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The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 joins the netbook-size subcompacts already offered by Asus, HP, Acer, and others. Although it looks like any other laptop, the Mini 9 is about 7" x 9" and a little more than one inch thick. The screen is just under nine inches, and the budget notebook (less than $400) weighs only 2 lbs., 5.5 ozs. Powered by a 1.6GHZ N270 Intel Atom Processor, there are office apps and e-mail software preloaded on both the Ubuntu Linux (less expensive) version and the Windows XP version, but these very small laptops are designed for convenient browsing on the Internet. Small enough for an end table in the living room or a messenger bag on the...
