Review: Dell Inspiron Mini 10

Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 netbook.

With iPhone4 hype hogging the recent limelight, its easy to forget that non some pretty tasty non Apple gear is also hitting the market, with many delectable gadgets not getting the attention they deserve.

A case in point is Dell's latest uber-affordable Netbook, the Inspiron Mini 10. Having spent the better part of a month travelling with it, I'm impressed.

Design-wise, the Mini 10 is a tidy bit of kit whose sleek lines are easy on the eyes. The supplied review unit was done out in glossy white-on-black, making it look like an imperial storm trooper's fashion accessory. Cheeky Star wars references aside, it's also available other colours (black, blue, green, pink, purple, and red). The Mini 10 also hid fingerprints despite the fact its shiny body should've been a total fingerprint magnet.

At 25.5mm high x 197mm deep x 268mm wide, the Mini 10 was small enough to slide into carry on luggage. Weighing in at 1.25kg it's heft was a fraction of a full-sized notebook, making it the ideal travel companion.

Dell have used Intel's latest Atom N450 processor which managed to wring an impressive 7-8 hours of battery life. Sporting a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and Windows 7 Starter Edition, the Mini 10 is also well specced for a netbook. Add to this its pocket pleasing base price of $499 and the Mini 10 offers pretty solid bang per buck.

The Mini 10's 10.1" 1024 x 600 LCD screen was bright with on-screen colours/contrast levels being both vibrant and accurate. Unlike some other budget netbooks I'd previously reviewed, I was able clearly see the screen from nearly 180 degrees, which is useful when sharing content with others.

On the connectivity front, the Mini 10 sported plenty of options. Packing two USB ports, a VGA port, and a 3-in-1 memory card reader on its left, it also packed ethernet, USB, headphone and mic ports on its right side. The 1.3 megapixel webcam on the screen bezel is also ideal for making Skype calls.

As with other netbooks, the keyboard and trackpad are potential deal breakers. In the case of the Mini 10, these were definitely a mixed blessing. Despite its petite size, the Mini 10's keyboard was roomy and easily usable for typing over extended periods.

The news however wasn't quite so good with it's trackpad. Whilst usable, integrating the right and left mouse buttons into the trackpad's bottom sometimes saw button clicks mistaken as trackpad gestures, sending the mouse pointer racing off in random directions.

Verdict

As a lightweight yet usable travel companion, Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 definitely hits the mark. While its trackpad takes some getting used to, its solid spec, great sticker price and good design make it a netbook that's definitely worth consideration.

Tech Specs
Processor: Intel Atom N450 (1.66GHz)
OS: Windows7 Starter edition
RAM: 1Gb
Graphics: Intel Media Accelerator 3150
Screen: 10.1" WSVGA (1024 x 600)
Storage: 250GB HDD
Camera: 1.3 MP Webcam
Wireless: 802.11g, Bluetooth:
Connections: 10/100 Ethernet; VGA connector; 3xUSB 2.0 ports;
3-in-1 card reader
Dimensions: 25.5mm (H) x 268mm (W) x 197mm (D); 1.25kg