Customer Reviews

Dell Inspiron Mini IM12-2871 12.1-Inch Promise Pink Netbook

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

PROS: big, vivid screen; nearly full-sized keyboard AND trackpad; very slim and light despite the 12.1" screen; works great with XP

CONS: glossy case is print-prone; some shrunken buttons on keyboard; 3-cell battery life is low, need the 6-cell; RAM not upgradeable
----------------

Are you looking for a light, slim laptop that mimics the Macbook Air at a fraction of the price? Then the Dell Mini 12 would be a great choice for you!

I wanted the readable/usable screen size of 12.1 (10 might be the sweet spot for some people, but not for me -- see for yourself firsthand) with a good keyboard, large trackpad, and light weight. Another important consideration was battery life of at least 5+ hrs (more on that later).

The Dell Mini 12 hits all of those points. The 12.1" screen causes some debate about its classification as a "netbook," but its Atom processor and low price definitely puts it in netbook territory. The screen is lovely, with true colors, no blotches or dead pixels, and decent viewing angles. The Atom processor (mine is 1.6 GHZ) is more than capable for basic web surfing, light typing, and reading PDFs in a Windows XP environment. And the price (I got it for under $400 at the brand name's Outlet store) is superb, if you shop around.

The one featured on Amazon is decent, though it has the slightly slower chip; however, most online reviews downplay the effect of this clock speed decrease. Realize that it has 1GB of RAM, which is suitable for basic netbook applications on XP. But no expandability exists with this current setup -- that may be a downer for those looking to soup up their netbook into performance ranges of a normal laptop or desktop.

Another knock against the Amazon one -- it comes with only the 3-cell battery. That's good for 2-3 hrs with some serious power conservation (Bluetooth off, screen brightness at maximum low), but the 6-cell gives you 5-6hrs easy. It adds a little bulk to the rear end, but this baby's back is still appealing and makes it easier to hold, if you know what I mean...

Another unexpected but appealing feature to the Dell Mini 12: it is completely fanless. Somehow it manages to stay cool to the touch! Over time, I have found the silence and relative coolness to be big pluses.

In the end, the key thing for me is usability. I found the 12.1" screen to be kind to my eyes and the trackpad/keyboard combo to be virtually normal-sized. The engineers at Dell were still able to package the Mini 12 into a ridiculously slim, light case. The closest competitor here would be the Samsung NC20, which is chunkier, louder, warmer, and more expensive, albeit with a much bigger hard drive and RAM expandability. For my purposes, the Dell Mini 12 is perfect. It just might be the same for you.

I purchased my cherry red Dell mini 12 a few weeks back directly from Dell. (it was a "scratch and dent" model) I was looking for a inexpensive, small, light and quiet laptop to surf the web/ watch some online videos and on occasion travel with. I also wanted to try out the Linux OS. The Dell Mini 12 fit those requirements. It is easy to set up and I have had no issues with the Linux OS or the software that came with it. There was a sizable amount of "upgrades" that I downloaded (over 250mb!) when I first connected online, but if you have a broadband connection it's no big deal. I've watched videos on Hulu and Youtube and they work fine. I've opened MS office files with the open office package and that works good too. The big plus here is the 12" screen with the 1280 X 800 resolution. You can see an entire web page with that resolution without scrolling (something you can't have with the smaller 9" and 10" models). I also have the 6 cell battery which I can use for 4-5 hours on a charge. However, it does add some extra depth to the unit which is important when buying a slip cover or bag. I purchased a Mini 12 sleeve for my dell mini and it is a tight fit with the 6 cell battery.
Now there are some issues you should be aware of before you purchase the Dell Mini 12. First off if your into the Linux stuff this unit has "custom" hardware and "closed" software that only work with the dell mini 12 version of Umbuntu so if your thinking "I'll just upgrade to the latest greatest" you will be sorely disappointed (check out conical's support pages). If Dell/Intel/conical plan on updating these custom closed drivers so you can upgrade to Umbuntu 9.04 they have not made any official announcement to that effect that I can find. You also should not expect Dell to give you much help with the Linux OS. They will send you to online web support sites. This unit has no fan so in order for it not to get overheated you have things like a slow hardrive and no memory expansion. The speaker output is really poor so plan on using it with head phones. The keyboard not being full size takes a litle getting used to and If I was a fast touch typist a big issue, but I'm not so it works for me. In short, what you have with the Mini 12 is an appliance like your stove or fridge. Buy it, turn it on, configure the settings, it works (hopefully!) but don't go looking to MacGyver this thing into your next video editor! Just plan on buying the next model when it comes out in a year of so.

I spent about 35 hours a week trying to find the right Netbook. It is SO hard, since there are so many and they are so very similar. I did try an HP Netbook, which had a good keyboard and good speakers, but the screen was just too small.

After talking to the guys at a Laptop Repair Carlsbad they told me about the Dell Mini 12, and they said that I can get it for less than Dell sells it for, if I buy it from Amazon.com

The Mini 12 came in the mail a few days later, and I was very happy with it, once I disabled most of the startup items using msconfig

It was easy to connect to my wireless network, and I love the large screen. The speakers are the only low point for this device, so I usually in some external speakers. This Netbook is VERY Lightweight, runs most applications fast, and runs cool and very quite, with is no fan. It does have video output, but does not run every resolution, just a few of the more common ones.

Highs
- Very Light
- Large LCD for a Netbook
- Runs cool and quite
- Fast Enough for me

Lows
- Speakers are not LOUD

The Verdict
- Why live with a smaller screen if you don't have to?

Mark

SPECIAL NOTE ON THE ADDITIONAL DELL MINI 12s THAT I BOUGHT AFTER THE FIRST ONE ... SOME OF THESE ARE FACTORY REFURBS BEING SOLD AS NEW. THEY HAVE SCRATCHES ON THE BOTTOM. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS THE FAULT OF DELL OR AMAZON, BUT IT IS A BIT TACKY.

I just got this mini 12 and must say is very good looking. Now, since I only use it for music-photos-e-mail and internet I cannot make an ďn-depth"review. But when it comes to pictures, the quality and sharpness are not there. I have an old Gateway 15.4" XP that beats the pants off this one. But is and old, heavy, taking too much space on my desk.
so I will keep it as photo & music processor and storage, and use this one for internet and e-mail only. I would love to have the lightness of this one, with the excellent sharpness and detail of my old one. Any suggestions?

I ordered this notebook because I thought it would be the perfect solution to fulfull my basic needs such as surfing the web, downloading song, etc. When it first arrived I was surprised by how compact it was and also how cool it looked. When I turned it on, I noticed that the programs seemed quite old... microsoft works, etc. I don't think I've used Works for almost 15 years. But, "oh well" I thought since I'd use my desktop for word processing needs.

At first it worked pretty well, but I found it to be very slow and froze a lot. One thing that irked me is that it didn't even have enough power to run my Yahoo! mail upgrade. So, I had to convert back to the "old" mail view because the computer couldn't handle it. Then, an icon appeared asking me if I wanted to upgrade my IE since it appeared the version I was using was old. I thought, 'why not', however, big mistake! The computer was even slower after that and froze constantly.

So, I ended up having to return this and I'm real disappointed about that! Was it just me being too impatient? I asked myself that a couple of times, but I really thing the notebook was just a dog. I've been hesitant to purchase another one since I fear they all might be this slow. I did read good reviews about ASUS, so I may give that a try.

Hope this was helpful!

Dell has always had the perfect product for computers. I have had a desktop and 3 laptops and now have this red Dell Inspiron Mini. The laptop came set up with Windows XP all ready to use. My wireless account worked perfectly. The screen is a perfect size, I don't have a problem with the keyboard, it is 92% the size of a standard keyboard. The Dell mini weighs 2.5 pounds. I have to be careful and not lift more than 5 pounds with my right arm, so this lightweight laptop is a perfect size for me. I travel frequently and this laptop is perfect for travel, I can slip it into my handbag. Mine has a 6 cell battery and lasts longer than my larger laptops. I store photos on my laptop and I have more room than I will ever use.

The best feature is the Dell Remote Access. I can find, use and share on my computer even while away from home. I can access files in my home from anywhere with Internet access. I can take a picture from my phone and upload it to my picture folder and share it with family and friends.

The Dell has 3 USB ports that I can connect my MP-3 and digital camera. This is perfect for vacation and traveling when you want to download pictures easily and to upload new tunes. This Dell Mini has a low price for the productivity and portability. The affordable price was one of the factors that attracted me to a second laptop.

Highly Recommeded. prisrob 07-05-09

Dell Inspiron 15 (I15-156B) Notebook PC, Pacific Blue - Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Mobile T3400 2.16GHz ' 3GB DDR2 SDRAM ' 160GB HD ' 15.6" WXGA ' Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW Drive ' Windows Vista® Home Premium

I bought this laptop for court reporting school, since the software wasn't compatible with my Mac. I was about to update the drivers for my steno machine, then I realized that there isn't a CD-ROM drive. I guess it's my fault for not checking and doing an impulse buy, but just putting that out there since I didn't see it listed before purchasing. Great laptop though for the money. When I took it out of the box, I was so surprised about the weight. Sure, it says the weight online, but it's a shock as to how light it is once you hold it. Keyboard could be a little bigger, but it all depends on what you're using it for.

I purchased my mini12 few months back from dell. Got a great deal. Note, if you are going to get one, get a 6 cell battery option, well worth it. I do alot of traveling overseas, and having a lightweight netbook is very important to me. I got Windows XP installed from Dell. Works perfectly.

For surfing the net, doing basic word processing, spreadsheet work this thing rocks. Granted it's not meant for large scale applications, you can still install MS Office and it runs quite smoothly. With the absence of a CD-R drive, you can simply upload video, movies and songs on a flash drive and voila, you are set.

The screen is amazing sharp, and provides more than adequate size for viewing movies, and surfing. The built-in camera works fine, but it's certainly not top notch. The built in wi-fi is very responsive to pick up signals and connects pretty fast.

Pros: amazingly light, super screen, XP operating system rocks
Cons: speakers are very basic (buy good headphones), small Hard-drive (buy a flash-drive to store your files)

Had my Inspiron Mini 12 for a little over 2 weeks when I used it on a flight from Europe to work on a Word Document. Heard a sizzling sound and then the system crashed. Couldn't find hard disk anymore. Then didn't even have video anymore. Called the Dell Tech Support. Horrible experience. The guy wasn't even listening to me. Diagnosed hard disk problem. When the technician came to replace the hard disk, he realized that there was more wrong than that. Called Tech Support again. They started asking me for my personal information again even though I had the case number and everything. After answering questions for 15min, I asked to speak to a manager. Took another 5min of me refusing to answer any other questions until being transferred. Had to send in my laptop. Dell didn't even bother to replace it. Just sent me old one back with some parts replaced. Didn't even set up the laptop to the settings I had ordered. Looked at the Dell Website to write a review. Could not figure out how. However, was able to read other people's reviews and it seems that this problem is quite common. I was a very happy Dell customer before (had a Latitude). I am not happy anymore. Even without the problem, the performance of the laptop was rather disappointing. Expected it to be much faster. Only plus is the light weight.

i bought my dell 12 in. mini for work. i love it! it's light,small enough to fit in my backpack easily, the screen is bright and the resolution is awesome! if dell can make a mini with a dvd burner/player it would be perfect!!!