I've been looking for something like this for years to chronicle my motorcycle trips.
I was loathe to give up saddlebag space to a full-size laptop and worried that the heat, dust and vibration of motorcycle travel would kill a laptop with a conventional hard disk drive.
So I started out with travel journals, but I had to wait until I got home to blog my trip stories.
Then, five years ago, I tried blogging from the road with a Palm Treo 300. It was barely adequate. I stepped up to a Treo 600, and then the 700p, but even with the accessory fold-out keyboards, it was still a chore to write blog entries and manage my e-mail. And while the cameras have improved, they're still pretty bad.
I miss the 3G connectivity with the Mini 9, but Wifi hotspots are becoming more plentiful and it's getting easier to find them, especially if you have the AT&T deal with Starbucks or McDonald's.
The SSD (solid state drive) seems perfect for motorcycle travel, since it has no moving parts and is, therefore, less vulnerable to damage from vibration.
The 1GB of RAM and 8GB of SSD capacity are plenty, assuming you don't junk the Mini 9 up with lots of software. And there isn't any reason to do that, considering that you can do all of your email, word processing, spreadsheets, calendars, and other office-type functions up in "the cloud" with Google Apps.
I found the Internet Explorer browser's menu bars took up too much screen real estate, so I installed Google's streamlined Chrome browser that lets me see more of the web pages at a glance. I also avoid loading up the SSD by using an 8GB SanDisk thumb drive as a D: drive.
I'm not much for touchpads the Mini 9's touchpad works fine, I'm just not a touchpad guy so I use a wireless optical mouse.
The built-in webcam is surprisingly good. I have yet to use it for a live conversation, but it shoots quite acceptable still photos. The SD card reader is perfect for importing images from a higher-quality digital camera.
The smaller keyboard takes a little getting used to. The apostrophe and quote marks and dash/underscore are not where my fingers expected to find them, but it doesn't take long to make the synaptic adjustment.
The Mini 9 is intelligently designed when it comes to upgrades. You can access its guts by removing two screws and a cover plate on the underside. As I said, it comes with 1GB of RAM. You can double that for about $30 and the conversion takes about 5 minutes.
Computer development being what it is, there are sure to be subsequent generations of netbooks with more speed, power and versatility. But for now, I think the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is one of the best buys out there.
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When I saw the Eee PC's, I knew I would eventually get one, or some other kind of netbook. This Dell is a dream, and it does the basic stuff I want-email, web, video playback, iTunes, and word processing. This is not a gaming PC, something for graphics or modeling software, not for any kind of software that takes up a lot of RAM and processing power, and it's probably not suitable as a main PC for most people. It's a glorified PDA for people who want something more than a PDA, but love the portability. That said, if this is making your mouth water and doesn't sound like a step backward in technology, you've come to the right place.
I looked into the Dell Mini 12s, but decided against one because they're simply not as portable. The Mini 12 has a bigger screen, keyboard and hard drive space, but that also makes the PC bigger and less portable. The Mini 9's smaller keyboard will require a bit of adjustment, epecially if you use the F keys very much since they're integrated with the second row of letter keys. I don't have a problem with the size of the screen, but I can see how some might. Try to look at one of these in person before you buy if you think it might be an issue.
The Mini 9 will handle 2GB of RAM, but it can only be shipped with up to 1GB because of the software license with Windows XP. Thank you Miscrosoft for another slap in the face! I mean, anything's better than getting a machine with Vista on it, but REALLY. Dell also put the RAM cap on the Mini9s with Ubuntu, which really makes no sense... Anyway, it's nothing to pop open the cover, put in your extra GB of RAM, close it, and have the zippiest little netbook around. (I think it will handle a 4GB stick, but then you're looking at power and heat issues.) When you turn it on, it's ready to go in no time, even without a memory upgrade! Also, decompress the drive. Compression doesn't save that much space and it runs better. If hard drive space is an issue, add an external drive, thumb drive or SD card.
It doesn't come with a DVD drive, but how often do you really use one? I only use mine to install software and to rip my CDs to iTunes. I don't do either of those things when I'm out and about, and remember, it's all about that portability! Eventually you will need to buy a DVD drive, but you might not need one right away. Also plan on investing in an external mouse if you don't like touchpads. This one is particularly irritating because it's so small. I can't really comment on how this or anything else affects battery life, since I rarely run on the battery. The speakers are really small, so have some headphones on hand if sound is a problem for you.
I got it and immediately covered it with one of those sticker skins later to keep it from getting scratched. It's a glossy finish that you just know is going to get sandpapered if you carry other stuff in your bag. (And who doesn't?) I also got the webcam and bluetooth options, even though I have no use for either of them. That was because hubby will eventually inherit this when I buy something else, so I wanted him to be able to expand this however he would need.
My only other gripe is that when you use this in public, you get a lot of people coming up to interrupt you to talk about it. It's not Dell's fault, but if you need to get something done, don't do it in Starbucks where you'll be interrupted about every 30 seconds. Come on, it's the 21st century! It's difficult to accomplish anything in an environment like that. I had the same problem with my PDA and folding keyboard, and when it started to happen again, I wanted to cry... but my Mini won't let me.
Overall, this is 4 1/2 stars, but the drawbacks are nothing when I can put this in my purse, go to Borders, do my thing, and get out without the achy shoulder. I always wanted a small laptop like this, light enough to carry around, small, with PC power and feel. Now that I have one, the sky is clear, birds are singing and velvet ropes have parted-well, not really, but this is about as close as I can get.
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I am writing this review from my Dell Mini 9 with 1 gig ram, 8 gig solid state hard drive, running Windows XP. The keyboard is smaller than full sized, but very easy to touch type with. The atom processor and 1 gig of ram handle running XP without a hitch. I loaded Microsoft Office Home/Student edition (minus OneNote) and it too runs fine. The MS Office suite was loaded using a $35 external USB CD drive I bought for this computer. Because this is a Windows computer, the new hardware was recognized and loaded automatically. The wireless connection works smoothly and seeks out a connection well. I have worked on secure networks and using public WiFi, all using the internet easily. The screen has excellent resolution. I can run music on the Media Player, browse the internet and edit word all at the same time.
An 8 gig hard drives seems small, but the built in SD card slot can act as your document storage. I dumped much of the pre-loaded programs that I would never use which leaves nearly 2 gigs on the built in hard drive. I have 35 albums, almost 4 gigs of photos and a bunch of documents on the 16 gig SD card and I still 8 gigs of room for more there. I write documents to the card using a Windows briefcase that syncs with back-ups on my desktop.
If you are looking for a simple laptop/travel computer, this is a good choice.
Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron mini 9-Inch (Intel® Atom Processor 1.6 Ghz , 1 GB
This unit is great for sitting on the couch and checking email and general browsing. I hated holding the heavy 15" laptop while try to do simple things like this.
It was also bought for a second laptop so when the primary is in the hands of my wife, I had something to use. I figure this is great for taking out of town.
My young daughter is now taking ownership of it. She thinks the size is perfect for her.
So far, I love it. It is light with incredible battery life. I got the Linux Ubuntu software instead of the Windows Vista. It is about the same navigation as Windows and learning curve is next to nothing. Instead of Internet Explorer, it comes with Firefox which is superior browser. Linux is even better than Apple's OS; I am impressed.
Configuring the mini into my wireless network was a breeze.
I looked at the ACER in a Staples store and did not like it. The DELL screen is much better quality.
Take a look at the DELL OUTLET for these units also. I paid 279 dollars plus shipping and tax for "Previously Ordered" Mini 9. I upgraded the RAM myself to 2 Gig from Crucial for about 32 dollars. I bought a SDHC 8 Gig card to supplement the 4Gig internal storage.
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i have had my dell mini 9 for almost a year now and still LOVE it. I do a lot of writing and it is excellent fr that. I have Windows XP but did not get the office software. I downloaded openoffice.org software and the programs I use (writer and presentation are they are compatible with word and powerpoint thus far).
I purchased additional SD cards which I use for storing my info...
Using a mouse is best for me, and the keyboard takes a little to get used to, but for its purpose, the Dell mini 9 is wonderful...I had an ASUS, which was fine, but I prefer the Dell mini.
