Customer Reviews

Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2863 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

So far I'm very impressed with this system. The keyboard is just awesome for a netbook, and with Windows XP Home, it's really not all that slow. I've had several heavier applications open at the same time and didn't really have any problems. Aptana Studio (My web development IDE of choice), FireFox 3, TrueCrypt, XAMPP (Apache & MYSql) just to name a few. I've only got a few real complaints about this computer. One, the touchpad is horrible. It really shouldn't have had the two buttons integrated into the bottom of it, it's not possible to have your index finger navigating and thumb clicking at the same time. It's quite annoying (I bought a cheap travel mouse). The other complaint I have is the video playback quality. It's really just not that good. It's actually quite choppy for the most part if you try watching videos in fullscreen. I have however found a workaround for this, and it makes the video quality look awesome (see notes at the bottom).

Pros:
Awesome 10" display
Great almost full-size keyboard
3 USB ports (one of the left, two on the right)
2.6lbs, it's super light
Decent speed for a 1.3Ghz system.


Cons:
Cruddy video playback (mostly full screen problems)
Horrible Linux video driver support (Intel GMA 500, google it)
Battery life is a little bit lacking compared to other netbooks.
Touchpad needs to be redesigned.

Video Playback Notes/Quality tweak:
As far as the cruddy video playback is concerned, the one thing that I have found to help with this is the usage of a third party media player. A friend of mine turned me on to a player called KMPlayer [...] which comes bundled with just about every video codec ever made, and not to mention that it's portable (it runs off of a thumb drive). Anyway, you can customize the video rendering to allow for a much smoother playback of videos even on this slower model. Here's what I do:

Right-Click in the main KMPlayer window
Click on "Video (Advanced)"
Click "Video Renderer" up near the top.
Down near the bottom select "Enhanced Video Renderer".
Be amazed at how much better your videos look.

The playback quality that I received from doing this rivaled my full-size desktop with a real graphics card in it. This is definitely the most redeeming quality about this netbook because it really unlocks the ability for this to be a good portable media player. Cheers.

I got this laptop about 2 days ago and am typing this review using it. The keyboard is great. About half of all netbooks have good keyboards like this one.

The best feature is that this Netbook is completely silent. There is NO fan which means there is no noise. This was the key feature for me because I like recording audio books so using this means I have a 100% silent environment to record my voice.

People complaint about the 1GB or ram but for windows XP that is all you really need. I think they can't add more ram to this netbook because it is passively cooled which means you can just slap in any module with your greasy fingers. I could be wrong. Anyways I would rather have 1GB with xp that runs everything then 2GB with Windows 7.

Another great feature that I only just noticed yesterday is that it has a sealed LCD. All other netbooks and laptops that I have seen have a normal lcd that is very difficult to clean. You know the type. If you touch it it ripples sort of so you become paranoid about cleaning them. This netbook has a solid plastic covering over the screen which means it is easy to clean.

Another important feature for me was that this included the windows XP reinstall CD. That means I can experiment with Android or Ubuntu and then put XP on later if I like. With other companies they don't include an OS cd so if you install another operating system on your computer and don't like it you are in trouble. Also the dell has no bloatware. I looked at the Acer 11.6 and it is full of about 100 useless bonus programs that slow it down. Enjoy doing that with no CD to fresh install.

So if you want a silent pc with an easy to clean screen get this one. Otherwise go with the Asus that has like 8 hour batter life. This one only have about 4 hours on a 3 cell battery.

absolutely exceeded all my expectations!!! Not only is the keyboard the perfect size, the Dell Chat feature is so much fun. I didn't even know it came with it, but it is free internet chat with anyone with a webcam and now when I travel I can talk and see my kids. Mine came with the 3 cell battery, but with the energy effecient Atom z520 proceesor I get plenty of battery life, almost 4 hours of continous use, probably closer to 6 if taking breaks or letting it go idle. Very slim and light weight and with the wide screen I don't have to scroll left to right to see everything on the page. It also comes standard with XP, which is awesome and easy to use. Oh, and the Dell Remote Access is so cool, I can access all my files, music and pictures from my home PC and not clog up my hard drive. I liked mine so much, i bought one each for my kids, so we can always stay in touch.

I don't have too much to add to the other comments. I agree that the touchpad is awkward and problematic to use and video playback is choppy at best. One thing I didn't see mentioned is that, because of the small screen, it cuts off some of your windows. For instance, when I was trying to set up the Wi-Fi wizard. it would cut off the bottom of the screen where you click "Next" or whatever. The workaround is to just hit Enter on your keyboard. However, when I tried to use Outlook to enter Contacts information, it cut off the bottom of that window where you would ordinarily enter address information. There is no workaround for that except to change your screen resolution. Then you can't see your entire screen (desktop screen for example)without scrolling back and forth and up and down. Very awkward. I'll probaly just make do with it since I have another primary computer. But if I had known the limitations, I probably would have just forked over the cash and gotten a laptop.

Update: Wish I could change my rating to 4 stars. I talked to a second tech support guy over at Dell and he was able to walk me through changing the screen settings so that windows don't get cut off. So now I really enjoy this little guy!

This is a very nice little laptop, and I have very few gripes. But first, the good stuff. The keyboard is a very nice size, which was important to me when buying it, seeing as I'm using it primarily as a writing laptop. I got it with 160 GB hard drive and 1 GB of RAM, which has done just fine for me. I haven't noticed the video problem others have pointed out, but I haven't watched much on it besides a few episodes of anime. :) It doesn't have a disc drive, but you can buy external ones, and I haven't had the need for it really. One of my favorite features is the various shortcuts for volume, brightness, and wireless on the keys; it really makes things convenient.

Really, my only gripe is the TERRIBLE touchpad. I have to use a little travel mouse for it most of the time, just because the touchpad is so bad. It has the left and right buttons integrated into the touchpad itself, so you can't really move the mouse with your thumb resting on the right button. This also makes it so it will randomly zoom in or out when I'm viewing documents and move the mouse, just because my thumb is resting where it naturally goes. The worst part is that when you try to click, instead of clicking, the touchpad thinks you want to move the mouse so it shoots the pointer off into either corner (depending on which button you clicked). This is definitely something that should be fixed in later models, but it isn't to terribly debilitating. More of a disappointment really, that it slipped through into this updated model. However, it can be worked around (aka, you get used to it), or you can buy a cheap travel mouse like I did, so don't hate it too much just for this.

Anyway, this is a very nice little laptop, lightweight, but it still feels sturdy, enough so that I don't worry about just putting it in my backpack. This is very important to me, because I believe for something to be truly "portable", it should be sturdy enough that you aren't afraid it will break if you take it around (like the Macbook Air). The battery life on mine is fairly good, I've never had a problem with it running out yet, and I drag it around and surf the internet with it even. I'd say it does about 3-4 hours, which works fine for my needs, although I'd expect more on something that's supposed to highly portable like this.

Overall, I give it four out of five for that terrible touchpad, and the okay battery life. I'd recommend this to someone who wants a nice portable secondary laptop, or even as a primary if your needs aren't too high.

Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2861 10.1-Inch Alpine White Netbook. Got this for my daughter for her birthday. The free shipping was the worst. We have bought other things on Amazon with free shipping and have never had a problem. This took almost two weeks to get here! Besides that, this is a good computer for small things. You cant watch videos, but to check emails, etc. it's good. The touch pad is hard to use. If you are not expecting alot out of a laptop, buy this.

I'd been wanting a netbook for quite awhile for reasons I can't explain. I already have a laptop (XPS 1530) which I use as my main computer most of the time. So this was purely a want... not a need. I found a good refurbished Dell mini 10 through Dell's outlet store for around $300 (there was a 15% coupon code available) that was configured almost exactly as I wanted. Here are the upgrades present in the unit I chose:

Ice blue color
1366x768 High-definition display (I believe it's LED-backlit)
Intel Atom Z530 1.6 GHz processor
6-cell battery (56 WHr)
Integrated ATSC digital TV tuner
Bluetooth

Even with a fairly standard package savings of $179, this configuration new costs $564 (non-package price is a staggering $743). It's really not worth $564 for any netbook, and $743 is obviously completely out of the question. Refurbished units from Dell are certified and come with a one-year warranty (two years with new) and the same lackluster India-based service that their new units come with.

However, if you can find this configuration for under around $350 ($375 at the very most), my opinion is that it's well worth it.

First, the mini 10 is well-built. Everything fits well (save the battery, which I'll cover later), and it just looks like a quality machine. The edge-to-edge glass covering the display is a very nice touch, and the colored case is beautiful (red and blue were really the only two non-black colors I'd have chosen). I personally think it's tacky for Dell to charge an eye-popping $40 for colors in their new configuration process (black and white are standard colors). I could understand $10 or even $15, but $40 is a bit much for just getting a different-colored top shell.

The keyboard, said to be 92% of a traditional full-size laptop keyboard, is frankly outstanding. I was very, very pleasantly surprised. I'm a fast touch typist and had no problem adapting in minutes to the mini 10's keyboard. There is no discernible keyboard flex, and the keys themselves respond well and feel natural under my fingertips. The full-sized right shift key is appreciated and the navigation keys (such as home, end, page up, etc.) are logically located, unlike those on the high-end XPS 1530 I have.

The display is gorgeous. I honestly cannot gush enough about it, and the resolution is what sets this netbook apart from nearly all others (including the standard mini 10 and the mini 10v). Going to 1366x768 from the near-ubiquitous 1024x576 in the netbook market is a near doubling of overall pixels, and a 33% increase in horizontal resolution. The effect is noticeable in the extreme. The display is LED-backlit and is incredibly bright, putting my CCFL-backlit XPS laptop to shame. In any sort of dimmed ambient lighting, I turn the mini 10's screen brightness down to its minimum setting and it's still plenty bright. This was my #1 requirement for the refurbished units I considered... it had to have the upgraded display. I would be hesitant to recommend the mini 10 over other excellent netbooks were it not for this option. It's that impressive. Very, very few other netbooks offer a HD screen option, so this really sets the mini 10 apart.

I didn't really care about HDTV, but I have to admit, it's pretty cool. Opening the TV wizard initiated a scan and within a couple of minutes, 23 channels were locked in, and the pictures were sharp and beautiful. Now, the internal antenna isn't particularly strong so Dell includes a nice little external HDTV antenna that plugs into an MCX port on the computer's left side. The antenna can be set on its base on the table, or mounted to the top frame of the display with its included slide/clip. It works very well, but I can't deny you would look like a chicken-fried dork sitting at a coffee shop with a rabbit-ear antenna protruding from the display of your netbook. HDTV is a cool option, but it wasn't something I had to have. This pre-configured refurbished netbook just happened to have it, and it's a neat little treat, but not at all necessary for me.

The tiny speakers on the mini 10 are out of sight, placed on the front underside of the chassis. Since the underside curves a bit, the speaker holes are not covered when the netbook is placed flat on a table. I have found that for system sounds, spoken dialog, and non-demanding sound effects, these speakers are perfectly adequate. They're obviously lacking when it comes to music and more robust sound effects (explosions, etc.) -- really, no surprises here. There's a lovely 1/8" headphone jack on the side that yields much better audio results, same as any laptop or netbook.

I got the upgraded Intel Atom Z530 processor (1.6 GHz from the 1.33 GHz of the standard Z520). There are plenty of techie reviews available that can quantify the difference between these processors. For my part, the Z530 seems to handle Windows XP just fine. My understanding is that the Z-series of Atom processors are more energy-efficient than the much more common N-series that proliferate in netbooks nowadays (N270/N280). So far, I have no complaints with the processor. Hard drive storage is the standard (and impressive) 160 GB at 5400 rpm. The drive is very quiet when being accessed, adequately fast, and doesn't seem to run hot at all.

The integrated graphics are okay. Obviously this machine is not going to fare well when compared with full-featured laptops with discrete 256 MB or 512 MB video cards, but that's not the niche the netbook seeks to fulfill. For most casual applications (watching videos on YouTube, uploading VGA videos shot with digicams, etc.), the mini 10 responds with aplomb. I haven't tried using the HDMI output to stream video to a large monitor or TV, but my understanding is that the integrated graphics chip can't really keep up with that sort of demand.

The mini 10 does tend to run warm after awhile, but reasonably so. My XPS 1530 gets noticeably hotter. I believe the mini 10 is fanless. There are four ventilation ports on the underside for passive cooling.

The 6-cell battery is a double-edged sword, to be certain. It's ungainly, could have been designed better, is somewhat ill-fitting (it's slightly loose even when latched securely into place), and obviously adds weight. But the benefits are unquestionable: I easily get 5.5 to 6 hours' runtime between charges, and were I to switch everything down and go into major power-saving mode, perhaps only running WiFi with a dim screen, that might add another 30-40 minutes. It's not a jaw-dropping battery life like some we've seen (8 hours), but it's ample and sufficient for me. The 6-cell battery elevates the rear of the netbook when placed flat, so it facilitates cooling and also angles the keyboard nicely. It's only when the computer is not in use that the added bulk of the battery is cumbersome. The AC adapter is slightly smaller than a deck of cards, well-designed (there's no "brick" in the middle), dual-voltage, and relatively lightweight. A white LED on the adapter end (that plugs into the mini 10) indicates power.

Speaking of white LEDs, there is one on the mini 10 itself, the power indicator, that is incredibly obnoxious in a darkened room. It's very bright, and, while when using the computer it's not a problem, when you close the screen, the light is incredibly bright. After the computer goes into its hibernation mode, the light "breathes" and it's equally annoying. White LEDs are great, but not in every application.

The touchpad has been roundly maligned in almost every professional review I've read. While it's not the best touchpad in the world, the integrated buttons DO actually click and I've not had too many problems with the pad itself. It supports multi-touch gestures such as scrolling, zooming, flipping (like through pages or a folder of photos), rotating, and a couple of other shortcuts. One I like is just laying your hand (usually all your fingers) on the pad to immediately minimize all windows and show the desktop. Very slick. Discrete buttons would have been nice, but the way it is really isn't awful, and I use a cordless travel mouse most of the time anyway.

Wireless communication features have been excellent. The integrated WiFi and Bluetooth cards have both worked flawlessly. No complaints at all. I have only the standard a/b/g WiFi card installed. The integrated 1.3 MP cam works seamlessly. My chat programs (MSN/Windows Live, Yahoo) detected and incorporated it easily. Quality seems to be good, as is the case with the adjacent microphone.

The weight of the netbook with the 6-cell battery is not bad, still under three pounds. It's not breathtakingly light, but it's very manageable, and it's really only the protrusion of the upgraded battery that prevents the mini 10 from being sleek and light all around.

Probably the most egregious and glaring fault of the mini 10 is its non-upgradable RAM. The 1 GB DDR RAM installed on the machine is actually soldered to the motherboard. I'm sure Dell had some semblance of a reason for doing this, but they should have found a workaround, or included 2 GB to begin with if they truly had to solder it. It's certainly no dealbreaker as 1 GB is largely sufficient in most XP application scenarios, but more memory is pretty much never a bad thing, and it was short-sighted of Dell to include only 1 GB of memory if it was going to be non-upgradable. This shortcoming has been lambasted on forums and comment boards, and rightly so. It is, in my opinion, the mini 10's Achilles' heel.

Overall, however, this netbook is very good. For me, the upgrades to a true HD display and the inclusion of HDTV (albeit gimmicky and geeky all at the same time) are what help the mini 10 stand out in a forest of distressingly similar netbooks. One need hardly even read the spec sheet of any 10" netbook produced in 2009: They're all the same, save some negligible differences. The real distinguishing factors are design and ease of use (keyboard, touchpad, etc.) -- the mini 10 excels in its design and the keyboard is excellent. The touchpad gets about a 6 or low 7 from me (out of 10), and as mentioned, it's the high-resolution display that pushes this one firmly into the "recommend" category. But with a slight caveat:

Would I pay $500 for the mini 10, even as equipped here? No. But at $300, or even $350, it's well worth it. It's an attractive and capable netbook, and is set apart from the herd by its color options and optional HD 1366x768 display.

Pros: Super-bright, gorgeous HD display, good build quality, excellent keyboard, several color options

Cons: Non-upgradable RAM, bulky 6-cell battery, small touchpad with non-discrete buttons, those color options cost $40

Overall: Great little netbook overall, but I think only if the HD screen is part of the package. Check out Dell Outlet and if you can find the configuration you want at a sub-$350 price point, snap it up. Full price? Pass on it.

I purchased this lil bitty net book to travel with due to it's compact & light size. If you have poor vision, beware. I'm straining to see the screen but if I change to a larger viewing area I am constantly scrolling left to right, right to left, a pain! It makes some weird noise upon starting it up, takes a minute to get going too. It's great for email, does have a built in web cam which I can't comment on as I have yet to use it. The keyboard is nice, great layout, but...if you have large fingers, you'll be all over the board on this baby. I have small hands, but while typing on this board, I feel like they're giant! Never used with just battery power so I can't comment on that just yet.

Display is nice and clear, you can only access one webpage at a time, no tabbed browsing here! I purchased a memory card in case I need to download small files & such.

I have to say, I don't miss not having a dvd/cd drive, no need for it, really, have other computers for that. The mousepad is indeed annoying, I thought it was just me, I haven't resorted to an external mice yet but I may soon.

Overall, it was a good buy, I will keep it.

Pros: compact, lightweight, email/chat/browsing, nice display, XP home operating system, cute :)

Cons: annoying touchpad, keyboard somewhat small, difficult typing fast, slow to start up

very fast machine ... runs xp very well...

a little problem with de video out put.. is only for a hdmi and not VGA (is the most popular input for projectors)...

runs Visual studio 2008 and sql sever very well...

and runs warcarft 3 too...

the sreen is a little small but is very portable...

Note: This review is for the Dell Mini 10 (Product) RED edition. It has the same specs as the regular Mini 10, but comes with a limited edition green patterned design on the case.

What's great about it: Sharp looks, great keyboard, fast program launch, solid build
What's not so great: Nothing, really.

"Yes, the Dell Mini 10 has the exact same specs as about a dozen other netbooks on the market right now. Very little sets one netbook apart from the next. As someone who owns a few different models and has used a few others as well, I have to say that I am very pleased with every aspect of this Dell.

The keyboard is wonderful - better than even the Toshiba Mini or the HP Mini, and that's saying a lot. Touch-typing is a dream - I was up to 100% accuracy within minutes, and the keys really feel substantial and sturdy under my fingers. They also have a very satisfying "click" that makes me happy.

The overall build of this netbook is very solid, and it seems like one of the most sturdy ones of its kind on the market right now. This Product model has a wonderful glossy screen with no bevel around the edges, which makes it wonderful to look at. Further, the nifty green cover (special edition) is great, making this as much a fashion accessory as a business tool. This model also has a tv tuner which worked very nicely in the Best Buy store. I have yet to try it out at home, but I have high hopes for it.

The mouse pad area is rather small - I suppose you have to sacrifice something to get the great keyboard - but this is tolerable. The mouse pad is a bit twitchy, however, and I am hoping that I will be able to adjust that once I get into things more. This is not a deal breaker, because so many netbooks out there have this problem.

Programs launch pretty quickly on the Dell Min 10, although boot up seemed to take forever. Windows XP runs very smoothly here, and the machine seems to do exactly what it was designed to do. A nice bonus: this netbook comes with restore discs for XP, Works and all the drivers, something I haven't seen in all the other netbooks. And my experience with Dell tech support has been great over the past year.

As someone who owns the Averatec Buddy (rebranded MSI Wind) and an early Asus Eee PC and who was eyeing the next generation of 11.6 inch netbooks, I have to say that I am very pleased with this Dell and, as usual, glad I made another Dell purchase.

If you are looking for a compact, attractive, solidly-built netbook that more than holds its own against the competitors, I highly recommend this special edition Dell Mini 10. I am thrilled with it, and I think it will soon become my new best friend."