Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012-571OBK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Obsidian Black)

by Dell

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 3.9 x 14.6 inches ; 5.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B003LPUYG6
• Item model number: iM1012-571OBK
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,793 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 13, 2010

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Inspiron Mini 10 is an ultra-portable netbook offering brilliant industrial design, a six-cell battery with seriously long life, and an efficient Intel Atom processor. It's packed with features such as a 10.1-inch widescreen display, a Wireless-N card, 3-in-1 media card reader, a 250GB hard disk, and a gigabyte of memory.

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Your new best friend.

iM1012-571OBK Specs: Processor: Intel Atom N450 Processor Specs: 1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 512KB Cache Memory: 1GB Video Graphics: Intel NM10 Express Hard Drive: 250GB Display: 10.1" Widescreen (1024 x 600) Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Starter Digital Media: 3-in-1 Media Card Reader Networking: 10/100 Ethernet Wireless Connectivity: 802.11n (HB95) Wireless-N Mini-Card Sound: Integrated Intel High-Definition Audio 2.0, 2 x 1.0 Watt Stereo Speakers Keyboard: 92% of Standard Size Pointing Device: Touchpad with Integrated Scroll Bars Webcam: Built-in 1.3MP Power: 6-Cell Lithium Ion Battery (56Whr) I/O Ports: USB (3), RJ45 Ethernet, Microphone, Headphone Width: 10.5" Depth: 7.8" Height: 1.0" Front–1.3" Back Starting Weight: 3.1 lbs. with 6-Cell Battery Warranty: 1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty and 24/7 Phone Support

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The perfect traveling companion.

Entertainment-savvy
Movies look fantastic on the 10.1" widescreen display. With VGA output, you can connect to a TV and display content stored on your Inspiron Mini 1012.

All About Connections
Internal Wi-Fi allows you to access the Internet from any hotspot and stay connected with your favorite sites and people. If you need a little more bandwidth connect via 10/100 Ethernet.

So Small, So Smart
Enjoy solid, responsive application performance with the Intel Atom processor. It's your PC’s perfect companion, and the perfect engine for your day-to-day tasks, with an energy efficient design that won't eat up your battery while you enjoy video and other processor-intensive content.

Room to Spare
With a 250GB hard drive that holds up to 71,000 photos or up to 62,000 songs, it's easier to access and safe-keep your life as it happens while you're on the go.

Stay in Touch
The Mini 1012's built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam gives you the freedom to chat with your friends and family.

Form and Function
With a new revolutionary design--with a starting weight of just 3.1 lbs with a six-cell battery--the thin Mini 10 goes wherever you go without weighing you down.

Go the Distance
Trek far and wide for more than 9.5 hours while rarely having to recharge the six-cell battery.

Roomy Keyboard
You'll love this comfortable, nearly full-size keyboard. Keep up with your IM, videos, music, shopping and more. The touchpad also features integrated scrollbars, for easy navigation of websites, documents, etc.

Memories With Ease
Use the 3-in-1 Media Card Reader for transferring your latest batch of snapshots without the need for external devices or cables.

Strong Support
This machine is backed by Dell's one-year limited hardware warranty, along with 24/7 phone support.

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Windows 7 Starter

Simpler and Easier to Use
Windows 7 Starter puts less between you and what you want to do—less waiting, less clicking, less hassle connecting to networks. Windows 7 Starter combines the latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows.

The latest in reliability and responsiveness with the familiarity and compatibility of Windows.

Simplify everyday tasks

• Features like Jump Lists, Pin, Snap, and Windows Search all make using a small notebook PC simple and easy.
• Connecting to printers and devices is easier than ever.

Work the way you want

• Windows 7 Starter supports the latest hardware and software.

Make new things possible

• Joining home networks with other PCs running Windows 7 is easy and simple.
• Connecting to wireless networks is easy and fast.
• Internet Explorer 8 improves the safety of web browsing.

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What's in the Box

Dell 15R (Mars Black), Six-Cell Rechargeable Battery, AC Adapter, User Manual, Warranty Card

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Product Description

The Inspiron Mini 10 has best in class industrial design with integrated battery design in an adorable drift design. The combination of processor and battery technology delivers long battery life to keep the computer running from dawn to dusk. The netbook also has options that could keep you entertained with smooth watching of high definition video on a high definition screen.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best Netbook Around, August 19, 2010

By 

Scott Showalter "purefusion" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012-571OBK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Obsidian Black) (Personal Computers)

Dell's Mini 1012 is simply a breath of fresh air in an ever-cramping netbook market. Dell continues moving forward with it's innovative features making this netbook the most-comfortable, most-useful netbook around. Its media handling features have a bit to be desired, but it makes out okay in that department too.


===== It's Comfortable =====

This thing is a dream to use. Most netbooks are unusable to me. What stings me most with netbooks is the keyboard. Most netbooks' have either tiny keyboards, or their keyboards just aren't typing-friendly. I'm used to the low-profile, "chiclet-style" scissor-switch keyboards that are (or at least used to be) most common in older laptops, and in fact I love them. I'm referring to the type of keys that are flat and flush with the palm rest, and have a little flange or lip on the edges (where the space is between the keys).

To see exactly what I mean, check out the close ups photos of another Dell Mini (on the right side of this page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00361G10S?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8#productDescription). Such a design makes them spill-resistant, but also makes typing a breeze, as they won't inflict wrist strain due to tall keys or keys that require more force to press. So, this thing is certainly a dream to use.


===== It's Innovative =====

The touch pad is small, yet clever, allowing you to press down on the bottom-left/bottom-right corners of the pad to left-click/right-click (respectively), rather than wasting space by implementing separate buttons. This keeps the overall size of the netbook more compact than other brands. The Mini 1012 was smudge free, thanks to their use of an oil-resistant softly-textured palm-rest. The touch pad is also very touchable, as its texture and finish is matte, rather than glossy, making it much more conducive to swiping your fingers across than most of the other netbooks I laid fingers on.

Most brands of netbooks had touch pads that were glossy, making your skin shear and resist the dragging of your finger during swipe gestures (moving the mouse, scrolling, drag+drop, etc). I find that feeling to be as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard! The other netbooks were also noticeably covered in oily smudges and finger grease, both inside the track pad and also on the wrist rest. Instant turn off for me on anything but the Dell!


===== It's Brilliant =====

The display is crisp and bright, and it isn't too shabby outside either, though I recommend using full brightness when being used outdoors. My only complaint about the screen is its native resolution is a bit low for my tastes, which I hope isn't just a personal preference. I'd rather see more on the screen than to see things big and close up. However, this is par for netbooks anyway. You should look into this Sony (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PII4HW?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) if you absolutely must have a higher definition display while maintaining the small form factor of a netbook.


===== It's More than Capable =====

This Dell Mini 1012 does more than just writing and surfing the Web (tip: keep your browser tabs to a minimum and not install too many Firefox extensions). Media plays decently as well, including Web videos, Flash sites and Flash games. Just don't run several other programs at once, and you should be perfectly fine. The 3-in-1 memory card reader is an added bonus, great for storing photos while on vacation--a life-saver when traveling. The webcam quality is sub-par compared to most full-sized notebooks, but still a decent quality for netbook webcams I suppose.

In the past, Dell has been known for using Windows XP on their netbooks, but those days are over. With Windows 7 being much more ideal, as the OS is optimized for the netbook, this latest generation Dell Mini outperforms its XP-based predecessors in several areas, including usability, responsiveness, and of course look and feel.


===== It's Media Friendly =====

The 9:16 ratio widescreen 10.1" display is great for watching widescreen movies on the go, with one very important exception: you must have an external DVD (or Blu-Ray) drive. I recommend this Samsung (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C1BBU8?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) which sports a sexy look, on par with the Dell 's own appeal, without sacrificing functionality. Video playback is generally smooth and very few hiccups in playback have been experienced.


===== Processor and Battery =====

The Dell Mini 1012 features the Intel Atom N450, a 64-bit single-core processor supporting 2GB max of DDR2-667 RAM. It does support Hyper Threading though, meaning minor multitasking is possible (you probably shouldn't do more than two things at once). Try not to run more than two apps simultaneously for best performance and battery life. Intel Speedstep Technology is also built in, helping you save battery life. I averaged about 8-9 hours using the 56WHr 6 cell battery. This is definitely a gigantic leap in battery life over most netbooks we've tested to date.


===== Praise =====

* Keyboard design - 92% full-size!
* Touch pad design - genius usability features
* Wrist rest - comfortable, remains clean & streak-free
* 3 USB ports (2-left/1-right) - handy for using a USB mouse
* 9:16 ratio display - great for movies (see above for DVD solution)
* Wireless N support for faster and farther-reaching WiFi reception
* Windows 7 - optimized for netbook performance


===== Dissapointments =====

* 1024x600 resolution - would have preferred at least 1280x720
* 5400 RPM hard drive - would have liked a faster Solid State Disk (even if smaller)


===== Bottom Line =====

All in all, my list of disappointments with Dell's Mini series continues to shrink with each new model, keeping Dell well-positioned atop my list of favorite netbooks. I think you'll soon find it on your favorites list as well.

I certainly hope you've found this review to be helpful! :)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very capable little guy, August 30, 2010

By 

FreakLoserIdiot (Hawaii) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012-571OBK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Obsidian Black) (Personal Computers)

I bought this for my girlfriend to use for her jobs, which require frequent document creation/viewing and spreadsheet creation/editing, as she often complained about the weight of our standard laptop, an Inspiron 1545. The specs for this, or any, netbook don't warrant paying anyone over $300 for such a device, and after shopping around for prices, I found this to be the most reasonably priced machine from a manufacturer with good repute. It is perfectly capable at running Microsoft Office 2007 applications, with multiple windows and programs opened. The battery life is about 8 1/2 hours in my experience so far. It did NOT come with a an operating system backup disc (Windows 7 Starter edition), unlike the past two PCs I bought from Dell, to my dissapointment, especially considering there is no factory default image. (However, it did come with two other backup discs for drivers and applications, and Microsoft Works 9.) I called Dell tech support to share this concern. They assured me that in the event of any such necessary procedures as dramatic as a factory default reset, Dell would replace the hardware something that has Windows 7 Starter preinstalled in such a way as to make it possible to reset the system. I persisted with my request for the disc, explaining that down the line when my support year expires, I would be out of luck if I did have a major problem. The customer service guy then agreed to send me a backup disc. It came three days later, along with another driver backup disc, and a Webcam software backup disc. Very satisfied with their customer service, as always.
This netbook is absolutely perfect in size, weight, and balance for casual surfing on your lap. After reading many netbook reviews, this was a major concern of mine, as my girlfriend can spend hours on Facebook with the laptop in her lap; so, in that respect, this PC is a winner. Its as cozy as opening up a good book to read in your lap. The screen is very bright and crisp, better in fact than my Inspiron 1545's 15" screen. I'm not a huge fan of the small keyboard, but its easy to get used to. One con--the touchpad is flawless, but the left and right mouse-click buttons are in the left and right corner of the touchpad itself, instead of being separate buttons. Good space saving design, but the practical result is that the buttons are difficult to push down hard enough to operate, compared to any other laptop mouse button experience I've ever used. Kind of a pain, but not too bad since I usually just tap the touchpad for left-click features anyway.

P.S. In case I gave anyone the wrong idea, this computer does not have a dvd/cd drive, you will have to get an external one to use discs.
P.P.S. The price has gone up 25 bucks to $340 since I bought just two weeks ago. Lame, folks. Seriously, 1 GB of memory and an N450 Atom processor, just as Intel is preparing to release its next batch of more powerful netbook processors and more netbooks with 2GB are about to hit the market...that price is just not justified. I'm deducting a full star from my original review for this price hike. Yeah, its competitive, but all netbooks in this price range are overpriced.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Look can be deceiving., September 27, 2010

By 

A. Pogrebinsky - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012-571OBK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Obsidian Black) (Personal Computers)

I bought it directly from DELL (the only place I could find a netbook of this size with Win.XP).

In short:

The good - sexy looking, well built, sounds surprisingly well for a netbook of this size.

The bad - touch pad has a mind of it's own. Can't upgrade operating system (XP home to XP pro).

The ugly: For your own sanity DO NOT CALL DELL TECH. SUPPORT!