Dell Inspiron Mini 10v netbook
The Small, Cheap Computer is back. Hurrah!
Review In the 18 months since Asus rocked up with its Eee PC 701 and kicked off the whole netbook malarkey, we've seen the number and types of devices that are nominally included in the category expand almost exponentially. As Ms Streisand so appositely noted, it was all so simple then.
Dell's Inspiron Mini 10v: a true Small, Cheap Computer
Of course, as with small hatchbacks and RAF fighter aircraft, as the breed has developed so it has become larger, heaver, more complex and more expensive. So whither the Small, Cheap Computer? Well, thanks to Dell, it's alive and well, thank you very much.
Over the last few months, Dell has quietly taken the axe to its UK netbook range. Gone is the Inspiron Mini 9 - which is a shame - and ditto the Mini 12, though that's less of a shame because it was cursed with a small and slow HDD, and Dell never saw fit to offer it with Linux or an SSD.
All Dell's netbook eggs are now firmly in the Mini 10 basket. The machine is currently available in three flavours: the Linux- or Windows-driven 10v, and the Windows-only, suffix-less 10. The key difference between the two sub-ranges is that the 10 uses Intel's hanheld device-oriented Atom Z520 and 530 CPUs, while the 10v uses the N270. We've chosen to look at the runt of the litter, the Mini 10v with an 8GB SSD, perhaps the purest iteration of the SCC since the halcyon days of the Asus Eee PC 701 and first Acer Aspire One.
Dell's netbook styling to date has been either pleasantly conservative or downright dull, depending on your sense of the aesthetic. The 10v is no exception, though a few cosmetic changes do make it the most attractive Dell Mini to date. To start with, the silver screen bezel that featured on both the 9 and 12 has been replaced with a matte black affair which looks a lot smarter. Secondly, the 10v's keyboard takes up a far greater percentage of the deck than was the case on the 9 or 12 and the palm rest is narrower, reducing the areas of dull black plastic that Dell had to try to make look vaguely interesting.
The 10in screen has 24 fewer pixels vertically than other netbooks do
The 10v is pretty well screwed together too, with no squeaks, groans or grinds coming from the chassis or screen hinge no matter how we tried to bend it. Thankfully, the body is only besmirched by two small marketing stickers.
COMMENTS
Famous last words
The Linux version appears now to have vanished without a trace from Dell UK's site.
Arm-twisting from the beast of Redmond?
OK, it's back on the Dell site now
They do hide it rather though....
It's a graphics world now...
Intel Video chipset...uhhhh...no.
@ratbert
I have only looked at a couple of these netbooks so its hard to compare plus I am from the U.S so im not sure about pounds. I spent $329. for the acer one with free shipping and $300. plus $8.00 for the Dell 10v, but the acer has much better specs for the extra $21.00 dollars.If you can buy from Amazon the then compare the Asus and also the Samsung nc10. Too me the most important issues are hhd size and battery size and I would assume they have normal Led indicators for keyboard functions. Sometimes spending a little extra money is worth it. When I got my acer I called tech support about a questions and I got through in a couple minutes and they were very helpful.
When I call dell I am always transferred numerous times and they a very unhelpful.
The Asus looks good and I would buy it if I had the extra money.
Dell Mini 10v=JUNK
I have read several reviews about the dell mini 10v before I ordered it and not one said anything about the missing leds considered standard on any notebook or netbook. It is my opinion that dell cut every corner they could to make this netbook. I have read other people having problems with the power switch. Yes the dell is pretty compared to the acer one and does have a better keyboard but thats where the compassion ends in my mind. Xp probably cant even use the 1gb ram included but if you a different os that can use my ram you have to void the warranty ( im not sure but I would almost bet money it would.) Maybe mine was a lemon but it should not of left the factory and if you have ever delt with dell they are the absolute worst unless you have a business machine.
I felled to mention my 10v crashed constantly even after I flashed the new bios and there where 2 new bios update already meaning it was not ready to be sold.
I didnt mean to offend anyone but at least some reviews are more impressed with looks than function and Its a waste of time because there short on the facts. I like the the lan switch and light on the acer one . Not having the leds would be a deal breaker for me, some people like you dont care but its nice to now.The acer one has both a larger hdd and a larger battery capacity. I would be interested in seeing some more benchmarks. They are basically the same inside so they should have the same numbers.
