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

Isn't the graphics supposed to be the standard GMA950?

 

It has been confirmed that the screen is a CCFL.
Source: http://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/dell_inspiron_mini_12_1210_7.jpg

Add that to a probable 3-cell power source to save weight, and you've got a real problem with battery life.

 

Let's do a summary here and see the pros and cons:

PROS:
1. First 12,1" LCD netbook
For who needs a bigger screen than the usual netbook this is a nice option.
2. Very thin and light
It does not beat the netbook slimness champion (Asus S101) but it is very thin considering the 12,1" category.
3. Different Atom CPU with lower TDP.
Consumes less than Atom N270 but same speed here


CONS:
1. 1GB max memory size
This is because this particular Atom CPU was designed for MID devices and the chipset used has a 1GB RAM limit.Very bad considering the Vista OS.Better go for XP.
2. Weak battery life with 3 cell battery
The 6 cell battery won't fit the netbook case.I hate notebooks that seem "pregnant" because of battery especially in the light and thin category.
3. HDD with 5mm height and 4200rpm rotation speed
This makes upgrades much more difficult
4. LCD not LED
5. Not upgrade friendly.
You have to open the whole case to reach the components.

 

It's roughly $966 on the Japanese Dell site.

 

Netbooks are popular because the standard new 11" inch notebooks are overpriced.

What's old is new is exactly what netbooks are offering: a late model 10-11" inch notebook that's much cheaper than a new notebook and doesn't carry a "used" or "refurbished" tag which turns lots of buyers off.

Netbooks are brand new old computers.


The problem I see with a 12" netbook though is that it's size gets too close to what's offered in notebooks that can still be gotten new with better specs for a similar price.

 

That HDD will hurt its performance in particular. There's a big difference in speed between a 4200RPM drive and 5400RPM drive in terms of read and write speeds. It WILL however negate the increased battery drain from using CCFL backlighting instead of LED backlighting.

I still don't really like the idea of larger netbooks... But perhaps that's just me.

 

a 12" netbook is generally an awful idea, id rather get the MSI Pr211 with the PUMA platform for only slightly more.

the use of silverthorne (instead of diamondville) is interesting, as it presumably uses the Poulsbo chipset instead of the 945G used in other netbooks.

 

Just cuz it have an Atom processor they call it a Netbook? And yes, for a few hundred $$$ more, you get the HP tx2500z tablet pc with more processing power and options and is just as portable. And Vista for a weak processor? Eww.

No thanks, the Asus 1000H for $450 is probably the highest $$$ and biggest footprint for a netbook I'll go IMO. If the Acer Aspire One smooth out its problems, it's probably the best deal. By the way the 1000H is a great machine.

Then again I'm sure Dell realized that netbook buyers complains about the screen and keyboard is too small. I'm not sure netbook buyers will be willing to spend $600 for an underperforming 12" laptop when you add a few hundred more for a fully capable dual core laptop.

 

Is the 1GB of RAM a chipset limitation?

 

Yes it is. Poulsbo wasn't designed for running vista.

 

One size doesn't fit all.

While there are a lot of folk who can't see the need for a 12" netbook, others think this is just what they want.... and unlike the 9-10" netbooks there isn't any direct competition for the I12. This should sell well.

It'll be interesting to see the effect on conventional 12-13" notebook sales and especially their prices.

 

1. Expensive
2. Large
3. 1 GB RAM limitation
4. Very hard to open
4. And Vista .


Btw, the first review:
WORLD FIRST review of Inspiron Mini 12: Dell’s super-slim netbook!



Over to you...
The Inspiron Mini 12 isn’t set to please everyone. Some will slam its price tag as being too high for a netbook, and ask why you wouldn’t buy a ‘real’ notebook for that price. Others will decry the presence of Windows Vista and the 1GB memory limit, either on their own or as a pair. And we expect the battery life to raise some eyebrows and lower some credit cards.

Yet I can think of plenty of mainstream users – typically the family, friends and workmates of many APC readers – for whom this $999 netbook will really hit the sweet spot by blurring the conventional boundary of form factor and blowing apart the long-standing sub-note barrier of price.

 

I know that's not in U.S. dollars 'cause Dell couldn't get $999 USD for a Mini 12 even if they put an Alienware logo on it. ;p

 

I like the size but not the OS choice for 1gb max of ram.

 

It's on the Japanese Dell site for $966.

 

Glossy screen is a major bummer, as ultraportables are mainly used outside home, in environments, where you can't control the amount of light. And because of that, reflections are a big problem.

For large multimedia notebooks glossy is ok, as they'll mostly sit in a desk at home, where you can dim the lights if you see glare.

 

Specs for a next generation Netbook to kill the Dell, HP, etc. offerings circa June 2009 for back to school season, available as of April 2009:

12" 1280X1024 LED Backlight screen (perhaps 13")
Full size keyboard
Atom Dual core with real energy saving chipset, X4500 graphics
1gb DDR3 (energy saving), capacity to add up to 4gb (on one SODIMM slot)
32GB next generation SSD standard, additional slot to add 2nd card (SATA or miniPCIe or SODIMM connector for second SSD.
SATA connector and provisions for 1.8" HDD bay (for low cost version)
4 cell battery standard (3hrs) 8 cell (6hrs optional)
802.11n dual band Intel 5300 card
BT 2.1
Synaptics touchpad
60watt fast charger with 12V cigarette lighter adapter, 12V 1394, 5V USB charger built in. Charger must be non-proprietary (not like Dell)
3 USB, 1394, eSATA port, SDHD, SD card slot
Decent speakers, dual mic, 3mpxl camera (can be rotated and used as camera without netbook turned on)
Wimax slot
Windows XP Home or Linux standard
1 year international mail in (or carry in) exchange warranty.

ALL off the above at street price of $500

Optional:

Portable DVD r/w drive connects via eSATA port ($50 option)

Sunlight readable LCD ($50 option)

Touchscreen LCD ($50 option)

GPS (using one of the miniPCIe slots? ($50 option)


This machine is technically feasible (and will make money if made in quantity with a standard configuration (not like Dell).

It would, of course, kill off a good chunk of the low price ($600-$800) notebook market, and also the high priced small notebook (i.e. Sony, etc.) market.

 

Well. I can't keep up anymore...My first choice was the MSI Wind. I like it..a lot - better then the eePC. MSI looks better, and has bigger screen. Yesterday when I saw the Lenovo S10, I sad to myself - this is my chirstmass (thanksgiving)present ;-). The Lenovo just looks awesome. And performance and price are more then acceptable. I mean for a netbook you can't ask for more. If you wanna play games and do Photoshop - do it on your desktop. At least I will...this 12'' Dell is losing the sense of having a netbook. I think 10'' screen is the max for a netbook. If I wanna go a step forward I will go with the XPS 1330. There is nothing in between 10 and 13. At least not for me.

I will probably wait until December and see what they gonna do with the second generation of the MSI Wind and then decide if I'm gonna go with the Wind or the IdeaPad S10. I think it will be the Lenovo, but we'll see.

 

I completely agree. As they say, different strokes for different folks.

However, I don't get what makes this a netbook. To me, it's a 12 inch notebook. There's nothing about this machine that would drop it into the netbook category.

If anything can be called a netbook, I guess I'm going to start calling my 13 inch Inspiron a netbook.

 

Yes, this just seems like another 12" notebook to me as well. Looks like Netbook manufacturers would just concentrate on improving the quality of the 9" to 10" screens and leave the larger screens to business/power laptops.

 

They're called Netbooks because their processing power, ram, and gpu doesn't make them much more useful than checking your mail, browsing the internet, or handling some word docs. If that's what you feel all a computer means to you than you don't really don't need a Notebook and will be fine with a Netbook.

The size and weight determines whether or not a netbook or notebook can be called a UMPC. (ultra-mobile personal computer)

It's Intel Atom, 1G Ram, and a GMA500 clearly puts the Mini-12 in the netbook class. It's weight and thickness makes the Mini-12 a UMPC.


The only thing the price does is make people wonder if it's worth buying the Mini-12 or spending less than a couple of hundred dollars more on a full blown notebook.

 

Atom processor, 1 GB of RAM and... Vista?

 

it'd be great if it were dual core, came with more ram (2gigs at least for vista) and an SSD. But im just dreaming

 

You can have that now:

Just buy a Sony, Fujitsu, etc. with a small screen, and pay $1,500 or more and you have it.

The whole point of the netbooks is to keep the price down ($500 or below).

Once you start adding costly features like Vista (nearly double the M$ tax), dual core, 2gb+ ram, you are just into a regular Laptop with a small screen.

A cheapie (8gb plus 32gb SDHC fake SSD like the Asus eee PC 1000) SSD adds $100 to the cost.

A real SSD with decent performance (like a OCZ Core V2, Intel X-25) cost more than the netbook.

 

HP, Toshiba, Sony, Fujitsu, Lenovo, Gateway, and just about everyone ELSE beside DELL use chargers that do not have a chip inside to prevent non Factory chargers from being used.

You can go to Radio Shack, Best Buy, Office Max, etc. and buy an aftermarket adapter, and it will work fine.

On DELL laptops, you can get a charger that will plug in and operate the Dell Laptop, but if it is not recognized as as a DELL Factory charger, it does not charge the battery.

Stupid idea. No other manufacturer does it this way.



The Intel 5300 card with 3 antenna add about $10 or less to the price of a system... for a considerable improvement in performance.

If you are a major Intel customer, the increment is more like $1 over the Intel 5100 card. The wifi cards and chipsets are often heavily discounted when sold as a Centrino (2) package.

Even cheapskates like Dell and Asus can afford the upgrade as "standard equipment".

 

Is can't find the review for the Dell Mini 12. Is there one? I think I need some more screen real estate.....