Customer Reviews

Dell Inspiron Zino HD 2GB 250GB Piano Black Desktop

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I love tiny PCs. I have the HP Slimline and an Apple MacMIni. Zino is one of the newest line of computers by Dell. We have small tables at home and the less footprint for my technology, the more real estate I have on my desk. The Macmini is still my favorite, but it is now an expensive paperweight on my desk. I got it the first time it came out, pre-Intel, no Wifi, and now with a broken hard-drive and a broken DVD-writer. In short, it will cost me more to repair the Mac than to just purchase a Zino (which I did on Black Friday).

My initial reaction when I got my Zino was the size. It was not as small as I thought it would be. Probably double the size-volume of a Macmini. Still, so much smaller than a regular tower PC. It looks very simple and sleek. Came with a mouse and a simple keyboard, both of them USB. Keyboard has a rubberized footings that prevent it from sliding from my desk despite its light weight. 4 USB inputs, 2 at the back and 2 at the front. The DVD drive is not motorized, once you press the button, it just pops up mechanically - which is just fine with me. Comes with a restore disk.

I am very happy with it considering the price I paid which is a great value for my money. Performance wise, it has not disappointed me yet. I tried ripping one of my DVDs to test it, although it is not blazing fast, it just did the job. It is not whisper quiet as I want it to be. This little box also has an HDMI connection at the back, nice touch if I decide to hook it up with my HDTV. This is also my first experience with With Windows 7, love it. It felt familiar as it is slightly similar with the Mac OS desktop.

Unfortunately for me I bought a Dell Zino 410 from Dell in part because it comes with a built in IR and a remote control (RC260), which as it turns out is manufactured by Philips. I connected this PC to my Philips LED/LCD and while both the TV and PC separately work fine, when you try to use the remote control for the Zino it also sends a 0 or 1 to the TV which changes the channel. Not good.

I probably don't need to get into my experience in dealing with Dell technical support, as at this point there probably isn't anyone who is unaware of their deservedly and legendary bad customer service. What you might not be aware of is that Philips will simply tell you that this isn't their problem and you should just go away.

So, do not buy this computer if you want to use the remote and if you are going to hook it up to a Philips product or use it in the same room as a Philips product.

I write this review simply to warn others, as I wish I had this warning prior to my purchase. In the future I will be avoiding both of these companies at all costs.

I ordered this computer after a Dell's sales person confidently (and somewhat deceptively) confirmed that it would support Ubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS. After several failed attempts at installing Ubuntu 10.04 (as well as earlier versions of the Linux operating system), I concluded that the older public releases of Ubuntu (i.e., those versions released prior to 11.04, Natty Narwhal) probably lacked the necessary driver support for the machine that I purchased in September 2011. I subsequently discovered a web page at Ubuntu.com ([...]) that said that version 10.04 LTS was only compatible with the Zino HD on a pre-installed basis. (Dell was no longer offering the computer with Ubuntu 10.04 pre-installed when I made my purchase.)

At least a half dozen or so emails back and forth with Dell's stunningly clueless South Asian support consultants got me no closer to an answer to my basic question: "How do I get a copy of the version of Ubuntu 10.04 which Dell used to offer on a pre-installed basis which is compatible with this computer?"

To get a flavor for the surreal nature of this exchange, consider this excerpt from a Dell's fourth or fifth response to the basic question noted above:

"I understand from your e-mail, the system is not shutting down properly."

In theory Dell escalated my request for assistance; I was told I would be hearing back "in the next 5-7 business days" from their "senior technical team". I am still waiting for the call.

The only good news I can offer for Ubuntu Linux users is that the currently available standard version of Ubuntu Linux 11.04 (this is NOT a long term support version of the operating system) appears to install and run flawlessly on the Zino HD. As such, my new Zino HD computer is sitting unused in anticipation of the release of the next long term support version of Ubuntu (which won't be available until April 2012 at the earliest). The computer I purchased is, until then, unable to fulfill the need for which I bought it. The only good news is that it will still be under warranty when Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is released.

The real problem here isn't the machine itself; it's Dell's almost worse than non-existent excuse for support. I bought this computer directly from Dell and not through Amazon. This purchase process ended up being unbelievably painful. Consider the following: When I got my preliminary invoice after placing my order on line, I noticed the charges were broken out for the computer in such a way that there was separate identifiable charge of $20 for a remote. Since I had no need for a remote because I wasn't buying the computer for home entertainment purposes, I called Dell in an attempt to get the $20 item taken off my order. In the course of nearly an hour and a half, their international VOIP lines dropped me three times, I was misdirected on calling back another three times and I received a series of different explanations about how to modify my order to drop the remote and remove the $20 charge. All of these calls -- except for the last -- were disconnected before any definitive action could be taken. The last call was particularly interesting since this fellow said that the only way to modify the order that I had placed less than two hours earlier was to cancel it and then resubmit it (no one before had told me this). When I said I would be happy to do that to change the order, he came back at me and offered me a $100 discount not to change the order to remove the $20 item. While I took him up on this offer-- and Dell did honor their commitment to me to give me back $100-- you kind of have to wonder about a company that will pay you $100 to save $20.