Dell Announces The Inspiron Mini 12: The Netbook Everyone Wants for Christmas

Dell today introduced the latest addition to the Inspiron Mini family of "netbook" laptop computers: the Inspiron Mini 12. This ultraportable Internet companion promises to be at the top a many Christmas wish lists this year thanks to a solid combination of features and a low starting price. Like its counterpart the Inspiron Mini 9, the Mini 12 is ideal for anyone who surfs the Web, chats with friends or clients, blogs, streams content, or uploads photos to an online gallery. Thanks to a standard 12.1-inch WXGA (1280x800) display you can also enjoy online videos, music and games in ways that just aren't possible with smaller netbooks.

Why do we think this netbook might be the most compelling netbook of 2008? The answer is simple: The Inspiron Mini 12 features a standard 12.1-inch display, a larger keyboard than any other netbook, and is priced starting at less than $600.

Interesting features:

• With a starting weight of only 2.72 lbs. and only 0.92 inches thick at the front and 1.09 inches at the rear, the Inspiron Mini 12 rivals smaller netbooks in terms of weight and thickness.
• Windows Vista Home Basic, built-in webcam, all-new Intel Atom processors, 1GB of RAM and a choice of 60GB or 80GB hard drive, the big news here is that this netbook comes equipped with Vista and has the muscle to handle it.
• Built-in Bluetooth and 802.11b/g wireless.
• Includes a standard 12.1­-inch WXGA display, offering the best screen size and resolution of any netbook to date.

Dell is also going one step further with the release of the Inspiron Mini 12 by providing a variety of services and add-on options to help customers make sure the Mini 12 is as easy to use as possible, including:

• Dell Support Center: Quickly access Dell service and support from an icon on your desktop that provides automated fixes, software upgrades and tools to help keep your system up-to-date and running efficiently.
• DellConnect Remote Assistance: Dell experts help diagnose and solve PC problems via an Internet connection (available only on Windows-based systems).
• DellDock software: First seen on the new Dell Studio notebooks, the DellDock is a useful tool designed to launch applications and adjust notebook settings without having to navigate complicated menus inside Windows.

The Inspiron Mini 12 is available initially only in Japan through Bic Camera, Kojima and Sofmap stores and other retail outlets. It will launch online globally by late November with configurations starting at less than $600 (U.S.). Ubuntu and Windows XP operating systems also will be available before the end of the year.

As a way to highlight the fact that the Inspiron Mini 12 is perfect for bloggers and "Tweeters" to stay connected, Dell will be releasing additional information about the Inspiron Mini 12 via Twitter. If you are on Twitter and would like to join the conversation about the Inspiron Mini 12, follow www.twitter.com/hashtags, type your comment and end your tweet with #mini12.

 

wow, very impressive little notebook. I wonder about the specs though, if it has a dual core atom or above I'd consider it.

 

I think Dell made a good move here going for a 12.1 inch netbook. No competition in this area (yet). 12 inches is big enough for a decent size keyboard and WXGA res. All is all it bridges the gap between netbook and budget laptop. Big enough for everyday use and portable enough for on the go people.

 

Whoa, performance wise I bet that Inspiron 12 is alot like my current IBM X40 (which also has a 12" screen). What old is new again I guess .

 

This is great news! Looks nice for the 12", and yes...impressive!
Now any colors features other than black and white?



Cin

 

Nice, looks good. Glad to finally hear about these netbooks. If they have the new Atoms does that mean that they have the new dual core Atom processors.

 

what is the point of mini 12 with atom when dell already has latitude d430.
michael dell is even worse than kevin rollins.

 

Uhh, a D430 is like twice the price, targeted to businesses not consumers, and it's the E4200 now.

 

Mostly that it costs $1,000 less than any business ultraportable. Obviously if you're a business buyer you'll go for the D430, if you're a consumer it's hard to justify the costs of an "internet companion" for > $1,000.

 

Interesting machine for under $600. I'm not in the market for a netbook at the moment (even though I'm looking around a bit), but I think Dell's got a winner here.

 

Does it have an optical drive?

 

Judging from the pictures--no.

 

I think this is a good move because I wasnt sure how a 10 inch netbook would be. I have an xps 1210 and I find it just a little too heavy for my tastes and this would be perfect. The larger hd capacities then 16 gb is also a huge plus.

 

Something we didn't mention in the announcement article is that Dell indicated that they will be offering an optional slim external DVD drive for the Mini 12 ... so if you really want an optical drive you can purchase an external USB optical drive with the Mini 12.

So far, I'm not aware of any other manufacturer that offers a custom external optical drive for a netbook.

Of course, you can use any standard external USB optical drive with any netbook. We've used a number of external optical drives with various netbooks in our office for review.

 

The current Atom(s) can't handle Vista? I'd think that if HP sells the Mini-Note with its C7 preconfigured with Vista Business, the current Atom can handle Vista Home Basic.

 

Vista runs better on netbooks. As shown in the MSI Wind. I think there is review around somewhere.

I gets much better battery life. That is the main thing.

 

Wow that thing is thin. But, late November? Come on.

 

Wow this is by far the most beautiful netbook I've seen! So thin and professional looking! I want!

 

All other Atom-based netbooks come pre-loaded with XP or Linux. Yes, we've proven in our testing that current Atom-based netbooks work fine with Vista, but Dell is the first company to go ahead and put Vista on their Atom-based netbook.

As for the HP 2133 Mini-Note, while that VIA-equipped netbook was offered with Vista it was also PAINFULLY slow with Vista. Hopefully the new Atom-based HP netbook will meet or exceed our expectations. I suspect HP learned their lesson about using VIA instead of Intel.

 

O.K., I see now what you meant with that statement, Jerry.

 

Will it be fanless, like the mini 9?

 

Jerry, do you know if any colors other than black or white?


Cin

 

wow thats sweet... finally a cheap and lightweight 12" laptop I could bring everywhere. Hope its dual core atom already.

I was thinking of getting an x200 and a powerful desktop but now I can save more if I'd replace the x200 with this netbook. I just need it for on the go presentations and minor stuff.

 

dont see the point in buying this unless its the dual core atom because dual core has to come soon and it would be dumb to buy this netbook now when dual core is so close

if it is - it is a serious contender with it being that lightweight and....hopefully battery life is great.

 

Lol, when I first saw the pen in the thumbnail, first thought that came to mind was "touchscreen?!" but when clicked to view the bigger picture... it was a real pen! D'oh!

Anyway, first 12" netbook and first one with a WXGA resolution. Cool! Less scrolling and more squinting! Kidding

 

Where is any information about intel actually putting dual core atom in a netbook, and not just in nettops any time soon?

 

engadget has confirmed: NO DUAL CORE OPTION

" you're looking at either a 1.3GHz Atom Z520 or 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor (a step up from the usual 1.6GHz Atom N270)"

 

if ever there is going to be dual core atoms; I'm guessing that it will be included in the higher model which will retail for more than $600 ....

 

Maybe early sometime next year they will have a dual core option.

 

With a hard drive, I doubt it.

 

What processor does it has?

 

http://blog.laptopmag.com/q-a-dell-shares-plans-for-inspiron-mini-12

"Here we are using a 1.3 or 1.6 Intel Atom Z520 or Z530. These are the next generation Atom processor, they have the same clock speed but they are more energy efficient. We will have processor options on this one, while on the Mini 9 we just have the 1.6-GHz N270".

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=304433
Yes it has no fan and the screen is lower-grade CCFL unlike the LED screen on the I910 mini...seriously, you guys need to head over and read up at the thread Cin posted over a month ago regarding the I1210...all those questions and much more info has already been uncovered there...

 

IMHO they should have went with an 11 inch screen.

Mini 12 is thin which is nice but the other dimensions are too close to the 13" Inspirion which costs a couple of hundred more but offers a better CPU, more RAM and an internal DVD.

 

1gb maximum ram is a disappointment.

 

I can't wait for the 20" Netbook.

This ideas getting stretched more and more if you ask me.

 

I imagine for many these are the perfect specs for a notebook.

1. Small/light enough to carry everywhere, but large enough to read websites/doc's comfortably (particularly in terms of vertical resolution), and type comfortably.
2. Cheap enough to not stress over purchase.

 

Noooo why the crappy keyboard dell?? Why?! I hate half size punctuation keys! Gah!

Very pretty chassis but the 2.5 hour battery life (3 cell) just isn't remarkable given the use of the Poulsbo chipset. Meh, I can get that on the Lenovo s10... I want battery life! Guess I'm waiting for those new ARM based netbooks.

 

Also, it appears from the sample photo that the screen is matte. If so, I'm one very happy consumer.

 

Agreed. At 11" and about $500, this would be an even bigger hit.

The dubious trend continues of including the smallest possible battery to save on weight (Lenovo IdeaPad S10, etc.). What's the point of having a netbook if you can only get about 2 hours of good use? 6-cell batteries should be standard in this genre.

 

Considering size, weight, battery life, performance, storage etc, it's about the same as Latitude X1 from 2005, but half the price

It's not a complaint though, since there has been way too few fanless laptops in the market, since they disappeared after the arrival of the dual cores. (Dell Latitude X1, Samsung Q30, Q40, Fujitsu p7120, Panasonic W4, etc)

 

do you guys really will use such a small laptop?
I mean, for that size, I guess you can type only with 1 hand (comfortably)
or 2 hands (uncomfortably) .

However, I find it as a really sweet technological improvement. Small and thin, this is just what I want to see in bigger laptops

 

My latitude X300 is far superior to the X1.But I guess the weight and demensions are both really similar to the Mini 12.Yeah at first glance the Mini 12 really look like the X300.Really,what is old is new again.I also just got an Eee 1000H and I'm thinking about putting it on CraigsList already.The main thing I don't like about it is the Atom too slow.The PentiumM on my X300 is snappier.So if the Mini 12 comes with a new Atom with the same speed but just more energy efficient, especially if it comes with only the 3 cell battery,honestly I wouldn't trade my old x300 for a new mini 12 if I base it on it's performance and not the retail value.Course thats what I'm speculating based on what I've read.Hope it performs better than the 1000H and other Atom netbooks.We'll see...

 

Here are the issues:

- Screen - is it LED backlight or not? (some say it is CCRT) / LCD was a typo
- Chipset: is it better than the useless 945 / 950 chipset
- Graphics: is it X4500 and not the X3100 or lesser
- Battery: will the 6 cell (5 hr life) one be ready to ship on day 1 and not for $200 extra or some outrageous sum.
- Charger: is it the proprietary Dell charger that must be used - no 3rd party
- 802.11n - is it a real bona fide dual band Intel 5300 card with 3 antennas or a cheap single band n.
- Weight: 3lbs with 6 cell?
- Warranty: Is it a real international warranty

Will all of the above be done at the $600 sticker (discounted selling price of $500) price point?

 

This looks pretty good. I'm sure there are a lot of things about it that are not perfect, but if it's going to be $600 I really wouldn't expect that much from it.

I'm constantly thinking about getting a Thinkpad X200 as a secondary computer. This might fit in its place.

 

Very nice for that price!

 

Here are the issues:

- Screen - is it LCD or not? (some say it is CCRT)
Will probably be LCD not LED (CRT is practically impossible in mobile form...wiki it if you don't know what it is
- Chipset: is it better than the useless 945 / 950 chipset
- Graphics: is it X4500 and not the X3100 or lesser
Be lucky if it is the x3100 at this price point
- Battery: will the 6 cell (5 hr life) one be ready to ship on day 1 and not for $200 extra or some outrageous sum.
Since it is targeted at netbooks, I'd expect it to have the same or better than other netbooks.
- Charger: is it the proprietary Dell charger that must be used - no 3rd party
of course it is, which laptop doesn't use a proprietary charger?
- 802.11n - is it a real bona fide dual band Intel 5300 card with 3 antennas or a cheap single band n.
not likily at this price point
- Weight: 3lbs with 6 cell?
- Warranty: Is it a real international warranty

Will all of the above be done at the $600 sticker (discounted selling price of $500) price point?

 

close to $600? That's too expensive. Spend $150 more, I can get a very well equipped tx2500z, which is heavier, but I could always swap out the optical drive, and replace the 6-cell with a 4-cell.
I think this'd be a good buy below $500.

 

Hit NBR one last time before submitting my mini9 order, and this popped up. Ordered the mini9 anyway. If reviews change my mind, its not due to ship for several weeks.

But, if Im at home, it'll be hooked to external mouse/keyboard/screen, and thus I dont care about the screen size. If Im on the road, smaller is better. The $200+ difference didnt hurt either. CPU differences aren't huge (no dual core), and I dont need a mega HDD while on the road (SD card is enough for my user data, leaving the 16GB internal for OS and office).

This will be replacing my M1330 (T9300/4GB/8400GS), while being augmented by a nehalem desktop (I miss gaming, the 8400GS is NOT enough). I just plain dont need mobile power, and consolidating the two (powerful at home, while having a portable) didnt work out as well as Id hoped (did one fine, other poorly). The main uses for the laptop have been amusing myself during classes or while visiting my parents, and neither situation requires nearly the amount of power the M1330 has.

 

I think the graphics is the Poulsbo chipset.