Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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! :)

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.

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!

i bought this thing from staples because it was either this or a refurbed thinkpad. i figured i'd go with the new pc, so i got this.

i used it for a while with the installed win 7 and it worked well enough. after trying a few linux live distros, i settled on linux mint. i get about 6 hr battery life on the win 7, and about the same with linux mint. everything works out of the box in linux mint except wifi. the fix for that is that you connect to the internet via NIC and download the module for the wifi, and then enable it. that's it. other than that, it's no muss, no fuss.

i have no complaints about the performance or resolution or anything. comes out of suspend and hibernate well, runs fast enough for a netbook, has a lot of hdd space, boots fast, etc.

short review, but i tested everything and it all worked. so great investment IMHO

This is the first netbook I've owned and I'm quite impressed. I wasn't sure what to expect being used to the power of a desktop PC. However, this machine performs very well for browsing the web, which is my main use. It's built sturdy but is fairly lightweight and is easy to carry around. I like typing with the keyboard which is nearly full size and has contoured keys. The touch pad works well, although I prefer to use a wireless mouse most of the time. With Windows 7 Starter you can't change the desktop background, however that's not a huge deal to me. I've owned Dell PC's and have been satisfied, so I'm not surprised that this netbook is a quality product.

I have a dell inspiron mini computer. there is a problem in that it does not shut down and the ctl-alt-del buttons do not work. I have tried to get dell technical support to assist with this via chat and by calling the support line. After many hours of being transferred, waiting on hold, and trying silly things that the techs suggest I am no closer. I suspect the problem will need a new install of the operating system. While I continue to be on hold, I am writing this review. Technical support is useless, there is no real attempt to solve the problem. It seems the only goal of the support staff is to place you on indefinite hold or to get you to hang up. If you never have a problem with your computer, it would not matter. But if you do have a problem, you are completely on your own. It is my very strongest recommendation that you do not purchase from dell.

I purchased a acer
the screen went black was slow so I sent it back. I purchased it from another seller not from amazon. Saying that I bought this Dell for school, I received it quick installed programs I need and this little netbook is awesome. you will get your money worth. It's light weight yet can do just as much productive work. Not just for surfing the net!

Buying this is a five star purchase and shipping was quick.

After two days of using it, we returned it to Amazon for a refund (even knowing there was a PC restocking charge). It just was not worth keeping. The Atom processor and only 1GB of RAM could not handle Win7 Starter and the other software that is loaded on the netbook. Even though we have AT&T's 6MB DSL, it felt like we were on dial up. The pages would not load fast enough because of the hardware. Our kids tried playing their favorite online game, Runescape, and it was like watching a slow motion movie. Just awful. We have always liked Dell, we have three other Dell PC's in the house, but I would not recommend this netbook.

I spoke with Dell sales and they said the unit's RAM could not be upgraded from 1GB, but Crucial's site sells the 2GB card and has a video on how to install it. But it was not worth going down that road and investing another $50 to upgrade it.

The one positive thing about the experience was Amazon. The pricing was the best I found from a reputable reseller and shipping was free and fast. The whole return process was very smooth and easy. I had my refund with in the week. Since then we ordered another laptop from Amazon (not another netbook).

Is a cool mini, working good, by the description say 2 memorys slot and take only one, support maximun one ram.

The mini was ordered as a replacement for my wife's larger laptop which was burdensome for travel. We decided to purchase it following a demonstration of a similar mini by our daughter. Both teach at the college level and use their computers quite a bit. We updated the Office Starter software to a full version to enable my wife to access the school system and be able to link to specialized software used for student grading. It exceeds our expectation.