Dell Inspiron Mini 10 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook with Integrated TV Tuner – Up to 6 Hours 20 Minutes of Battery Life
Posted by admin | Posted in Netbooks | Posted on 04-09-2010
5
- 1.6GHz Intel Z530 Atom Processor
- 1GB Memory
- 160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
- 10.1″ Widescreen (1024×600) Display, Integrated Intel 500 Media Accelerator
- Windows 7 Starter, 56WHr-(6 cell) Up to 6 Hours 20 Minutes of Battery Life
Product Description
The Mini 10 is everything you want in a mobile companion and more. It may be small, but you’ll be surprised by all the fun features packed inside. Be productive with a keyboard 92 percentage the size of a traditional laptop keyboard. Enjoy a beautiful view with a seamless display surface1 and 16:9 aspect ratio. And stay connected with advanced wireless options. You can also view high-def TV with the included digital TV tuner. *Based on Dell Lab testing. Battery l… More >>
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Note: I use computers for my work but don’t pay much attention to details about them. I’m sometimes willfully ignorant of the details of my work computers, so this review (for better or worse) will not be a super technical one focusing on specifications and related details. I wanted a simple computer to use outside of work, and that’s what I got here. I received this Dell Netbook a few days ago and wanted to share my initial impressions of it.
I do a great deal of writing for my job and need to have frequent email access. I have a Dell Notebook but find that it’s a bit of a hassle hauling it around anywhere, so it ends up staying at home most of the time. When I saw this Dell’s Netbook on sale, I thought it might be ideal for my needs. In particular, I wanted something very lightweight that would allow me to access the web, answer email, access PDF documents, and edit documents. This Dell does all that and much more.
My job buys all my computers (the last computer I purchased myself was a Commodore 64 when I was a kid!), so I was a bit nervous purchasing it. I checked out reviews here and elsewhere and they seemed to indicate that the Dell Netbook would work well for my needs. However, I was concerned by some accounts of netbooks being slower than laptops and having many of other deficits. Fortunately, my concerns were unfounded (it isn`t slow and I have low needs for extensive computer memory anyway). I’ve never had to unpack a computer before (the IT people at my job have that honor), but it couldn’t have been easier. I was literally using my new Netbook within minutes. Everything was preloaded and ready for use.
I was hoping that it would come with Microsoft Word, but it instead includes Microsoft Works Word Processor, which I`d never used before. When I tried to open a Word document from my email, I was prompted to download Word Viewer. The two programs are compatible, but it is a bit of a hassle converting documents back and forth. Otherwise, I’m extremely pleased with my purchase. The Netbook is not slow in accessing the net even with numerous programs open at the same time. It is super lightweight — not much bigger or heavier than a large hardback book. The battery in the back does stick out a bit, although that actually helps make it more stable on a flat surface. Even straight out of the box, the battery lasted well over 5 hours. Other features include a webcam, adobe, media player, explorer — all the standard items you’d expect. As I mentioned, I don’t pay much attention to computer specifications and whether it has this feature or not. I simply don’t use my computers for anything too complicated. However, for what I need, this Dell Netbook more than exceeds my expectations. The Netbook’s portability make it ideal for carrying it around and travel. I think it would also be a great starter computer for kids and teens.
Rating: 5 / 5
GREAT UNIT FOR GREAT PRICE
This is Dell Mini-10(Model 1010) – with TV tuner
(The lower model is 10v(Model 1011) (no TV tuner)
* HDTV internal Digital TV Receiver (ATSC)
* Mini TV Antenna * HDMI (out)
* 10.1″ Widescreen * 1024×600 Display
* 1.3M Pixel Webcam
* 6 Cell Battery (8.3 Hours)
* Wireless 1397 WLAN Mini-Card (802.11g)
* No Bluetooth (Goog for Super Mini Bluetooth 2.0 Dongle)
* Windows 7 Starter
* Processor: Atom 1.6GHz Intel Z530 (512K Cache)
* 1GB DDR2 SDRAM Memory – Increase with ReadyBoost (Goog)
* 160GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
* Integrated Intel 500 Media Accelerator
* Electric Adapter
* McAfee Security Center-30 day trial(Get AVG Free)
[Inside the box: Dell Mini 10, Electric Adapter, TV Antenna, 2 Antenna mounts (suction cup and top mount), Inspiron Setup Guide, Four (4) DISKS (already installed on computer): (1) Windows 7 Starter Operation System, (2) Application, (3) Drivers and utilities (4) Dell Disk.]
My Dell Mini 10 (Model 1010) arrived today and I love it already. When I took the Mini 10 out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the bulge under the bottom rear of the unit (the six (6) cell battery). I spotted a funny object in the box that turned out to be a tiny little antenna. This confirmed the HDTV Tuner inside. I turned Mini 10 on and went through the brief setup. The keyboard feels good. Fascinated by the built-in HDTV, I affixed the tiny antenna next to the camera with the supplied mount, turned it on and waited while it scanned the available digital channels. It found all the local channels. The reception is great. I forgot about my new computer and admired the great TV reception for the next three hours.
After playing with the touch pad for a few minutes, I realized that a brief tap served as the mouse double-click (nice). HDMI, HDTV Tuner, Windows 7, 6-cell battery. This is a great little computer and a great deal.
Same configuration sells for $514.00 on the manufacturer’s website[...] . At $399, you save $115 ($514 – $399 = $115)
I plan to uninstall the free MacAfee antivirus trial and replace it with the excellent free AVG Free Edition Antivirus ([..]). The included Microsoft Works word processor program is better than my old version of Microsoft Word 2000. More than adequate for my needs. Windows 7 Starter is lite, fast and great for my needs. Great Cyber Monday deal. Thanks Amazon for putting together a great unit for a great price!
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Rating: 5 / 5
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R37716YEML2NA7 I was relunctant to get the Dell Mini 10 because of some bad reviews I read. However, I am very happy with my choice of netbook. This is my 3rd netbook and it is as fast as the other ones. Its not a laptop. So a little slowness is to be expected.
I was worried about the touch pad, but have found no problem with it.
It does tend to get a little hot so a cooling pad would probably be a good purchase.
I pick up 26 digital channels at home and they show beautifully. I am totally impressed with the digital tv tuner.
I am also loving the HDMI. I believe this is the only netbook of this size that has a HDMI.
The 6 cell battery sticks out a bit under the computer. It helps raise it up so that it stays cooler.
It boots up fairly quickly.
I find no faults at all with this computer.
Rating: 5 / 5
Even though I have been playing with my Dell Mini 10 for less than a week I feel compelled to address an issue that seems to be a universal concern: the track pad. Reviewers’ complaints are unanimous: the track pad “sucks.” Well, let me say out front, I love the Dell’s track pad so much so that I programmed the track pad on my MacBook to behave in the same way. First, the buttons on the Dell track pad are not meant to be used; they are there just for show. The way to activate the function of the left button is to point the cursor where ever you want it and tap once with one finger. A double tap will grab a selection. By default the selection is released when you lift the finger but you can change that in the tack pad behavior utility. I recommend that the grab release be changed to a tap rather than the default lift. The two fingers scrolling is a standard feature of the MacBook and works really well on the Dell too. I disabled all the other gesture possibilities like zoom and rotate as I will probably never use them. I can always turn them back on an as-needed basis once I become more familiar with the proper functioning of the track pad.
Now for the other features: The Dell’s Z530 processor is slightly slower than the N280 on my wife’s Toshiba NB205 which is the machine I am able to compare to. I got the Dell rather than the Toshiba for the TV tuner and the HDMI output. The tuner is a bit of a disappointment as it does not tune all the stations available in my area. But let’s not dwell on that, it is a problem I will try to solve in the next few weeks. Watching TV is not my top priority. The HDMI connection is very handy to plug the Dell in my HDTV and stream movies from Netflix without any problem. While the Z530 is a little slower than the N280 the Dell’s graphic chipset is slightly faster than the Toshiba’s and keeps up with the movie steam with few hicups (it is difficult to determine if the few lock ups are due to the network, wireless connection, or processor). And the wireless connection to my Airport Mini is flawless.
As far as external appearances the Toshiba beats the Dell hands down. The Dell is nice looking but the glossy black housing will never be clean once you touch it. The Toshiba has a ribbed surface that does not show fingerprints at all. Over all the aesthetic of the Toshiba is just better thought out.
The keyboard feel and layout of the Dell are perfectly fine. Now if only Windows 7 was more like OSX the Dell Mini 10 would be close to a perfect system.
Rating: 4 / 5
I got this Mini 10 on Cyber Monday for $299. For this price, I give it a 3 instead of 2 stars.
There are many rumors in the review section. I can’t speak for others, but the one I got has the following configuration:
COLOR: Obsidian Black
PROCESSOR: Intel®Atom®Processor Z530 (1.6GHz/533MHz FSB/512K Cache)
DISPLAY: 10.1″ Widescreen Display (1024×600)
BATTERY OPTIONS: 56WHr Lithium-Ion Battery (6-cell)
MEMORY: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
HARD DRIVE: Samsung 160GB, 2.5inch, 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
WIRELESS CARDS Wireless 802.11g (1397) Mini Card
INTEGRATED WEBCAM: Integrated 1.3M Pixel Webcam
TV TUNER: Dell Internal Digital TV Receiver (ATSC)
VIDEO CARD: Intel®Graphics Media Accelerator 500
MOBILE CONNECTIVITY: No Mobile Broadband
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Starter, 32bit, English
OFFICE SOFTWARE: Microsoft Works 9 DOES NOT INCLUDE MS WORD
WARRANTY AND SERVICE: 1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service
Dell is selling the same configuration for $514.
Since upgrading the RAM is not possible, in order to gain some speed, I swap in a 30GB SSD, and use the 160 GB HDD as external hard drive.
The touch pad is not easy to use. It’s too small for me. One might want to tweak the settings a little bit, ie: turn off the Zoom feature.
There are no HDD light! Given the system is sluggish (with HDD/Win 7/1 GB RAM), and without the HDD light, I can’t tell if a big task is still loading or simply stuck.
The SD card reader is half-size. When I insert a SD card, half of it is outside the case, instead of completely sealed inside it. So leaving it in all the time might not be a good idea, especially if you are carrying it in a backpack like I do.
Even Z530 supports VTx, but you can’t add RAM to this Mini 10! With this design and configuration, Dell should use Atom N280 instead. It would make more sense to me.
Rating: 3 / 5