Wi-Fi
• Intel GMA 500
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 10/100 Ethernet
• VGA port
• 1 Line-out, 1 Mic-in
• 5-in-1 memory card reader with support for SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/MS Pro
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Measures 299 x 229 x 23.3-27.6 mm  (11.77 x 9.01 x 0.91 ~ 1.08 inches)
• Weighs 1.24kg (2.7 lbs)

My initial reactions”:

• The system looks pretty sweet in an all-black outer shell
• The 12 inch display has a better resolution than typical 9 or 10 inch displays
• The Atom processor is not the same as the N270 used in typical netbooks- this is a MID oriented Atom processor
• Windows Vista is OK but I think I’d still rather have XP
• Why release this initially in Japan???

[Check out the press release via Ubergizmo]

[Check out the Dell Japan product page]

Thanks to this Dell support page, it’s pretty much all but confirmed that Dell will be releasing a new 12 inch netbook called the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 (model 1210). The page has links to it all – user manual, setup guide, and troubleshooting documents – though many of the links no longer work.. (looks like someone at Dell realized the mistake – darn). Here’s what we know about the specs of the Mini 12:

• 12.1 inch display with 1280 x 800 resolution
• Intel Atom Z520 or Z530 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 10/100 Ethernet LAN
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Optional WWAN support
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• VGA output
• Audio in/out
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• 3 or 6 cell battery
• Weight of around 2.73 lbs
• Ubuntu or Windows

The choice of the Atom Z520/530 processor is certainly an interesting one for Dell. These Atom processors (codenamed Silverthorne) are typically used in Ultra-Mobile PC systems (UMPC) – not in netbook systems. The Z520 and 530 processors support hyper-threading technology just like the N270 BUT the Z5xx processors also support Intel’s Virtualization Technology which the N270 does not. Could this mean the Inspiron Mini 12 is designed to target the corporate market? Makes sense doesn’t it? A larger screen, a larger keyboard are all attractive options for mobile professionals. Throw in VT technology and the IT department heads might really love the package.

One other note, the Z5xx series also come in a smaller package size than the N270 Diamonville Atom processors which also means the Z5xx series dissipates a bit less heat. Speed wise, the Z520 is a 1.33 GHz part while the Z530 is a 1.6 GHz part.

No word on price but this could be a knockout winner IF the price is right.

[Check it out via Engadget]